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Melissa Febos Examines Her Own Relationship With Consent Stemming From Adolescence in New Book “Girlhood”

by BUST Magazine

Vibrant, haunting, and absolutely unforgettable, Girlhood by Melissa Febos is a modern masterpiece full of brutally honest self-reflection. “I’ve not found the research on how often we are touched by men without our consent, from childhood: belly and cheek pinches, shoulder squeezes, hands on thighs, unwelcome hugs,” Febos writes. “It is one thing to yell at a man whispering obscenities outside your window at midnight and another to reject a form of touch you’ve tolerated since infancy.” These essays will prompt readers to look critically at their own relationships with consent, and to grow attached to Febos as she examines adolescence through the lens of an adult who’s recouped and recovered. –Robyn Smith

Girlhood
By Melissa Febos
(Bloomsbury)

This article originally appeared in the Spring 2021 print edition of BUST Magazine. Subscribe today!

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Founded in 1993, BUST is the inclusive feminist lifestyle trailblazer offering a unique mix of humor, female-focused entertainment, uncensored personal stories, and candid reporting that tells the truth about women’s lives.

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