(Un)kind
On sale
5th March 2026
Price: £10.99
‘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 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
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Reviews
(Un)kind is erudite, blisteringly smart and profoundly compassionate towards those who need it most: women. With subtlety and elegance, Victoria Smith reveals how, throughout history, women have been trained to provide kindness to others while quashing our own needs; and she deftly teases out the difficult question of how feminists can still believe that caring for one another is a social good without being exploited in the process. A must-read for anyone hungry to understand the origins and dangers of contemporary exhortations to women to #BeKind, and for everyone who wants to live a feminist life
In her new, deftly-written and often humorous book, (Un)kind, feminist author Victoria Smith tackles the pervasive tide of unbridled misogyny masquerading as kindness
Brilliant... compelling