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I'm Just a Girl: How Reclaiming Girlhood Can Redefine Womanhood
It is a truth universally acknowledged that boys will be boys and girls have to grow up...
Over the past decade, girlhood has repainted the cultural landscape pink. From Taylor Swift's The Era's Tour to Barbiemania, this nostalgia for girlhood has become a billion-dollar business, seen in the music we listen to, the clothes we wear, and the 2000s movies (and their long-awaited sequels) we watch on repeat.
But at a time when women's rights are being rewritten, this resurgence in girlhood is complicated. Women are caught between a genuine desire to relive the wild freedom, joy and safety found in girlhood, while facing an ever-growing pressure to hold onto their youth. The world demands women continue to look like girls, yet they are rarely given the space to actually be girls.
In I'm Just a Girl, journalist Jess Bacon introduces readers to the 'second girlhood', the extended adolescence that adult women have crafted for themselves as a means to reconnect with the part of themselves they left the girl.
Reconnecting with our inner girl is an empowering act of rebellion, allowing us to reclaim what was once taken from us. Jess shows us how our second girlhood offers a return to creativity and play that can ultimately improve our relationships, our mental wellbeing and establish a renewed sense of self. For far too long we have been presented with a false choice between womanhood and girlhood - this book is a celebration of a new way of being where we can fully embrace both.
Over the past decade, girlhood has repainted the cultural landscape pink. From Taylor Swift's The Era's Tour to Barbiemania, this nostalgia for girlhood has become a billion-dollar business, seen in the music we listen to, the clothes we wear, and the 2000s movies (and their long-awaited sequels) we watch on repeat.
But at a time when women's rights are being rewritten, this resurgence in girlhood is complicated. Women are caught between a genuine desire to relive the wild freedom, joy and safety found in girlhood, while facing an ever-growing pressure to hold onto their youth. The world demands women continue to look like girls, yet they are rarely given the space to actually be girls.
In I'm Just a Girl, journalist Jess Bacon introduces readers to the 'second girlhood', the extended adolescence that adult women have crafted for themselves as a means to reconnect with the part of themselves they left the girl.
Reconnecting with our inner girl is an empowering act of rebellion, allowing us to reclaim what was once taken from us. Jess shows us how our second girlhood offers a return to creativity and play that can ultimately improve our relationships, our mental wellbeing and establish a renewed sense of self. For far too long we have been presented with a false choice between womanhood and girlhood - this book is a celebration of a new way of being where we can fully embrace both.
- GenresNonfiction
249 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 11, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 9, 2026
I needed something a little lighter after my last read and this hit the spot!! A great exploration of how it feels to be a girlie in your late 20s going through your second girlhood and navigating the horrors we sometimes have to put up with in wider society. If you like social commentary/sociology you’ll love this! ❤️
June 19, 2026
4.5
I went into I’m Just a Girl with no expectations ahead of hosting an author event, and I ended up absolutely loving it. Jess captures girlhood — and that “second girlhood” in your late 20s — in such a relatable and honest way.
From the pop culture references to the everyday realities of navigating life as a woman, it felt like reading something that just gets it. It’s reflective, empowering, and really leans into the idea of finding joy again in the little things, just like we did when we were younger.
What stood out most to me was the reminder that we can reclaim the parts of ourselves we’ve lost along the way — and that it’s never too late to rediscover them.
Such a warm, thoughtful read that leaves you feeling seen, empowered, and a little bit softer about life.
I went into I’m Just a Girl with no expectations ahead of hosting an author event, and I ended up absolutely loving it. Jess captures girlhood — and that “second girlhood” in your late 20s — in such a relatable and honest way.
From the pop culture references to the everyday realities of navigating life as a woman, it felt like reading something that just gets it. It’s reflective, empowering, and really leans into the idea of finding joy again in the little things, just like we did when we were younger.
What stood out most to me was the reminder that we can reclaim the parts of ourselves we’ve lost along the way — and that it’s never too late to rediscover them.
Such a warm, thoughtful read that leaves you feeling seen, empowered, and a little bit softer about life.
Review of advance copy
I feel so empowered 😭
A revolutionary book!
A revolutionary book!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews