I don't think I’ve ever been as shocked reading as I was reading this!
First of all, I was taken back a little when I flicked through the pages when it arrived to find every sentence I read was either a rude remark or just offensive. I purchased this thinking it’ll be an empowering book about how we all can win as women and how to tolerate less and less bullshit from this white supremacist, capitalist patriarchy society (the tea from Tea with Queen & Jay) and my dreams were crushed in the first flick through? Obviously I wasn’t going to have this, so I did what any normal human would do — went on Twitter to see what others thought of it. All I saw were positive comments and how it is a very good book, this was the seal of approval I needed to read the book in its entirety. THOUGHTS: I would just like to declare first of all that this is a very very light hearted book you shouldn’t take seriously in any manner. I read the book as Paris Hilton because it seemed so apt! Honestly, if The Simple Life was made into a book, this would be it! I found it just as offensive as the first couple of sentences I read earlier — it is however a satire and I found myself nodding along to some of the insanely ludicrous statements. These statements clearly show how the standards set for women are absurd and almost comical (it is infact comical and that’s what makes this book so good); it basically agrees with every standard society sets for women (for example, the writers, The Betches, aspired to marriage and marriage being an end goal was referenced throughout the book) The sarcasm in this book is impeccable! It’s entertaining as you see certain standards society forces down your throat because you have a vagina. It almost displays the misogyny we are conditioned to and lays it down in the open so you can comprehend how pathetic it all is. The satirical nature of it is reflected in the chapter titles as well: -Birth Control - Manipulating your period as if it were a man -How to apply for a job like you give a shit I would admit there were some sections the sarcasm was so much it wasn’t funny anymore and just felt quite ignorant. For example, “advice”/ principles in the love and sex portion seemed so backwards because it was just too much - for me at least. "While men are allowed to approach sex mindlessly and are praised for the amount of meaningless sex they have, women are left to think that giving in to their sexual desires without question will leave them pathetic, alone and with the reputation of the village bicycle. Sad as we are to admit it, people who idolise Tucker Max and Charlie Sheen are correct about this double standard” .
Reading this seems witty but imagine reading fifty variations of this back to back.
Erm, no. PERSONAL PROBLEMS WITH BOOK: These are several notions in the book I struggle to understand and several ideas that just scream problematic to me. The idea that you have to be rich, skinny and hot at all cost storyline is very problematic and can actually prevent you from enjoying the gift of beautiful well thought out sarcasm it has to offer (although I think it’s a play on how society shapes us to believe we all have to be skinny and hot. Also, not to forget to be rich while you’re at it). Also, the encouragement to just be an alcoholic and do drugs 24/7 is a big no. I like a couple of cocktails and several cheeky glasses of wine but this advice to be black-out drunk everyday? No bueno. How does that even make you “win at basically everything” Would I read this again? I would definitely read parts of the book again and refer back to it but not a page to page read.
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About meHello, I'm Ayo and welcome to my soon to be exciting world! Join me as I go through life's ups and downs which leads to me learning more about life and myself. Archives
December 2020
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