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annikaa's review
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
»Until we have fully rinsed out the conditioning that women need to shrink themselves around men to accommodate their 'masculinity' and take up as little space as possible, we will forever be compromising our multifaceted selves for the sake of their egos«
The book is marketed as "an accessible leap into feminism" and this is exactly what you get. It covers a wide range of topics that are discussed in simple language, making them easy to understand. The designs throughout the book were a great addition, too.
Though it provides a good starting point, it didn't add anything new to me personally. It lacked depth in some parts and was too repetitive in others.
Nevertheless, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to get into feminism and doesn't know where to start. I know my past self would have benefited from this book were it available to me a few years ago!
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexism, and Sexual content
traciereads's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexism
izzywoo's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content
Minor: Sexual assault, Ableism, Biphobia, Body shaming, Cursing, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, and Sexism
papercraftalex's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
2.0
This book was a (good) slap in the face. It's a journey to self-respect through feminism with absolutely stunning illustrations throughout. It's succinct yet personal and has wonderful tidbits of advice that feel like gold. The book has sections on desirability politics, privilege, abusive relationships, queerness, self-care and so much more. Given teachers the readers how to own their lives and free themselves from the patriarchy like a big sister; it's not overly academic but still teaches so much. I recommend it to all women and women adjacent people.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
EDIT: After learning about the controversy with this book, I've reflected a bit more. I see this book as self-help with a feminist lens. The feminism in this book is very basic and nothing new, the ideas are definitely decades old.
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
EDIT: After learning about the controversy with this book, I've reflected a bit more. I see this book as self-help with a feminist lens. The feminism in this book is very basic and nothing new, the ideas are definitely decades old.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Biphobia, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Mental illness, Racism, and Transphobia
Minor: Ableism and Bullying
mezzano's review
informative
lighthearted
reflective
1.0
As a person who has already been introduced to feminist theory and thinking, I was disappointed by this collection. Women Don't Owe You Pretty is the watered-down, coffee table, self-help version of what feminist literature should be. While Florence Given's book is colorful and eye-catching, I felt myself wondering why the images were not used to enhance the written material. For example, Given refers several times to her life changing when she was able to give herself "earth-shattering organisms" with a vibrator. Why wasn't there a part of this book about sexual self-care, and models of vibrators and sex toys? Instead, at the end of each section was a similarly drawn woman and a new 70s-theme colors which serve as a hint the next chapter is starting. This is an incredibly wasted opportunity, especially as Given is an illustrator.
Throughout most of the book, I was confused on what made Florence Given the authority on certain aspects of feminism. Beyond knowing she is conventionally attractive and fairly popular on Instagram, I didn't know anything about Florence Given's experience with feminist theory. Because Women Don't Owe You Pretty takes a self-help angle, material is rarely cited. When it is, I found that the sources are almost always Black women who have a deep background in racial or feminist theory. While all women should be promoting inclusion and anti-racist thinking in their feminism, I found myself wishing that I had gotten an ARC of a Black Feminist's book over Given's. Given speaks a lot to the Black experience, but does not have that experience to share herself, as she is a white woman. At the end of the book, she has an acknowledgement section to the Black women who have helped educate her. While that is certainly a nice gesture, a better gesture would have been to use her Instagram base to uplift, advocate, and advertise those Black feminist writers' current feminist literature.
The best parts of Florence Given's book is in the center, where she speaks to her own experiences as a bisexual woman. As a bisexual woman myself, I related best to this section of the book, but still found it incredibly elementary. This book, despite it's go-getter presentation and almost angry energy, wasn't that liberating. The goal of this book is to be easily consumable, rather than provide any real depth. I was worried when so much of the book was centered around the cis-gender experience, but did find that there was a section of the book which touches on gender. These high points, while present, dim almost entirely when the worst parts of Given's book are considered.
The worst part of Women Don't Owe You Pretty is its blatant dishonesty. Florence Given cheers on its readers, stating that "no one has ever been successful by scrolling through social media all day," but Given herself has created an enormous lucrative base by tailoring social media to support her talents and commercial opportunities. While I agree whole-heartedly that social media is an addictive and unforgiving business, Given's failure to recognize her own experiences in a book about her experience was a very interesting choice. After reading, I came across claims of plagiarism from someone who Given had put in her own Acknowledgements page. Chidera "Slumflower" Eggerue, author of What a Time to Be Alone and How to Get Over a Boy is known for her uplifting work for the Black Feminist community. Disregarding the outcome of any plagiarism case that surfaces as a result of Given and Eggerue's books, it's important to recognize and take the claims made by Eggerue seriously. When Eggerue asked Given to donate part of Women Don't Owe You Pretty to Black Feminist charities, Given refused.
This book is receiving one star due to its lacking quality of content. This should be marked as a general self help book above cultural perspectives or feminist literature. In addition, my feelings about the lacking substance of the book is compounded by Given's refusal to use her money to uplift the very communities her audience is aimed towards. Finally, I am also disheartened to see the commercialized take on an important societal topic. The plagiarism claims made this book wholly unenjoyable for me, even for light junk reading.
Throughout most of the book, I was confused on what made Florence Given the authority on certain aspects of feminism. Beyond knowing she is conventionally attractive and fairly popular on Instagram, I didn't know anything about Florence Given's experience with feminist theory. Because Women Don't Owe You Pretty takes a self-help angle, material is rarely cited. When it is, I found that the sources are almost always Black women who have a deep background in racial or feminist theory. While all women should be promoting inclusion and anti-racist thinking in their feminism, I found myself wishing that I had gotten an ARC of a Black Feminist's book over Given's. Given speaks a lot to the Black experience, but does not have that experience to share herself, as she is a white woman. At the end of the book, she has an acknowledgement section to the Black women who have helped educate her. While that is certainly a nice gesture, a better gesture would have been to use her Instagram base to uplift, advocate, and advertise those Black feminist writers' current feminist literature.
The best parts of Florence Given's book is in the center, where she speaks to her own experiences as a bisexual woman. As a bisexual woman myself, I related best to this section of the book, but still found it incredibly elementary. This book, despite it's go-getter presentation and almost angry energy, wasn't that liberating. The goal of this book is to be easily consumable, rather than provide any real depth. I was worried when so much of the book was centered around the cis-gender experience, but did find that there was a section of the book which touches on gender. These high points, while present, dim almost entirely when the worst parts of Given's book are considered.
The worst part of Women Don't Owe You Pretty is its blatant dishonesty. Florence Given cheers on its readers, stating that "no one has ever been successful by scrolling through social media all day," but Given herself has created an enormous lucrative base by tailoring social media to support her talents and commercial opportunities. While I agree whole-heartedly that social media is an addictive and unforgiving business, Given's failure to recognize her own experiences in a book about her experience was a very interesting choice. After reading, I came across claims of plagiarism from someone who Given had put in her own Acknowledgements page. Chidera "Slumflower" Eggerue, author of What a Time to Be Alone and How to Get Over a Boy is known for her uplifting work for the Black Feminist community. Disregarding the outcome of any plagiarism case that surfaces as a result of Given and Eggerue's books, it's important to recognize and take the claims made by Eggerue seriously. When Eggerue asked Given to donate part of Women Don't Owe You Pretty to Black Feminist charities, Given refused.
This book is receiving one star due to its lacking quality of content. This should be marked as a general self help book above cultural perspectives or feminist literature. In addition, my feelings about the lacking substance of the book is compounded by Given's refusal to use her money to uplift the very communities her audience is aimed towards. Finally, I am also disheartened to see the commercialized take on an important societal topic. The plagiarism claims made this book wholly unenjoyable for me, even for light junk reading.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual content, Sexism, Rape, Sexual violence, and Sexual assault
charlottesomewhere's review
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
A good introduction to feminism and what it means to be a feminist in the modern world.
Content Warnings
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, and Transphobia
bookishyvonne's review
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.0
Bevor ich mit der Rezension anfange, möchte ich auf die Debatte zwischen Florence Given und Chidera Eggrue aufmerksam machen. Eggrue wirft Given vor von ihr geklaut zu haben und ihre Bücher zeigen eine sehr starke Ähnlichkeit. Selbst Givens Buchtitel wurde von Eggrue “inspiriert”.
“Women Don’t Owe You Pretty” wird als “Gender Studies” kategorisiert, aber ich selbst würde es eher zu “Self Help” zählen. Given spricht viele wichtige Themen an, aber sie sind leider sehr oberflächlich gehalten. Das Buch ist wahrscheinlich ein guter Einstieg, aber wenn man sich mit Feminismus beschäftigt hat, liest hier nichts Neues. Einige Affirmationen sind ganz gut und es ist ein schön gestaltetes Buch, aber es ist nicht so bahnbrechend oder radikal, wie manche das beschreiben. Außerdem gibt es auch viele Wiederholungen und manchmal fehlen mir die Quellen zu einigen Aussagen. Was mich u.a. gestört hat, war die Implikation im Buch, dass lediglich "hübsche" Frauen belästigt werden und eine Glatze dies verhindern könnte?? Hinzu kommt, dass Given auch schreibt, dass Menschen von Influencer*innen auf Instagram mehr lernen könnten als an der Universität und dieses Buch eher an ein junges Publikum gerichtet ist, finde ich das ziemlich fatal. Dann gibt es auch falsche Verwendung von Fachbegriffen, so bedeuten bspw. “intrusive thoughts” nicht “internalised misogyny”.
Was ich gut fand: Given benutzt Triggerwarnungen und erklärt anschaulich die Begriffe "Gender Expression", "Gender Identity" und "Sexuality". Auch, dass sie ihre eigene Privilegien anspricht, dass sie weiß, dünn, abe-bodied, und normschön ist, und dementsprechend davon profitiert. Das Glossar am Ende des Buches ist ebenfalls hilfreich. Mir fehlte aber noch die Thematisierung von Klassizismus. Die Privilegien Checkliste finde ich gut, aber die hätte am Anfang des Buches eine bessere Wirkung gehabt. Leider ist die Checkliste auch nicht intersektional mit ihren Überschriften, weil vieles nicht so schwarz/weiß ist, wie es dargestellt wird. Bspw. ist mein Name "Yvonne" leicht auszusprechen, weil sich meine asiatischen Eltern eben bewusst für einen europäischen Namen entschieden haben, sodass er leichter auszusprechen ist. Cisgender Privileg: ich bin cis, wurde aber aufgrund meines asiatischen Daseins gefragt, ob meine Vagina eng ist.
Ich hätte es besser gefunden, wenn sie mehr über Queerness und Bisexualität, also ihren gelebten Erfahrungen gesprochen hätte. Es ist zwar gut, dass sie auf Schwarze Feminist*innen aufmerksam macht, aber manchmal hatte ich das Gefühl, dass sie die Grenzen überschreitet und für sie schreibt, anstatt Schwarze Feminist*innen selbst sprechen zu lassen.
Es ist sehr ironisch, dass sie in ihrem Buch schreibt “Wenn du dir deines Privilegs bewusst bist, kannst du es zum Nutzen anderer Menschen einsetzen. Während du dich durch die Welt bewegst, denke an die Möglichkeiten, die du weitergeben könntest, oder wie du Raum für Menschen aufgeben könntest, die nicht den gleichen Zugang zu wichtigen Räumen haben wie du. Echte Veränderung geschieht, wenn wir unsere Macht aufgeben, ohne jemandem zu sagen, dass wir es getan haben.” und trotz Aufzählung ihrer Privilegien sich dessen nicht bewusst ist.
Content Warnings
Minor: Body shaming, Cursing, Emotional abuse, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
gabybeckley's review
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Sexual violence
curatoriallyyours's review
challenging
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
3.5
This book has a lot of important things to say about who we are as women and why things are the way they are, as well as practical advice for moving past some of the roadblocks and common traumas experienced by women. It encourages introspection and is a book you could come back to again and again to ground yourself as particular situations emerge.
The author of this book was 21 at the time of writing and, to be sure, exhibits wisdom beyond her age. However, I wonder if she'd have written the same book in ten or twenty years time. At the time of writing this review, I'm 38, and a lot of the things she is absolute about are grey areas for me. I also think that some of her advice could be not applicable or even dangerous for some people. For example, not everyone is in a safe position to break up with a partner if they find themselves in a difficult situation. Partnerships occur for lots of different reasons and in many cultural situations, so someone whose parents force them into a marriage, for example, might not be able to follow this black and white advice safely. I think it is a matter of privilege - the privilege of being in a position to break up with a partner - and beyond that the privilege of being in a position to be introspective and make changes to your life in general. Also, on a slightly lighter note, I think some of the reasons why the author suggests breaking up with a partner are situations that are more nuanced than she implies.
Over all, I think this book is important and a good read. It is easily digestable in that it has short chapters that could really be read in any order, but it is also challenging in its content and made me think about some of the choices I've made and the context within which I've made them. If you're an older reader, you may not find everything in this book to be relevant to your circumstances - it really seems to be primarily aimed at women in their twenties - but there are some gems in there that make it worth your while.
The author of this book was 21 at the time of writing and, to be sure, exhibits wisdom beyond her age. However, I wonder if she'd have written the same book in ten or twenty years time. At the time of writing this review, I'm 38, and a lot of the things she is absolute about are grey areas for me. I also think that some of her advice could be not applicable or even dangerous for some people. For example, not everyone is in a safe position to break up with a partner if they find themselves in a difficult situation. Partnerships occur for lots of different reasons and in many cultural situations, so someone whose parents force them into a marriage, for example, might not be able to follow this black and white advice safely. I think it is a matter of privilege - the privilege of being in a position to break up with a partner - and beyond that the privilege of being in a position to be introspective and make changes to your life in general. Also, on a slightly lighter note, I think some of the reasons why the author suggests breaking up with a partner are situations that are more nuanced than she implies.
Over all, I think this book is important and a good read. It is easily digestable in that it has short chapters that could really be read in any order, but it is also challenging in its content and made me think about some of the choices I've made and the context within which I've made them. If you're an older reader, you may not find everything in this book to be relevant to your circumstances - it really seems to be primarily aimed at women in their twenties - but there are some gems in there that make it worth your while.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Misogyny, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Each chapter contains content warnings, which I found really thoughtful.kleinearmee's review
challenging
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Minor: Biphobia, Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Hate crime, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Rape, Racism, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, and Toxic relationship
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