The First Move
Break the dating rules to find a bigger love and better life
Published on 12. November 2020
Book
Paperback/Softback
280 pages
978-1-911632-68-9 (ISBN)
Description
'Sheryl Sandberg was right: the single most important career decision a woman makes is her choice of life partner. Brooks ignites that conversation for a new generation.' JAMILA RIZVI
'Being the maximum version of yourself is a political act in a world where women continue to shrink themselves to build up or appease the men in front of them.'
Today's young women are told we can be anything, so we search for a love to back us, not hold us back. We want the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kind of love, not Prince William and Kate. Yet, while we unapologetically own our careers and lives and Bumble accounts, we're still unsure whether men truly accept-let alone desire-the women we have become. We are told to lean in at work, but wait for him to call. To ask for the pay rise, but not his number. We are ambitious at work but confused in love.
Women's dating behaviour does not yet reflect the gender-equal partnerships we desire and dating literature has remained so focused on helping us lock down a partner, it has ignored what independent women actually want from men: more.
The First Move is an insightful body of social research and a critique of our dating culture, interwoven with a young woman's call to finding contemporary love. Writer Emily J. Brooks explores women's socialisation, real negotiation, and the unwavering benefits of equality in our romantic relationships. When women demand a love that backs us, it lifts up the rest of our lives-so it is time for us to step into our power.
'Being the maximum version of yourself is a political act in a world where women continue to shrink themselves to build up or appease the men in front of them.'
Today's young women are told we can be anything, so we search for a love to back us, not hold us back. We want the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle kind of love, not Prince William and Kate. Yet, while we unapologetically own our careers and lives and Bumble accounts, we're still unsure whether men truly accept-let alone desire-the women we have become. We are told to lean in at work, but wait for him to call. To ask for the pay rise, but not his number. We are ambitious at work but confused in love.
Women's dating behaviour does not yet reflect the gender-equal partnerships we desire and dating literature has remained so focused on helping us lock down a partner, it has ignored what independent women actually want from men: more.
The First Move is an insightful body of social research and a critique of our dating culture, interwoven with a young woman's call to finding contemporary love. Writer Emily J. Brooks explores women's socialisation, real negotiation, and the unwavering benefits of equality in our romantic relationships. When women demand a love that backs us, it lifts up the rest of our lives-so it is time for us to step into our power.
Reviews / Votes
'Sheryl Sandberg was right: the single most important career decision a woman makes is her choice of life partner. Brooksi gnites that conversation for a new generation.' JAMILA RIZVIMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 233 mm
Width: 154 mm
Thickness: 25 mm
Weight
352 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-911632-68-9 (9781911632689)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Emily J. Brooks is a writer and editor. Formerly, she was the editor of Future Women, an organisation dedicated to the advancement of women. She was also an associate editor at The Huffington Post Australia and a journalist at The Australian Women's Weekly. Emily's work has appeared in Grazia, The Sydney Morning Herald, and The Age, among other places. She lives in Sydney.
Content
Preface
Introduction
Chapter 1: The rise of RBG and R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Chapter 2: Removing the roadblocks
Chapter 3: You can make the first move, but not three
Chapter 4: Get the bill
Chapter 5: You're too cool
Chapter 6: Know what you want, and talk about it
Chapter 7: Your checklist isn't your checklist
Chapter 8: Stop looking for him instead of yourself
Chapter 9: He's just not into you, or it's not about you
Chapter 10: Don't let Aunty Carol and the pity face get to you
Chapter 11: Have your own shit, and keep doing it
Chapter 12: Diversify your love
Chapter 13: New game, new wins
Chapter 14: Plan S(ingle)
Acknowledgements
Notes
Further reading and references
Index
Introduction
Chapter 1: The rise of RBG and R-E-S-P-E-C-T
Chapter 2: Removing the roadblocks
Chapter 3: You can make the first move, but not three
Chapter 4: Get the bill
Chapter 5: You're too cool
Chapter 6: Know what you want, and talk about it
Chapter 7: Your checklist isn't your checklist
Chapter 8: Stop looking for him instead of yourself
Chapter 9: He's just not into you, or it's not about you
Chapter 10: Don't let Aunty Carol and the pity face get to you
Chapter 11: Have your own shit, and keep doing it
Chapter 12: Diversify your love
Chapter 13: New game, new wins
Chapter 14: Plan S(ingle)
Acknowledgements
Notes
Further reading and references
Index