Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given: ARC Book Review

^{This is a spoiler-free review.}

Women Don’t Owe You Pretty by Florence Given

^{Published April 6th, 2021 by Andrews McMeel Publishing.}

My rating:

WRITER AND ACTIVIST FLORENCE GIVEN TELLS YOU HOW FEMINISM IS GOING TO RUIN YOUR LIFE (IN THE BEST WAY POSSIBLE).

A vibrantly illustrated primer on modern feminism for the Instagram generation encouraging us to question the insidious narratives that would hold us back from self-acceptance, self-love, and our own power.

With her refreshingly audacious voice and unmistakable art style, Florence Given explores all corners of the conversation, from overcoming insecurity projection and the tendency to find comfort in other women’s flaws to how to recognize and fight against the male gaze and other toxic cultural baggage and embracing sex and body positivity. Women Don’t Owe You Pretty is here to remind us that everyone is valuable as they are and we owe the world nothing, least of all pretty.

^{Thank you to the publisher, Andrews McMeel Audio/Publishing, and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC of this audiobook. All thoughts are my own.}

Today I’m bringing to you my first ever book review of a non-fiction work!

Women Don’t Owe You Pretty is marketed as a “primer on modern feminism” and when looking for a way to describe this book, I would have to say that impression is pretty spot on. As someone whose considered herself a feminist for the better part of a decade, a lot of what Given discussed in her book were concepts I was already familiar with, but nevertheless served as a timely reminder and a diligent push to reconsider some of the things I had taken as a given in our society.

Overall, Women Don’t Owe You Pretty was very good. I think I would have really appreciated hearing it when I was 18-22. The author herself was about that age when she wrote this book, and I think that does show. Everything Given said was undeniably good advice, it’s just, at my age, I’ve kind of already learnt as much. Also, at 25+, happily taken in a queer relationship, I found it hard to relate to some of the struggles she talks about with men and dating. But thinking back to my time in college, when I dated around and saw my fair share of assholes, I definitely think I could have benefitted from hearing her words of wisdom (even just as a subtle nudge).

Women Don’t Owe You Pretty covers a broad range of topics, which is impressive given that the book itself is quite short. I do think I would have liked Given to go into more depth with some of the topics she brought up, or at the very least pointed to some other relevant feminist literature for those inclined to further their reading. I will say that sometimes Given presents her opinions as facts, and can misuse certain terms. But, in general, this is a really great introduction to feminism, and one I think a lot of young women would benefit from hearing.

Have you read any good non-fiction books lately?

Let me know!