(Un)Kind: How 'Be Kind' Entrenches Sexism

Using the #JustBeKind trend of the 2020s as a starting point, **Victoria Smith**, author of the bestseller *Hags*, explores how traditional beliefs about women’s ‘kind’ nature have been repackaged for an age that remains dependent – socially, politically, economically – on female self-sacrifice while finding the concept outdated and essentialist.

Looking at the various guises under which kindness culture is sold to women and girls – from play to self-help, social justice activism to empowerment – Victoria argues that the pressure on women and girls has not decreased, but instead been incorporated into the ‘work’ of feminism. In this talk, Victoria analyses the way in which this phenomenon ultimately distorts relationships, harming not just those coerced into performing ‘kindness work’ but the supposed recipients of their services. She will explore how kindness culture supports the backlash against feminism while claiming to represent feminism’s – and women’s – true nature. It is, at heart, unkind.

Victoria’s book will be available on the night.

Presented by Conway Hall.

This is an all ages event. Under 16's must be accompanied by an adult.