Women Don't Owe you Pretty

[Itsagiven]

This book has been on my radar as it's being heavily promoted and has a bright, eye-catching cover and title. It's by 21 year old illustrator and a 'Cosmopolitan Influencer of the Year 2019', Florence Given.

I had a quick look through the book in Waterstones to see if it would be a good Christmas present for my teenage DD but soon realised her definition of woman didn't match my own and there was a definite emphasis on the campus brand of intersectional feminism so I gave it a swerve.

There is now a rather public row going on between Given and another of the Diving Bell Group's authors Chidera Eggerue aka theslumflower. Eggerue has accused Given of plagiarising her book 'What a time to be Alone' (2018) and exploiting and appropriating the work of black women writers and activists. I haven't read either book so I don't think it's fair of me to get into this issue here (though from what I've read, Eggerue has some justification although the publishers must take some of the blame). The Diving Bell Group are no longer representing Eggerue, so it would appear that they have taken the side of Given in the argument which hasn't gone down well at all.

My reason for starting this thread is because while reading some of the email/insta statements exchanged between Eggerue and Given, there was mention of Given hiring a 'Diversity' reader. I've heard of these before, probably from MN-netters on here who work in publishing. Eggerue was scathing about Given having to hire a Diversity reader in the first place - she seemed to imply that anyone writing such a book shouldn't need one and should be suitably aware of the issues and write accordingly.

Given's response was what interested me. So, she's 21 year old woman, who has written this book on Feminism for other young women, but felt she had to hire a Diversity reader, for the following reasons:

'The diversity reader I hired was actually to ensure that I wasn't missing any blind spots with language when discussing sex/genitals, as I didn't want my book to unintentionally perpetuate transphobic rhetoric! I also didn't want to accidentally make sweeping statements about womanhood that only pertain to my experience as a cis white woman, and accidentally ignore the identities of trans people, disabled people or women of colour"

I just find it very telling that Given's priorities were, in the first instance, based around trans women and writing in a way that would appease them. I find that quite a sad and telling prioritisation in a book about Feminisim. She admits that she was told by her diversity reader to write 'more and more about Black women' but she chose to ignore that (apart from using many quotes and slogans from black women activists in the body of her book) For this she has been majorly criticised.

The Diving Bell Group only had 8 writers/activists on their roster, (including Munroe Bergdorf) so Given and Eggerue were close colleagues and friends. Ironically there is even a gushing quote on the cover of 'Women Don't Owe you Pretty' BY Eggerue.

It seems that Given is being castigated for skewing her intersectional feminism in the wrong direction. By choosing to centre trans women in her brand of feminism, she's neglected those black women feminists who's work she has seemingly appropriated.

The whole incident seems to encapsulate the state of intersectional feminism. Somewhere along the line, they've lost sight of who is important. Women.

Here's a report about the row - it's one of many if you Google it
news.yahoo.com/chidera-eggerue-accuses-florence-given-134024412.html

What a time to be alive!

It seems that Given is being castigated for skewing her intersectional feminism in the wrong direction. By choosing to centre trans women in her brand of feminism, she's neglected those black women feminists who's work she has seemingly appropriated.

I think we can rejoice in the woke eating itself.

Also, are either of these women's thoughts original, or are they just plagiarising the hundreds of feminists who went before them, like Germaine Greer, who the woke generation now hold in contempt?

Is it mean of me that my first reaction was, 'Ha ha ha'?

I'm not really on board with cultural appropriation arguments as I think a a writer's first duty is to tell an engaging story. But for what it's worth, I had assumed from the title that Given was black.

From Twitter

sailor mooncup

@neroli

The Florence Given/Slumflower drama in embarrassing. For them, yeah sure, but also for women, anyone who has ever claimed to be a feminist, or read theory, been even surface level involved in the discourse. The girls are fighting over who invented coffee table books

The bold is my emphasis. Seems spot on.

Ugh she also splits her infinitives

@Floisme

Is it mean of me that my first reaction was, 'Ha ha ha'?

I'm not really on board with cultural appropriation arguments as I think a a writer's first duty is to tell an engaging story. But for what it's worth, I had assumed from the title that Given was black.

No, not mean. I like this person's take on it.

I hope they get what they rightly deserve, which is to be credited for using pink and orange and size 28 font in a hardback book first. No more, no less

mobile.twitter.com/neroli/status/1336632353226170368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1336632353226170368%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fuk.style.yahoo.com%2Fchidera-eggerue-accuses-florence-given-134024412.html

This is a pertinent comment from the article:
You know what’s absolutely jokes about Slumflower and Florence Given battling it out right now? The fact that they’re both trying to claim that they created or perhaps on a smaller scale that they totally popularised feminist theory which was written over 40 years ago

You know what’s absolutely jokes about Slumflower and Florence Given battling it out right now? The fact that they’re both trying to claim that they created or perhaps on a smaller scale that they totally popularised feminist theory which was written over 40 years ago

"You don't owe prettiness to anyone. Not to your boyfriend/spouse/partner, not to your co-workers, especially not to random men on the street. You don't owe it to your mother, you don't owe it to your children, you don't owe it to civilization in general. Prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked 'female.'"

This is an idea that's been circulating for quite a while now - (and the source is, disputed, natch)

I think its also a bit unfair to castigate the writer on the cover or even the title, its likely she had very little say in it - Plus, publishers just rip off ideas that are working all the time. Like, ALL the time.

A lot of my writer friends talk about hiring 'sensitivity readers' nowadays. I think its nonsense, but they seem well into it. don't want to offend anyone...

And while a very small group of writers and philosophers disappear, infighting as they go, up their own behinds, womankind just carries on as none of this stuff has anything real to do with them or what happens day to day in the lives of real women.

It's amazing isn't it? How long have we had feminism? It's been now rendered obsolete for female people, and separated entirely from achieving any practical things to do with them. Female people are now in the position of having to reinvent it all over again, but this time to try and come up with some kind of terminology they will be allowed to keep in identifying them as a class of people with a specific group of needs and interests in mind. While not being compelled to first serve the interests of other groups.

The whole incident seems to encapsulate the state of intersectional feminism.

Maybe it's as least as much the state of publishers fawning over very young 'influencers'?

I quite like the title though. That would be an excellent idea to get out to teenagers (noting recent reports on excessive concern over appearance and MH issues arising)

So these diversity or insensitivity readers must be the most easily offended or the most diverse (they tick all boxes on the intersectional checklist) in order to do a good job - they must be so to encompass all areas of offence, otherwise it would just be offering a personal opinion of what they perceive to be offensive.

What would qualify you as one of these 'readers'?

Given started off as an Instagram influencer trading pretty unoriginal, but punchy feminist slogans, 'empowering' ditch the loser messaging and a limited colour palate. I found her fairly engaging and admired her confidence. She very quickly became swept up with trans insta - Bergdorf, Jamie Windust etc and the message became increasingly watered down with woke. A recent slogan "So you wanna take me out, huh? What do you think about feminism, LGBT, abortions, racism, Islamophobia, BLM, rape culture and Trump?" captures it. An exhausting soup of issues on which she's not afraid to contradict herself, so lord knows how any potential partners are expected to get it right. So much stuff on her timeline about accepting your body for what it is, warts and all, while simultaneously elevating Bergdorf's contrived and enhanced femininity as the epitome of womanhood. Instagram is full of this though, endless 'educating' on every topic, shaming unbelievers, repackaging cliches.

I feel sorry for young influencers, it's actually very hard for them to avoid this trap. If you want to make a success of it you have to go down this route. Another era she might have taken a different path, still could it she gave it some thought.

@OhHolyJesus

So these diversity or insensitivity readers must be the most easily offended or the most diverse (they tick all boxes on the intersectional checklist) in order to do a good job - they must be so to encompass all areas of offence, otherwise it would just be offering a personal opinion of what they perceive to be offensive.

What would qualify you as one of these 'readers'?

The ability to identify into every type of oppression and discrimination simultaneously or sequentially ? (Except for ageism, of course. No one old, ie over about 25, is going to read this stuff are they?.)

"So you wanna take me out, huh? What do you think about feminism, LGBT, abortions, racism, Islamophobia, BLM, rape culture and Trump?" captures it. An exhausting soup of issues on which she's not afraid to contradict herself, so lord knows how any potential partners are expected to get it right.

well its clear warning to back slowly away and find someone to date who is a bit less hard work.

What would qualify you as one of these 'readers'?

They're self-appointed afaik, but they are becoming wide-spread - and I was surprised how many writers, (over 30 yrs and writing for grown ups) were considering using them.

I think you've just got to be a really thin-skinned up yourself bastard with friends in the right places.
I would love to have a go.

accepting your body for what it is, warts and all, while simultaneously elevating Bergdorf's contrived and enhanced femininity as the epitome of womanhood

Yup, yup.

I doubt very much that this is a book I'll ever read but am curious about its title:

Women Don't Owe you Pretty

Could someone explain what that means?

Slightly as an aside, in an amateur fiction writing forum I occasionally frequently, there is a lot of policing of what people can and cannot write regarding trans issues. Someone was told not to write about a trans woman accidentally getting a woman pregnant as it was a very sensitive issue that trans women find very distressing. I imagine it would be rather more distressing for the woman concerned, especially if she was under the impression that cross sex hormones would make it impossible. Personally I thought this could be a very interesting and important issue to explore in fiction, particularly bearing in mind how many trans women remain attracted to woman and make minimal changes to their physiology.

@MichelleofzeResistance

"So you wanna take me out, huh? What do you think about feminism, LGBT, abortions, racism, Islamophobia, BLM, rape culture and Trump?" captures it. An exhausting soup of issues on which she's not afraid to contradict herself, so lord knows how any potential partners are expected to get it right.

well its clear warning to back slowly away and find someone to date who is a bit less hard work.

My thoughts exactly! "Er... not anymore".

Call me old school but if not causing offence is your overriding concern then maybe writing isn't the career for you?

there is a lot of policing of what people can and cannot write regarding trans issues.

I've seen that happen. Endless demands from activists about why aren't there trans characters involved and the work is wrong if there aren't, while at the same time making it clear that if there is a trans character involved then a) you shouldn't be writing it unless you are yourself trans and b) trying to write anything that won't somehow in some way accidentally offend will be nearly impossible. And any mistake will cause all hell to break loose. Often the writer and publisher can't do right for doing wrong.

It's like Hollywood. They've been trained by bitter experience to leave that subject completely alone.

@CatsCantCatchCriminals2

I doubt very much that this is a book I'll ever read but am curious about its title:

Women Don't Owe you Pretty

Could someone explain what that means?

I think it might be referring to this quote, attributed to Diana Vreeland but apparently originally from an internet fashion blogger?

Ah! Thank you for that terryleather.