Feminists Don't Wear Pink (and Other Lies) by Scarlett Curtis Review

Hello Readers,

I picked up a sample of this at YALC this year and I instantly knew I needed the book and I read around 80% of this in one sitting. The full title is Feminists Don't Wear Pink (and Other Lies): Amazing Women on What the F-Word Means to them.  The book is also linked to The Girl Up organisation that empowers and trains women around the world to help promote gender equality and human rights.

I’m guessing most people are going to see this book and think it’s a guide to burning your bra and other feminist stereotypes. There are beautiful essays about motherhood.  It's honestly a down-to-earth, funny, inclusive and non-judgmental exploration of what feminism means to many different people.

There is no man-bashing but a simple message: women should be able to do anything they want without being judged and they shouldn't be ashamed of the things that go hand-in-hand with womanhood. This book teaches that feminism is a lot, but one thing it definitely isn't is a dirty word that describes man-hating women and every other stereotype you can think of. There was even some section I even where funny like full on laugh out loud funny, especially Kat Dennings and Jodie Whittaker sections ( There is something about the new doctor drinking wine tickled my funny bone).

It is clear that there is no one route to feminism, and there is no "right way" to do it - people find their own path in their own way. This book brings together essays from a number of women from diverse backgrounds, with an acknowledgement of experiences of feminism; black feminism/identity, ableism, trans-women. This book has many interesting stories in it and truths you may be interested in hearing about such as the 17 truths about Muslim women.  It covers sexism, the patriarchy, periods, and answers the most asked questions about feminism. All women and even men can join and help promote a fairer and more peaceful world.

This is an inspirational and powerful book in the time of #MeToo and protests surrounding gender equality. Feminists Don't Wear Pink isn't an academic collection of feminist essays, but a collection of essays, thoughts, poetry, etc. on all kinds of topics by all kinds of badass women. Some of my favourite contributors in the book include:
Keira Knightly
Kat Denning
Jodie Whittaker
Bridget Jones (The wonderful Helen Feilding)

Honestly this book is worth a read at least once even if you only read the sections by people you know

Lx