Zara Barrie’s debut book, Girl, Stop Passing Out in Your Makeup, is not your traditional self-help book. Inspired by Rachel Hollis’s Girl, Wash Your Face, but feeling a disconnect with many of that book’s themes like marriage and parenting, Barrie decided to write her own version. Targeting self-proclaimed “bad girls” like herself, Barrie throws out conventional ideas of this genre, replacing them with a high level of millennial energy, more than a few well-placed expletives, and a large helping of her own deeply personal experiences.
You see, Barrie doesn’t hold anything back here … and for my money, that’s exactly what women these days want to see in a “self-help” book. Raw and purely authentic, never judgemental or condescending, Barrie’s aim is to speak about women’s real-life experiences … those experiences we are taught we aren’t supposed to talk about, or are too embarrassed to share, or feel that no one else could ever understand. And with a target audience of millennial women, this leaves few topics untouched.
Have you ever struggled with restricting food or purging or binge eating? Binge drinking? Using drugs in an attempt to make yourself more comfortable in social situations or “fit in”? Then this book is for you. Have you been in an unhealthy relationship, romantic or otherwise? Struggled in your sex life? Grew up too fast and did things other girls your age didn’t? Then this book is for you too. Have you ever found yourself with way too much negativity in your life? Is adulting just overwhelming? Are you afraid to openly acknowledge and address your depression, anxiety, history of abuse, or another ghost that may be haunting you? Then this book is also for you. I would wager there aren’t a lot of millennial women out there who can’t identify with at least some of these life struggles and situations, whether you consider yourself to be a “bad girl” or not.
By tackling all of this and more, Barrie owns her past and through this book teaches other women to own their individual experiences as well. She encourages readers to move forward, become stable, and build the life you want to live. She validates how inherently hard life can be but also shows readers how beautiful it can be when lived with greater intention and purpose. And she gives great pep talks on how to stop worrying about what other people think and how freeing this can be.
If you are a millennial-ish woman, you definitely don’t want to miss this one. You will laugh, learn a few new tips, and see yourself reflected somewhere in this book, guaranteed. Added bonus if you live for a good soundtrack to your life: Barrie also made a playlist to accompany her book, matching one track to each chapter. You won’t regret listening along to some great tunes by artists like Lana Del Ray, Sia, and Lizzo while you read.
Girl, Stop Passing Out in Your Makeup: The Bad Girl’s Guide to Getting Your Sh*t Together is available from Amazon, Book Depository, and other good book retailers, like your local bookstore. Many thanks to Post Hill Press for providing me with an advance copy of this super fun and informative read. All thoughts and opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
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Synopsis | Goodreads
Finally, a self-help book for the millennial party girl who hates bullshit advice from “experts” who know nothing about the trauma of drinking and sex, the acute pressure of keeping up with the rest of the Adderall poppin’ world, and the insecurity that comes along with feeling like you have to be thin and gorgeous and sparkly in order to be seen.
