Juno Dawson book for teenagers - review

[Xanthangum]

The Lies They Tell have reviewed Dawson's book What’s the T?: The no-nonsense guide to all things trans and/or non-binary for teens.

the-lies-they-tell.org/2021/03/21/review-of-whats-the-t-by-juno-dawson/

Much to take in.

Unsurprisingly it seems to be full of errors and dodgy advice.

The scientific analysis of what might be at the heart of transitioning is introduced with this: To be honest, a lot of this stuff is SUPER-SCIENCY and SUPER-COMPLICATED.

Here is the conclusion of the review:

Well obviously it’s a terrible book with an over reliance on celebrity plugs to patch over the lack of factual information and balanced opinion about life changing treatments and surgeries. It also occasional lapses into very bad advice – sort of suggesting that children should sign up to adult dating apps being a particular low point. Incorrect information is given out about UK law. So yet again it seems like no one bothered proofreading the book.

My bold refers to this quote:

Back to online dating. First things first: pretty much all the dating apps I know of insist on users being over eighteen, but that doesn’t stop younger people from naughtily signing up.

WTAF? This book should be withdrawn from sale, surely.

[NiceGerbil]

'We're inundated with conflicting messages: drink this, eat that, always wear this, never wear that
I would think this is more of an instruction list for born males trying to mimic what they think a woman is, rather than the reality of it. I don't recognise any of those messages, as an actual woman'

Huh?

I recognise it too, very well.

What is JDs purpose in saying that?

That women are making it up when we say these things?

that JDs personal experience is the truth of the matter across the board?

As an aside. p bunce just popped into my head. Has been in magazines on girl days wearing some very unusual office wear. Somehow I suspect they don't get the same reaction that most other women would get to it...

[Erkrie]

You're always being "told" what to wear, what you should or shouldn't be eating (especially when pregnant springs to mind! People always pass judgement on what you do)
Also wearing make up, or heels in the workplace etc.
Everyone always has an opinion on how you should be looking.

Not my experience as a woman. Aside from the pregnancy. But that's not JDs comment. As JD has never experienced pregnancy.

[WindyPudding]

(Or the male sex of course, in FTM cases.)

[WindyPudding]

I recognise it, as I can well imagine a lot of other women do too.
You're always being "told" what to wear, what you should or shouldn't be eating (especially when pregnant springs to mind! People always pass judgement on what you do)
Also wearing make up, or heels in the workplace etc.
Everyone always has an opinion on how you should be looking.

This is true but many, many women resist it or don't bother with it. Others fight it, like the woman who campaigned against compulsory heels for female staff, which is obviously misogynist sexist shite that deserves to be binned.

It's nonsense, and an ongoing core tenet of trans ideology, that stereotyped gender roles are 100% narrow, enforced and inescapable and somehow innately tied to the female sex. I've been ignoring them all my life and I'm still a woman. Many peple throughout history have ignored and fought gender roles. Others continue to perpetuate them but nonetheless they change over time and are different in different places, so it's nonsensical to say there is some set of gender norms that's innately and inescapably attached to femaleness.

[WindyPudding]

I also find it hard to believe that people like JD, who has written articles about having a lot of expensive work done, would be shaving their legs all the time? You'd think they'd have a more permanent treatment like they do on other male pattern body and facial hair.

Not of course that women have to shave their legs – but I don't buy that JD really thinks shaving and dealing with stubble is the only option and there's no solution.

[Quaagars]

We're inundated with conflicting messages: drink this, eat that, always wear this, never wear that
I would think this is more of an instruction list for born males trying to mimic what they think a woman is, rather than the reality of it. I don't recognise any of those messages, as an actual woman

I recognise it, as I can well imagine a lot of other women do too.
You're always being "told" what to wear, what you should or shouldn't be eating (especially when pregnant springs to mind! People always pass judgement on what you do)
Also wearing make up, or heels in the workplace etc.
Everyone always has an opinion on how you should be looking.

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

Oh. My. If only all there was to being a girl or woman was smooth legs, and ‘tiddies’ an such.....

And they wonder why we don’t agree that males can be women.

It's all so fucking sexist and insulting.

[TheRabbitOfCaerbannog]

Like, if there's some way I can stop my legs feeling like a cactus about five minutes after I've shaved them, I'm all ears.

Agree with PPs - don't shave them JD. It's almost like women have been trying to liberate themselves from this sort of shit for decades.

[Ereshkigalangcleg]

I've lived as a man and a woman

No you haven't. You have no way of knowing how it feels to live as a woman. It's unknowable unless you are female.

[AsTreesWalking]

This school librarian will not be stocking this book. So that's one, at least.

[WindyPudding]

oldcrone yes and I think that book is pretty appalling too - but it's not actually being sold as advice / a guide to what to do in the same way.

[Cwenthryth]

@TeckanandMultra

Like, if there's some way I can stop my legs feeling like a cactus about five minutes after I've shaved them, I'm all ears.

Don't be male? 😌

Nah, I have cactus legs quickly if I bother to shave them. However this has zero bearing on how I live “as a woman” and definitely doesn’t make me think I’m failing at anything!

Amazing how quickly these things come down to stereotypes.

[OldCrone]

However, the line about dating apps is actually advocating underage online dating and encouraging minors to make themselves available to groomers. That's worthy of being reported to the publisher and maybe also the police.

Dawson seems to think this is normal behaviour for teenagers. This is an article about Dawson's recent novel Wonderland which is about a 17-year-old 'trans girl', Alice.

www.theguardian.com/books/2020/may/11/juno-dawson-trans-alice-wonderland-interview-spice-girls

Alice dyes her hair blue and has an “active, app-based sex life with married men from outlying commuter towns”.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/womens_rights/3905777-Guardian-interview-with-Juno-Dawson

[Dailyhandtowelwash]

I personally don't bother shaving my legs. That would be my tip for being a woman and avoiding cactus legs.

[TeckanandMultra]

Like, if there's some way I can stop my legs feeling like a cactus about five minutes after I've shaved them, I'm all ears.

Don't be male? 😌

[Kit19]

Im sorry "a winky"??? blurgh

christ!

you cant fail about being a woman if you were born a human female - that's the only criteria there is. All the other crap that makes women feel bad is imposed by society.

[Erkrie]

We're inundated with conflicting messages: drink this, eat that, always wear this, never wear that.

I would think this is more of an instruction list for born males trying to mimic what they think a woman is, rather than the reality of it. I don't recognise any of those messages, as an actual woman.

This noise builds and builds until you're left feeling like you're somehow failing at being a woman.

I'd only feel like this if I wasn't actually a woman. I may at times think I'm failing at life. But as I don't have a template of stereotypes of what I think a woman should be or do (apart from be born as one) then it would be impossible to think I'm failing at something that I just simply am.

Well, now imagine all that and also being born with a winky. Double fail.

No I can't really imagine that at all. So yes there is a fail here. Of why it all feels wrong and difficult identifying as one thing, but clearly being another. But seemingly this person cannot actually see what the real fail is...

[Helleofabore]

Oh. My. If only all there was to being a girl or woman was smooth legs, and ‘tiddies’ an such.....

And they wonder why we don’t agree that males can be women.

[WindyPudding]

This is the book that other woke children's authors have been lining up to buy for schools in a "look how kind I am" twitter contest.

I'm guessing most of them haven't read it, but even if they did they'd probably have that weird safeguarding bypass that seems to apply to anything trans.

However, the line about dating apps is actually advocating underage online dating and encouraging minors to make themselves available to groomers. That's worthy of being reported to the publisher and maybe also the police.

[Dailyhandtowelwash]

There’s a link in that excellent review to a Glamour blog Juno wrote about transition. It’s presumably the same style as the book, and I found it unbearable. The worst bits for me were:

I've lived as a man and a woman, and let me tell you, women (far more than men) are told constantly how they're getting it wrong. We're inundated with conflicting messages: drink this, eat that, always wear this, never wear that. This noise builds and builds until you're left feeling like you're somehow failing at being a woman. Well, now imagine all that and also being born with a winky. Double fail.

And

Already, it's abundantly clear that living as a woman is hard work. I need your tips. Like, if there's some way I can stop my legs feeling like a cactus about five minutes after I've shaved them, I'm all ears.

[NiceGerbil]

Lots of street harassment at 37?

Online sexual harassment- their profile pic is in a bikini? Erm.

The bit about naughtily signing up to dating apps under age is dodgy as is the advice to talk to other trans people (online presumably).

I'd be interested in reading some other reviews.

[ACovidofWitches]

I don't know very much about Juno, in all honesty, but having read this today I went and googled and wanted to feedback 2 things I found.

The first was a post on Juno's IG. It's a post of Juno in a bikini with a caption about how great HRT is as it gave Juno 'tiddies.' I think people will have their own thoughts about that - maybe breast cancer survivors in particular.

The second is that I realised Juno is the person who wrote a book on mental health (which also looks aimed at teenagers?) with Dr Olivia Hewitt, who I know very little about other than I believe she teaches clinical psychology at Oxford University. I know the BPS has been captured but I suppose I feel a bit dismayed that someone with a degree of influence and who has been successful has joined forces with this person. But there we go, lots of very clever people get sucked in by this ideology, don't they?

[HandsOffMyRights]

Sophie Anderson.

[SirVixofVixHall]

Which children’s author, the one who did a book with JD ?

[HandsOffMyRights]

For the past few weeks a children's author has been Retweeting tweets related to this book.

The RTs are mainly from schools who have requested free copies of Juno's book, as part of the book's promotion.

There are so many school librarians requesting copies (including my child's school) and I get the impression that schools are grabbed by the freebie, without really looking into the subject matter.