‘Tackles the pervasive tide of unbridled misogyny masquerading as kindness’ Julie Bindel
‘Victoria Smith is a brilliant writer who every feminist should read’ Sharron Davies
‘This brilliant book shows how demands for compassion and generosity can be a mask for sexist ideology’ Susanna Rustin
(Un)kind is a coruscating account of the ways in which deeply-held beliefs about women’s ‘kind’ nature have been repackaged for today’s culture wars, in a society that remains dependent – socially, politically, economically – on female self-sacrifice.
Kindness culture is sold to women and girls in a multitude of guises: from play to self-help, social justice activism to empowerment. Victoria Smith argues that the pressure on women and girls has been incorporated into the ‘work’ of feminism.
A compelling account of the backlash against feminism, (Un)Kind is essential reading for anyone affected by the endless exhortations for women to #BeKind.
‘Brilliant… compelling’ Lucy Mangan, The i
‘Erudite, blisteringly smart and profoundly compassionate’ Dr Rachel Hewitt
‘Victoria Smith is a brilliant writer who every feminist should read’ Sharron Davies
‘This brilliant book shows how demands for compassion and generosity can be a mask for sexist ideology’ Susanna Rustin
(Un)kind is a coruscating account of the ways in which deeply-held beliefs about women’s ‘kind’ nature have been repackaged for today’s culture wars, in a society that remains dependent – socially, politically, economically – on female self-sacrifice.
Kindness culture is sold to women and girls in a multitude of guises: from play to self-help, social justice activism to empowerment. Victoria Smith argues that the pressure on women and girls has been incorporated into the ‘work’ of feminism.
A compelling account of the backlash against feminism, (Un)Kind is essential reading for anyone affected by the endless exhortations for women to #BeKind.
‘Brilliant… compelling’ Lucy Mangan, The i
‘Erudite, blisteringly smart and profoundly compassionate’ Dr Rachel Hewitt
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Reviews
Brilliant... compelling
In her new, deftly-written and often humorous book, (Un)kind, feminist author Victoria Smith tackles the pervasive tide of unbridled misogyny masquerading as kindness
(Un)kind is erudite, blisteringly smart and profoundly compassionate towards those who need it most: women. With subtlety and elegance, Victoria Smith reveals how, throughout history, women have been trained to provide kindness to others while quashing our own needs; and she deftly teases out the difficult question of how feminists can still believe that caring for one another is a social good without being exploited in the process. A must-read for anyone hungry to understand the origins and dangers of contemporary exhortations to women to #BeKind, and for everyone who wants to live a feminist life