Can I Speak to Someone in Charge?

Emily Clarkson

• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN:
  9781471156908
• eBook ISBN:
  9781471156915
• Topic: Personal Development
• Subtopic: Self Improvement

‘JUST IMAGINE IF WE, THE NORMAL GIRLS, STOOD UNITED AS AN ENORMOUS, HYSTERICAL AND PROUD ARMY. WE WOULD BE UNSTOPPABLE.’

‘A fresh, modern take on feminism and life from one of the most compelling voices of her generation’ JANE MOORE 
‘A stirring call to action’ KATIE SPICER
 
Written with gumption, fearlessness and sharp wit, Can I Speak to Someone in Charge? is a window into the ridiculous ideologies and the absurd expectations that shape the lives of modern women.
In a series of open letters, Emily Clarkson addresses all manner of subjects, from body hair to Facebook friends to the perils of wearing Lycra. She unpicks the validity of notions such as ‘the thigh gap’; questions the quotidian scrutiny by the media; ponders the etymology of the term ‘plus size’ and considers our unshakeable obsession with dieting, while wondering why some of us are still crying in changing rooms. 

Full of vital life lessons, outrageous confessions and poignant reflections, Can I Speak to Someone in Charge? is a love letter to women everywhere; reminding us that being strong, being kind and being yourself is really what ‘normal’ should be. 

‘Being asked to write a book was probably the best thing that’s happened to me – up until that point I was gravely concerned that my mum was the only person reading my blog. I hope this book will speak to a range of women, and men actually, I hope it will make people laugh, but more importantly I hope it will open people's eyes to the fact that we've got a lot to do if we want to make growing up in a good and kind world a possibility for our daughters.’ Emily Clarkson 
 

Table of contents

• Cover
• Chapter 1: Dear You, Lovely Reader
• Chapter 2: Dear Emily, Aged Thirteen
• Chapter 3: Dear School
• Chapter 4: Dear The Person Who Catfished Me
• Chapter 5: Dear Prosecco
• Chapter 6: Dear My Hair-straighteners
• Chapter 7: Dear My Friends
• Chapter 8: Dear My ‘Legal Stalkers’ (a.k.a. My Facebook Friends)
• Chapter 9: Dear My Body
• Chapter 10: Dear The Bottomless Pit That Is My Handbag
• Chapter 11: Dear The Owners Of A Resting Bitch Face (Of Which I Am One)
• Chapter 12: Dear Body Hair
• Chapter 13: Dear Make-up
• Chapter 14: Dear L’Oréal
• Chapter 15: Dear ‘Thinspiration’
• Chapter 16: Dear The Gym
• Chapter 17: Dear Women Who Know They Look Good In Lycra
• Chapter 18: Dear My Only Matching Set Of Underwear
• Chapter 19: Dear What Used To Be Food But Is Now Just Poison
• Chapter 20: Dear The People Who Actually Can’t Eat Gluten . . . Not The Ones That Just Don’t ‘Like’ It
• Chapter 21: Dear Anyone Who Has Ever Been Affected By An Eating Disorder
• Chapter 22: Dear Boys
• Chapter 23: Dear Equalists Of The Future
• Chapter 24: Dear Trump
• Chapter 25: Dear Topshop
• Chapter 26: Dear Cat-callers
• Chapter 27: Dear Hollywood
• Chapter 28: Dear Every Single One Of My Jumpers
• Chapter 29: Dear Janis Joplin
• Chapter 30: Dear Online Trolls
• Chapter 31: Dear No More Page 3 Campaigners
• Chapter 32: Dear The Sidebar Of Shame
• Chapter 33: Dear Mum
• Chapter 34: Dear Me As A Mum
• Chapter 35: Dear Emily Aged Seventy
• Acknowledgements
• Copyright