Les jolies choses

Les Jolies Choses is a novel by Virginie Despentes that Michèle Schaal analyzes as a feminine variant of the Bildungsroman, using twin sisters to trace how girls are socialized into heteropatriarchal norms.

One twin's suicide and the other's decision to assume her identity dramatize how age- and gender-based violence shape feminine subjectivity and professional ambitions in industries like music.

Despentes depicts evolving standards of desirability and acceptance, showing how internalized norms privilege certain women and marginalize others.

The novel also interrogates purported shifts in masculinity, illustrating how men may appear more progressive yet continue to benefit from male privilege.

Schaal reads the book as part of Despentes's broader critique of systems that stunt women's growth.