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sacp 's review for:
Girl, Wash Your Face
by Rachel Hollis
So, it's not the worst book I've ever read but that bar is truly pretty low. And in light of that, maybe it deserves 1.5 stars for the few things that resonated with me, and felt personally helpful in this particular time of my life such as dare to dream and strive to follow your dreams -- and don't let others make you believe you're small.
But...So many things rubbed me the wrong way. Too many to list them all, so a few:
- I couldn't stand the high horse moral preaching approach telling readers how everyone can have success if they just try hard enough, just like she did, because she's running a successful lifestyle company (which if you didn't know before you read the book, you will definitely know after because it gets mentioned over and over again). Hollis claims to be humble and turns around to tell readers how she is one of the best at running companies, at "mind over matter" (but maybe not so much at grammar...), at getting up early (?), etc. etc.
- The constant talk about diets. And how god wants you to be thin because thin is healthy. Also, if you have a coworker who said she was going on a diet, but you see her eating something unhealthy, you should call her out, because this shows that she can't keep promises to herself and therefore probably not to others.
- The book is full of contradictions - don't give up! Don't slow down! But also, stress can make you sick. Don't judge others, except apparently when they break their diet or give their kids candy on airplanes. Etc.
- The insistence that everyone can make things happen if they try hard enough. Which is just not true. Sometimes economic hardships, illness, abuse, etc. makes it impossible no matter how good it sounds to tell people to just pull themselves up by their bootstraps. And while Hollis did leave a small town and make it big, her success was certainly not hampered by her wealthy husband who could support her while she followed her dreams.
- The Christian platitudes. God has a plan for you. God's timing is perfect so just have faith. I used to believe this, but it's fascinating how quickly the idea of god's timing and plan unravels if one steps outside one's privileged sphere. Does god really have a plan for the children living and dying in the slums of Rio or India? Does god have a plan in mind for the women and girls in Afghanistan who are currently being pulled back to the dark ages and raped or murdered for daring to dream. How about for the millions living and dying in abject poverty and suffering? The mothers watching their children dying in cancer wards? (Maybe if they had only set a goal to buy a Louis Vuitton purse, things would have looked up for them...)
I think we like to make statements about god's plan and timing, etc, for several reasons. 1) Comfort. When things are hard it’s natural to seek some meaning in the trials and suffering. And it’s hard to face that sometimes life just sucks and there’s no greater plan, only our own will to persevere. 2) it makes us feel better about the disparity we see. The children may be suffering in slums, but it's ok because god has a purpose with it. So I don't have to feel bad for too long, right? And 3) it makes us feel a little better than others because we're so #blessed, so loved by god that things are working out for us and we can see the plan unfolding.
- Etc.
Oh and on a final note, Hollis casually mentions that doctors stopped giving everyone antibiotics for everything because they realized that the body needs to heal itself. Uhm no, they stopped giving it for everything because antibiotics are completely ineffective for non-bacterial infections. Sigh.
But...So many things rubbed me the wrong way. Too many to list them all, so a few:
- I couldn't stand the high horse moral preaching approach telling readers how everyone can have success if they just try hard enough, just like she did, because she's running a successful lifestyle company (which if you didn't know before you read the book, you will definitely know after because it gets mentioned over and over again). Hollis claims to be humble and turns around to tell readers how she is one of the best at running companies, at "mind over matter" (but maybe not so much at grammar...), at getting up early (?), etc. etc.
- The constant talk about diets. And how god wants you to be thin because thin is healthy. Also, if you have a coworker who said she was going on a diet, but you see her eating something unhealthy, you should call her out, because this shows that she can't keep promises to herself and therefore probably not to others.
- The book is full of contradictions - don't give up! Don't slow down! But also, stress can make you sick. Don't judge others, except apparently when they break their diet or give their kids candy on airplanes. Etc.
- The insistence that everyone can make things happen if they try hard enough. Which is just not true. Sometimes economic hardships, illness, abuse, etc. makes it impossible no matter how good it sounds to tell people to just pull themselves up by their bootstraps. And while Hollis did leave a small town and make it big, her success was certainly not hampered by her wealthy husband who could support her while she followed her dreams.
- The Christian platitudes. God has a plan for you. God's timing is perfect so just have faith. I used to believe this, but it's fascinating how quickly the idea of god's timing and plan unravels if one steps outside one's privileged sphere. Does god really have a plan for the children living and dying in the slums of Rio or India? Does god have a plan in mind for the women and girls in Afghanistan who are currently being pulled back to the dark ages and raped or murdered for daring to dream. How about for the millions living and dying in abject poverty and suffering? The mothers watching their children dying in cancer wards? (Maybe if they had only set a goal to buy a Louis Vuitton purse, things would have looked up for them...)
I think we like to make statements about god's plan and timing, etc, for several reasons. 1) Comfort. When things are hard it’s natural to seek some meaning in the trials and suffering. And it’s hard to face that sometimes life just sucks and there’s no greater plan, only our own will to persevere. 2) it makes us feel better about the disparity we see. The children may be suffering in slums, but it's ok because god has a purpose with it. So I don't have to feel bad for too long, right? And 3) it makes us feel a little better than others because we're so #blessed, so loved by god that things are working out for us and we can see the plan unfolding.
- Etc.
Oh and on a final note, Hollis casually mentions that doctors stopped giving everyone antibiotics for everything because they realized that the body needs to heal itself. Uhm no, they stopped giving it for everything because antibiotics are completely ineffective for non-bacterial infections. Sigh.