Leigh Stein
Leigh Stein Talks All Things Internet, #GirlBoss Feminism, and ‘Self Care’
Leigh Stein’s latest novel Self Care is an incisive satire of the wellness industry, and it is so damn good. I started reading, kept reading, and didn’t look up until I was done. The story is told through three narrators: Maren and Devin, who are the co-founders of a self-care social media platform called Richual, and Khadijah, a Black woman who is their first hire. As I wrote in my round-up of favorite books for summer 2020, there is so much to applaud about Stein’s novel, from the way she dives into #girlboss founders, performative wokeness, “feel-good feminism,” #MeToo, and so much more. It’s a dark, satirical look at what it means to be a millennial woman online — and to capitalize on being a millennial woman online.
I got the chance to chat with the Jewish author about all things self-care, working in media, and the internet.
