This essay was first published in The Rumpus on May 4, 2021.
Girlhood, written by Melissa Febos and released on March 30, 2021 from Bloomsbury, is a gripping set of essays about the forces that shape young girls and the adults they become. Throughout the collection, Febos examines the narratives women are told about what it means to be female—and what it takes to free oneself from these narratives.
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