Disobedient Bodies

I love the way Dabiri writes. She delves into such important, dense and globally sprawling topics with the utmost intelligence, both academic and emotional -- Hollie McNish * Guardian *
This is the book we have needed . . . her pièce de resistance, a clarion call for us to reconsider the entire contemporary concept of beauty . . . empowering -- Best New Books in October * Glamour *
Wonderful. I love all Emma Dabiri's work, for its insistence on nuance, on praxis, on scholarship, on the necessity of human joy. This is so sharp, and funny, and will be so generously liberating for so many - read it! -- Katherine Rundell
A magnificent text -- Katy Hessel
A polemic that offers liberating solutions. This call to joyful disobedience is proof that Dabiri is one of our most important thinkers and writers. Throughout Disobedient Bodies, as in her previous books, Emma Dabiri displays her ability to convey complicated ideas in an accessible, elegant way ... Feminists have been examining beauty standards and the ways in which our bodies are policed for a long time now, but Emma Dabiri's new book still feels fresh, new and important * The Irish Times *
A must-read . . . Dabiri writes with empowering enthusiasm on alternatives to the way we look at beauty, and encourages us to rebel against current beauty standards * Psychologies *
A radical, incisive and thoughtful assessment of beauty - how we conceive of it under capitalism and how we ought to reframe our thinking about it and, by extension - ourselves. I can't recommend ordering a copy enough. Emma is a fantastic writer . . . she always helps me to find new ways of seeing, perhaps she can do that for you too -- Vicky Spratt * The i *
Disobedient Bodies grapples with the complicated and messy history of beauty, and how our constantly evolving (yet always unattainable) standards are entrenched in oppressive systems that hold us back . . . Dabiri takes our understanding beyond the surface. It's an essay that calls for a radical reimagination and holistic reclamation of beauty * Dazed *
Engagingly written and well researched . . . A powerful read * Independent *
Powerful . . . Disobedient Bodies explores the way in which we spend effort and money rectifying our "flaws" . . . to encourage an alternative approach to beauty -- Best New Books to Read in October 2023 * The i *
A very important book -- Carol Morley
Praise for What White People Can Do Next -- :
Emma is once-in-a-generation clever -- Caitlin Moran
Game-changing -- Jason Okundaye * British Vogue *
Essential . . . accessible and yet so full of scholarship. Witty, insightful, a must-read -- Owen Jones
Impactful . . . a manifesto for meaningful and lasting change. And trust us, once you've picked it up and started reading, you won't want to put it down * Cosmopolitan *
Praise for Don't Touch My Hair -- :
Groundbreaking . . . I would urge everyone to read it * Guardian *
Groundbreaking . . . scintillating -- Bernardine Evaristo * TLS *
Fascinating, educational, personal, humble and engaging. I urge you all to read it! -- Marian Keyes
I love the way Dabiri writes. She delves into such important, dense and globally sprawling topics with the utmost intelligence, both academic and emotional, while still making me feel like I've just had my mind opened over a drink with a sweary mate in a bar. I've read a lot about body shaming, beauty, the pressures that women in particular, but all humans in general, face. Nothing else has tackled the issue with such depth of historic, social and economic inquiry. What's more, few books on this topic have made me feel as though I have the means by which to break free and question the structures of shame, while simultaneously embracing the joy that rituals of beauty, embellishment and glamorous gossiping can also bring -- Hollie McNish * Guardian *