(Un)kind How Kindness Culture Punishes Women

'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 regular contributor to the Critic, writing on women's issues, parenting and mental health. Her work has also appeared in the New Statesman, the Independent and Unherd. Her newsletter, The OK Karen, looks at midlife women's experiences of feminism, and she tweets @glosswitch. She holds a PhD in German literature, with a particular interest in Romanticism and dark fairy tales. She lives in Cheltenham with her family.