[3] She said that she aimed with the book to "hopefully poke some holes in [the] façade" that women "need men, their validation and the products they sell to us to make us look 'better'", saying that "capitalist patriarchy requires us to be submissive and insecure in this way".

[5] Given began an Instagram campaign in August 2020, when she had roughly half a million followers, encouraging users to post pictures of themselves holding her book.

[8] Chidera Eggerue, who was quoted on the front cover of the first edition and cited as an influence, criticized it as unusually similar to her own books (What a Time to Be Alone and How to Get Over a Boy) in style and prose content.

[9][10][11][12] Through the lens of intersectional feminism and social privilege analysis, Given discusses topics including body positivity and self-esteem, consent in relationships, emotional labour, internalised misogyny, masturbation, microaggressions, rape culture and slut-shaming.

The book's title is derived from a quote by lexicographer Erin McKean: "prettiness is not a rent you pay for occupying a space marked female".

[14] Phoebe Luckhurst of the Evening Standard gave the book four stars out of five, calling it "rallying, radical and pitched perfectly for her generation" and praising the "stylish, stylised illustrations" and Given's "vehement without being unremitting" tone.