GIRLS® Is Out Now!

My book is available in the UK!

Why is my generation so miserable?

Why is the generation loudest about self-love and body positivity suffering from record rates of eating disorders, battling body dysmorphia, and driving demand for cosmetic surgeries? Why is the generation most open about its feelings, which has fought stigma like no other before, facing the worst mental health crisis on record? How come the generation with infinite dating options, unashamed about hooking up, is having the least sex, dating far less, and losing faith in love itself? And how is it that a generation of young women raised on slogans like The future is female, reminded that they could be and achieve anything, is anxious, risk-averse and afraid of the future?

My debut book GIRLS®: Gen Z and the Commodification of Everything, answers all of this and more—and is out today!

If you have resonated with my essays over the years, or have more questions about why we document everything online, why nobody has a personality anymore, or how the mass trauma of porn played out, this book is for you.

But it’s not just for girls and young women. It’s for parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, anyone who cares about what happened to my generation and how to protect the next. If you’re a father of girls wondering what Facetune is, a teenager sick of being bombarded with BetterHelp ads, or a young man wondering why so many women have lurched to the left politically, I hope this book will help.

You can order a copy here from Amazon, here from Waterstones, or listen to the audiobook here on Audible, read by me. Leaving a review on platforms like Goodreads also really helps, and please share with friends and family!

Here are some early reviews:

“Quite suddenly, in the early 2010s, the mental health of girls collapsed. Researchers scour datasets and argue over what caused it, but Freya India has given us an explanation from the inside, one that is far more compelling and compassionate than a thousand studies. Anyone who cares about the girls and young women in their lives should read GIRLS®. The book is disturbing but the writing is gorgeous. India is the most powerful voice of Gen Z yet to emerge.”
―Jonathan Haidt, author of The Anxious Generation

“Freya India is one of our sharpest, smartest young writers. A superstar in the making, her writing is the opposite of an Instagram filter―suddenly, you can see everything more clearly.”
―Helen Lewis, staff writer at The Atlantic, author of The Genius Myth

“Freya India is an essential voice on Gen Z. This is her first book, of many.”
―Scott Galloway, author of Notes on Being a Man

“Freya India has written the definitive analysis of a generation of young women. With terrific reporting, sharp analysis, and some unforgettable sentences, she explains how female insecurity has been captured, branded, and sold for profit by companies and social media platforms. If you want to understand America’s psychological crisis, India argues, we have to understand the economics behind it. She’s absolutely right.”
―Derek Thompson, co-author of Abundance

Finally, a note for US readers: the book comes out in America on May 5th! In the meantime, you can pre-order a copy here from Amazon, or here from Barnes & Noble. Events and podcasts in the US coming soon!

Thank you, all of you, for making this possible. I had the idea for this book back in 2021 and have had it pounding in my head ever since, through so many seasons and phases of my life, that it feels strange to finally let it go. I started writing it as a barista in a café, got my first book deal as a waitress in a cinema, and finished it as a staff writer for Jonathan Haidt. It’s been a crazy time, and it’s all I have thought and cared about for the past five years. I really hope that shows.

More soon,

- Freya x