Reviews with content warning for Fatphobia - Women Don't Owe You Pretty: The Small Edition

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.

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charlottesomewhere's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective medium-paced

A good introduction to feminism and what it means to be a feminist in the modern world.

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ellencraddock's review against another edition

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informative inspiring slow-paced

2.0

I don't disagree with any of the points made in this book. Some are very basic principles and theories that I think most fem lit readers would be largely familiar with. Think it would have benefitted from speaking more about Given's personal experience growing up - these were the most gripping parts. Commenting on issues not affecting Given felt false... like why would I read a white girls book about what it's like to live as a black women?

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thejuliette's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective fast-paced

4.0

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0xytocinn's review against another edition

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informative inspiring fast-paced

3.25

I was initially really enamoured with this book, and I feel that it's a fantastic introduction to feminism. I put it as a recommendation on my instagram as I've got so many friends who would benefit from the messages in it, but there aren't really any new ideas portrayed. It didn't really tell me anything I hadn't already seen on Tumblr in 2014, but, I have to give the book credit for it's accessibility. It's also gorgeously presented. More a coffee table book than anything.

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curatoriallyyours's review against another edition

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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.

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kleinearmee's review against another edition

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challenging emotional informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

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