very demure and mindful men, thumbnails, and dystopia books for the girlies
💅🏽this week on the Spoiled Girlie Support Group💅🏽
🎨this week on the Creator Girlie Support Group🎨
📖besties book club📖
the vibe is dystopia.
#1 Severance by Ling Ma
#2 Ripe by Sarah Rose Otter
#3 Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
#4 I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
Common Themes
These books share deeply introspective and unsettling themes, reflecting on the tension between individual agency, societal control, and the fragility of the human condition. Here's a look at the common themes that run through these works and why you should read them:
Living in Dystopia or Post-Apocalyptic Worlds
Severance, Ripe, and Tender is the Flesh all grapple with dystopian settings that don’t feel far from reality. Severance explores the slow collapse of society due to a mysterious illness, while Ripe reflects the suffocating pressure of modern capitalism, portraying dystopia not as a future but a present we already live in. Tender is the Flesh takes this further into a grotesque world where humans are harvested for meat, serving as an extreme critique of dehumanization in capitalist systems. I Who Have Never Known Men also plunges you into a post-apocalyptic world with a unique existential focus, highlighting the deep loneliness and lack of societal structure.
this is your vibe if: you are experiencing burnout, anxiety, and existential dread in modern society. they show how the systems we live under can be suffocating, with the dystopian settings acting as metaphors for the real-world pressures many women face.
The Struggles of Identity and Body Image
In Natural Beauty and Ripe, the protagonists grapple with their bodies and the intense scrutiny placed upon them by societal standards. Natural Beauty digs into the world of wellness and beauty, showing how chasing perfection can warp one's identity (LITERALLY!). Similarly, in Ripe, the pressure to succeed within a capitalistic society drives the protagonist toward self-destruction, a theme deeply tied to the expectations placed on women's bodies and lives.
this is your vibe if: you feel the internal conflict between self-acceptance and societal pressure to conform to impossible beauty or success standards. they're a reminder that you are not alone in these struggles, and that societal pressures need to be analyzed and maybe deconstructed, not blindly internalized.
Alienation and Isolation
The theme of alienation is pervasive across these books. I Who Have Never Known Men and Severance both place their protagonists in isolated worlds where connection is limited or impossible. Severance’s Candace is left adrift as the world around her crumbles, while I Who Have Never Known Men focuses on women imprisoned without explanation, living in existential isolation. These themes also appear in Natural Beauty, where the protagonist is isolated within the beauty industry, cut off from authentic self-expression.
this is your vibe if: you feel a sense of alienation in a hyper-connected yet often isolating world. the struggle to find real connections and meaning is so real, especially as societal expectations create a sense of disconnect between who we are and who we’re told to be.
Survival and Resilience
Tender is the Flesh and I Who Have Never Known Men portray extreme survival situations. In Tender is the Flesh, the protagonist navigates a brutal world where survival often means moral compromise, while I Who Have Never Known Men's protagonist has to redefine survival without any social structure. Even in Ripe, the concept of survival manifests as trying to stay afloat in a suffocating world of corporate greed and personal disillusionment.
this is your vibe if: you vibe with the resilience and strength that women embody, even in extreme or oppressive environments. they are metaphors for how, even in a world that demands perfection or conformity, survival can mean carving out your own path against all odds.
Critique of Capitalism and Consumerism
In Ripe and Natural Beauty, the pressures of modern capitalism are central. Ripe presents a character trapped in a soul-crushing corporate job, depicting the personal toll of constantly chasing success in a capitalistic society. Natural Beauty critiques the consumer-driven beauty industry, revealing how self-worth becomes commodified. Both books dive into the costs—mental, emotional, and physical—of trying to survive within systems that prioritize profit over people.
this is your vibe if: you feel the weight of modern capitalism—whether through career pressures or the constant bombardment of beauty standards—these books serve as both critique and validation. they reveal the toxic nature of these systems while offering a nuanced perspective on how they impact personal well-being.
long story short…
These novels are essential reads because they dig into the core challenges women face in the modern world: societal pressure, isolation, and the commodification of identity. They provide a raw, unfiltered look at the struggles of survival—whether in literal dystopias or the metaphorical ones we live in daily (Ripe is lowkey an accurate retelling of what’s happening right now. So maybe the scariest dystopia is the one that’s the realest?).
For us girlies navigating today’s societal expectations, these books are not just mirrors of our reality but guideposts for understanding that we’re not alone in our experiences. Reading these books made me feel that I really have never had a unique experience in my life lol (and that’s not a bad thing, just a thing).
They challenge the status quo, provoke deep reflection, and empower us to think critically about the systems that shape our lives. Whether you’re feeling alienated, overwhelmed by societal expectations, or grappling with identity, these books provide powerful and often darkly relatable narratives that resonate on a deeply personal level.
Now get that bag, bestie!
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