Rules for Being a Girl by Candace Bushnell

 “It starts before you can remember: you learn, as surely as you learn to walk and talk, the rules for being a girl...

Put a little color on your face. Shave your legs. Don’t wear too much makeup. Don’t wear short skirts. Don’t distract the boys by wearing bodysuits or spaghetti straps or knee socks. Don’t distract the boys by having a body. Don’t distract the boys.

Don’t be one of those girls who can’t eat pizza. You’re getting the milk shake too? Whoa. Have you gained weight? Don’t get so skinny your curves disappear. Don’t get so curvy you aren’t skinny. Don’t take up too much space. It’s just about your health.

Be funny, but don’t hog the spotlight. Be smart, but you have a lot to learn. Don’t be a doormat, but God, don’t be bossy. Be chill. Be easygoing. Act like one of the guys. Don’t actually act like one of the guys. Be a feminist. Support the sisterhood. Wait, are you, like, gay? Maybe kiss a girl if he’s watching though—that’s hot. Put on a show. Don’t even think about putting on a show, that’s nasty.

Don’t be easy. Don’t give it up. Don’t be a prude. Don’t be cold. Don’t put him in the friend zone. Don’t act desperate. Don’t let things go too far. Don’t give him the wrong idea. Don’t blame him for trying. Don’t walk alone at night. But calm down! Don’t worry so much. Smile!

Remember, girl: It’s the best time in the history of the world to be you. You can do anything! You can do everything! You can be whatever you want to be!

Just as long as you follow the rules.”

No because this book literally broke my heart. It is so honest, so utterly honest. Now, I'm not going to lie, I'm not usually all on the platform about woman inequality. But. This. Book. 

It follows two high school girls on the newspaper. The fmc, Marin, kind of has a crush on her English teacher. But, let's get this straight. 1) They're never serious crushes (in this book at least) and that in no way gives Bex permission to just kiss her and come on to her and threaten her. He's an older man and this. is. grooming. It's just not okay. This irked me horribly. 

This book shines such an incredibly important light on both what it means to be a girl and the reality of the world. Things like this happen all the time, especially among the top students. I can empathize in a sense, although my teachers (thankfully) have never come on to me, you feel a bond between them when you are doing well and feel comfortable enough to come to them with questions after class. It's utterly horrifying how Bex used Marin, and later, Chloe's relationship both with each other and him to manipulate them into getting what he wanted.

This further goes on to show how the headmaster did nothing. Marin, scared out of her wits, violated, sits in his office and he simply smiles and says that there's not enough proof. 

We need more books like this. The books that preach the things that some people don't want to hear, the truths that some people would rather not see.