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

as someone who usually only reads fiction, i didn’t expect to love this book! yet i regret not reading it earlier. i believe this book would’ve helped me heal quicker… but on the other hand it’s amazing to reflect how far i’ve come!
i annotated the shit out of this tiny book… what can i say? HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!
if i wouldn’t have annotated so much, i would’ve lent it to every guy i know, and all the girlies out there.
this book shouldn’t only be read by girls, this is also so relevant for guys!! wanna understand our society? your sister, mother, girlfriend, best friend, … this book is your guide!!

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nelldiaz's review

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emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

3.75

A good introduction to modern feminism

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isabelindia's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-paced

5.0

AMAZING, sort of like a beginners guide to feminism. In the chapters about sexual assault en healing I felt very seen. All the love to Florence Given

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das_nomi's review

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challenging funny hopeful informative inspiring fast-paced

4.25

I really liked the book. And I think I understand the hype. There wasn’t a lot of new information for me personally. But it got me thinking about some of my friendships in a new way, even though the content is more about “partner”-relationships. I feel very empowered and would like to read the chapters that were missing in this tiny version.

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ronjagry's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

2.75

Great for teens, but if you're an old feminist like myself the info is a bit too basic. Would 100% give as a gift to a niece or daughter though!

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bunnyprincess's review against another edition

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medium-paced

1.5

Most of the reviews on here carry the same sort of sentiment: 'I'm not the target audience of this book'. I think this accurately summarises my main issue with it: I don't really understand what the actual point of the book is, and who it is for.

It is simply worded and explains very basic concepts, sometimes in a manner which feels quite condescending, which would suggest it is for a younger audience newer to the idea presented, but this would not make sense as the book is quite explicit and definitely not appropriate for younger teens. Given clearly addresses the messages in it to women whilst simultaneously saying that men are the issue- again, I think this makes the audience of the book unclear.

Additionally, the purpose is unclear. Whilst the title suggests a focus on feminism, it is also about dating and queerness that sometimes is tied in but usually isn't. This gives the book a very unclear point. It does not clearly fit into a genre and includes both memoir and self-help. I found the memoir parts more useful and entertaining because it gives reason for her to actually have written the book based on her experiences. The self-help parts were far less successful. It is repetitive and vague: whilst I do not disagree with any of her points, they are very basic and surface-level.

My main issue with this book is its regard for intersection feminism and other identities other than Given's own. Whilst I appreciate her recognition of those identities and their further struggles, it felt performative and poorly done. It often felt like they weren't real due to the disconnect in her writing about POC, trans and disabled women, and the lack of voice she gives to them. Although it was mentioned, it was through her own white cis narration- if she had included their actual voices, it would've been a far better book. This, in addition to the issues around her copying a black author's book, makes this book a bad feminist guide.

Whilst this book has some merit in the pretty illustrations and the transparency on some issues such as sexual assault, it fails in most other areas. It is bad both as an beginners introduction due to its lack of clarity and as a further read due to its lack of representation and surface-level observations. It also very rarely references studies and facts- it seems more guided by the author's opinion which would be fine if it was written and marketed purely as a memoir, but it is not. There are far better feminist books.

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readsbyhope's review against another edition

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challenging emotional reflective slow-paced

2.0

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