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A review by mezzarella
Women Don't Owe You Pretty by Florence Given
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