(Un)kind : How Kindness Culture Punishes Women

Author: Victoria Smith

Feminism & feminist theory

Published on 5 March 2026 by Little, Brown Book Group (Fleet) in the United Kingdom.

Paperback | 336 pages
197 x 127 x 24 | 266g

'Tackles the pervasive tide of unbridled misogyny masquerading as kindness' Julie Bindel'Victoria Smith is a brilliant writer who every feminist should read' Sharron Davies'This brilliant book shows how demands for compassion and generosity can be a mask for sexist ideology' Susanna Rustin(Un)kind is a coruscating account of the ways in which deeply-held beliefs about women's 'kind' nature have been repackaged for today's culture wars, in a society that remains dependent - socially, politically, economically - on female self-sacrifice.

Kindness culture is sold to women and girls in a multitude of guises: from play to self-help, social justice activism to empowerment. Victoria Smith argues that the pressure on women and girls has been incorporated into the 'work' of feminism.

A compelling account of the backlash against feminism, (Un)Kind is essential reading for anyone affected by the endless exhortations for women to #BeKind.

'Brilliant... compelling' Lucy Mangan, The i 'Erudite, blisteringly smart and profoundly compassionate' Dr Rachel Hewitt