Victoria Smith on Hags and "unkind" women

‘Seasoned feminist hag’ Victoria Smith is sick to the back teeth of women being told to ‘just be kind’. This was catnip to our Mickey, who you’ll already have heard wanging on about Victoria’s 2023 book, Hags: The Demonisation of Middle-Aged Women, which asks why middle-aged women are treated with such active disdain and traces the hatred and fear of them back through history.

To be clear, Victoria's latest book, Unkind: How ‘Be Kind’ Entrenches Sexism, has no beef with actual kindness – in fact, she’s a big fan – but instead looks at how three little words – “just be kind” – can cost women way too much. And how a baked potato brought perspective.

Both of Victoria’s books are available now, and you’ll find her on X and Bluesky @glosswitch.

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