How to Be a Bad Bitch

I only know a few things about Amber Rose. First, she is a champion against slut shaming, is unashamed and proud of her past as a former stripper. I may be conservative and live my life according to the old rules of respectability politics, but I applaud women who make different choices, demand respect and maintain boundaries. Second, she appeared on Blackish and was a bit wooden. Third, don’t come for her unless she sent for you, especially on Twitter or if it is remotely related to her child. When I heard that she wrote a book, I decided to request How to Be a Bad Bitch from the library.
Most people who saw the cover did not think that it was too much. I think that most of the photos in the book are beautiful, and I’m glad that she is comfortable with her body. She looks great, but I work for the government as a lawyer, and my employer has a strict sexual harassment policy, which includes vague terms like a sexualized environment. I’m not ashamed to say that I read How to Be a Bad Bitch, but I slapped a makeshift book cover on it, called it the Amber Rose book and read it once I left the office space. Am I overreacting? I’m a lawyer. That’s what we do-dream up worst-case scenarios.
I enjoyed the autobiographical nature of How to Be a Bad Bitch. How to Be a Bad Bitch correctly suggests that Rose’s book is equally a self-help book about how to be the best you with equal emphasis on image, attitude and business. How to Be a Bad Bitch is more of a coffee table book so it is a quick read. How to Be a Bad Bitch is geared towards a younger reader than I. Ultimately her message is a positive one: don’t follow trends and be yourself, but the best most cultivated self that you can be in public and never back down.
Personally I feel like women do not need to hear more tips about how they look, but considering that she stresses to NOT follow standard beauty norms, but make your own, I think that if she has to talk about looks, How to Be a Bad Bitch chooses the positive path. Plus she is a model, which I did NOT know before reading the book, so it is natural that she would write about appearance. Because I stand in the camp of I don’t care how I look, you’re lucky I’m not wearing my pajamas, I was not interested in those sections so a majority of How to Be a Bad Bitch was not for me. If How to Be a Bad Bitch was just restricted to her journey from South Philly to NY to Hollywood, I would have been satisfied. She is speaking from her own experience and is growing and learning daily, but perhaps Rose needs to work on her tendency to generalize about gender norms for women.
How to Be a Bad Bitch is not a must read, but for those curious about Amber Rose or who just like looking at pretty photos of a scantily clad woman, you can check out this book and finish it in very little time.