Book review: Girls by Freya India…

Originally from County Down, Rosie Donnelly is a student in Liverpool.

Contemporary British writer and pertinent voice for Gen Z, Freya India, has recently released her book GIRLS: Generation Z and the commodification of everything. From the beginning of this book, India sets down the fundamental idea that girls are no longer teens navigating insecurities. We are products, and girls can no longer live their lives without pervasive companies, apps, and influencers collecting their data and monetising it.

I found India’s writing to be compelling in the way she articulates the harsh reality of girls growing up in the modern world, how this has rapidly changed over the course of a decade, and her own lived experiences of this. India uses the example of Tumblr in 2007 to modern day platforms such as Tik Tok, Snapchat and Instagram to emphasise the evolution of online environments and how we have gotten to such a detrimental place. As an eighteen-year-old girl, I have seen the romanticisation of suffering and medication online, the harmful microtrends that appear every other month which have a destructive, lasting effect on young minds, while brands exploit so-called ‘self-care’ to sell products. Something I will discuss within this review, however, is the conservative undertones I have gathered from India’s writing, specifically when she discusses sexual freedom, mental health and therapy, which unfortunately limits her writing, and makes me sceptical of the extent in which her arguments really cover the different aspects of contemporary girlhood.

India’s structure is particularly effective in mapping out the different aspects of the evolving and destructive nature of technology and online culture with the book divided into six sections; Filtered, Diagnosed, Documented, Disconnected, Detached, and Empowered. Each section addresses the different aspects of how digital culture shapes and controls the lives of girls and provides context on how we have got to the point of girls being products. For example, India’s ‘Filtered’ section is effective in showing the destruction that photo and video editing platforms have on young girls’ self-perception. India explains that Facetune launched in 2013 and at the beginning of the app the usage around it was “initially innocent”, with people using it to put coloured filters on scenic pictures. However, this turned sour fast. We could now “reshape” our faces, use tools to slim our noses, sculpt cheekbones and smooth our skin. Even influencers were encouraging their followers to identify their flaws and “correct” them by using tools on Facetune. The company then took this further, targeting people’s insecurities to try and advertise it. Using acne as a prompt, “Very bad acne days?” Facetune asked in 2017, “facetune is going to be your best friend”. Within a year of release Facetune became the most popular paid photo and video editing app across 120 countries.

For me, an aspect of the book that warrants critique is India’s section on mental health. Whilst I agree there is an issue with teens self-diagnosing mental health issues online and the concerning usage of AI chatbots for therapeutic means, or using Better Help as a version of therapy, (although some may not have the access, money or resources that others do to afford proper therapy), her belief that generation z are overly vocal about our problems, in my opinion, is oversimplification. I believe that many need to articulate their feelings in order to realise they need help, and that we have a right to vulnerability.

Within her section where she discusses mental health (Diagnosed), she includes a sub section entitled ‘medication’. This section, I found to be unfair, in particular her opinions of SSRI’S (Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), a medication used to treat depression and anxiety. In this section, she talks about the medication proving to be mainly ineffective. While it is true that antidepressants may not work for all, India never addresses the fact that antidepressants have also saved people’s lives. By only framing this medication as ineffective she is overlooking the realities that many people suffering with depression have, and medication is necessary.

The reason why so many are being diagnosed and prescribed medication is due to structural, societal issues, but India puts the blame on the individual.

Towards the end of the book, in her section ‘Empowered’, India discusses that a reason for the growing sense of powerlessness could be due to the “collapse of organised religion”. She adds a data survey that was carried out on thousands of American teens, stretching back to 1977, asking them how much they agree with statements on their self-worth (e.g. “I feel I do not have much to be proud of”). The data stayed the same with religious and non-religious teens, until 2019 where secular liberal teenagers, mostly girls, were more likely to speak negatively about themselves. India then states, before she moves on to her next point, “girls are not just grappling with the loss of religion, though. They are also dealing with new demands”. Is it really the loss of religion girls are grappling with? I believe it to be a sense of meaning. A sense of meaning in one’s life builds purpose, and studies show social bonds as a primary source of meaning. While I understand how religion can give human beings a sense of belonging, community, and of course, meaning, so can other things. India brings up how more women are labelling themselves as ‘spiritual’ and links this to global spending. I can say with confidence that the people in my life who are spiritual, are not spending money on meditation and affirmation apps, and they are generally happy people too. I think this was quite a longshot from India. She does not address the fact many liberal people are spiritual, and even this spirituality creates community and a sense of belonging that India talks of.

Where I do agree with India is that society and online culture is putting more of an emphasis on “serving ourselves”. This hyper-individualism is not going to get us anywhere as a society, it certainly does not make people feel part of a community and I believe it heavily contributes towards the rising problem of mental health issues. I agree with India when she says that girls and teens are listening to their algorithms and adverts, telling them who and what we are. My generation is incessantly told to focus on ourselves, and this is particularly enforced by social media. This independence is keeping us detached, lonely, and without meaning or community.

To conclude, Freya India presents an important perspective on the ways in which girls and young women are exploited by digital culture and social media. I learnt from this book the extent to which companies go to capitalise from our insecurities and identities, and what this new issue means for my generation, and the ones coming after.

I will say, there were many times I got frustrated and disappointed throughout the book, mainly with India’s own conservative opinions. India’s dismissive insights on antidepressants, therapy, and young people discussing their mental health issues was oversimplifying major issues and also reinforcing harmful misconceptions. But her emphasis on religion and traditional values felt like a solution that was not the be all and end all to such nuanced issues. I found her writing to be very one dimensional. She rarely addressed issues from multiple perspectives, and when she did address any issues, it tended to be quite extreme examples.

I would like to have recommended this book to a wide audience, perhaps parents, young girls just starting on social media, or teachers, but I don’t feel I can. While I learnt a few things from this book, including endeavouring to share less online, the answer, for me at least, does not lie in humans retreating to traditional and conservative views, or rejecting vulnerability and not talking about our problems. We need to shift from hyper-individualism to building communities, where it’s okay that we rely on each other, find people to help us without shame and guilt, and live without confining ourselves into ‘products’. What gives life meaning isn’t increasing our productivity and profits, it is connection.

You can buy the book from Amazon or any good book store.