They told you you need to be thin and beautiful.
They told you to wear longer skirts, avoid going out late at night and move in groups - never accept drinks from a stranger, and wear shoes you can run in more easily than heels.
They told you to wear just enough make-up to look presentable but not enough to be a slut; to dress to flatter your apple, pear, hourglass figure, but not to be too tarty.
They warned you that if you try to be strong, or take control, you'll be shrill, bossy, a ballbreaker. Of course it's fine for the boys, but you should know your place.
They told you 'that's not for girls' - 'take it as a compliment' - 'don't rock the boat' - 'that'll go straight to your hips'.
They told you 'beauty is on the inside', but you knew they didn't really mean it.
Well I'm here to tell you something different.
Review: I loved this book so much and that it why it has taken me so long to review it! This book sat on my shelf for far too long and then once I picked it up, I was obsessed with it. I really just want to push this book into the hands of everyone out there because I just think that it is such an important book.
I loved the fact that this book is not just a bunch of information this book is split into different sections with humour and illustrations and facts and figures and all of it is just so interesting and important but delivered in a friendly and informal way. Yes there are biological facts in here but then there are dancing vaginas to go with them. Yes there are facts about the law in here but then there are pictures that you can shoot with your phone in order to have something to send back if you receive an unwanted Dick pic.
This book is from the same author that brought us the Everyday Sexism project and these books really do go hand in hand. Girl Up is different in that it is aimed at a younger audience though. This book is the book that every adult woman wishes she had had growing up because of the plethora of information that it contains. It is also the book that every teenage girl reading wishes that that the teenage boys around her could be reading too, so really when I say that this book is for everyone, I mean this book is for everyone.
I read this book with a pack of post-its and I ended up putting a tab on at least half of the pages because I wanted to go back and read them again or show them off on social media or talk to someone about them. Seriously, if you don't already have a copy of this book, you need to get one because it is amazing. And if you have already got it and have read it, then tweet me, lets gush about it together!
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