Culture

Redefining Beauty

In an extract from her debut book, The First Move, Future Women's founding editor Emily J. Brooks explores women's complex relationship with beauty.

By Emily J. Brooks

Culture

In an extract from her debut book, The First Move, Future Women's founding editor Emily J. Brooks explores women's complex relationship with beauty.

By Emily J. Brooks

I have a friend who is the type of woman who could talk herself into Rihanna’s birthday party and dance on stage to Diplo’s DJ set at a three-day music festival. Actually, she’s not the type of woman who could do that—she has done that. That shit just happens to her, while the most exciting part of my day is usually having my morning coffee made by someone else.

My friend is beautiful. In fact, she is a model. She has big hips and big thighs that are photographed in fashion shoots and featured in beauty campaigns. But I don’t think it’s her beauty that drags her into these ridiculous situations. Or her big thighs. Her curves have not always been popular, yet she loved them well before body positivity came along. And it is this trait that gets her into these extraordinary situations. Her ability to love and have confidence in herself no matter what, gives off a certain charm. And people always want a part of it.

This is an edited extract from The First Move, an examination of gender equality in modern romance, by Emily J. Brooks. On sale now.