Book Review: Girl Defined by Kristen Clark & Bethany Baird

We had been driving for several hours before we pulled up at the church. My friend and I hopped out of the car. I was actually nervous. After years of following GirlDefined, I was actually here at their conference Radical Purity, and I hoped I would get to meet Kristen and Bethany. 

 

We were early—I had timed it that way. Walking in, everything was decorated with pink balloons, calligraphy, and white painted pallets. A lady wearing a hot pink ruffle top and white capris came over to greet us with a sweet smile. 

Turns out, we were so early they hadn’t even locked the doors yet to keep people from coming in until 5. “I’m so sorry,” the lady in the hot pink told us, “I think there’s a Starbucks around the corner that y’all can hang out at until check-in starts.”

Both of us were feeling more like pancakes, so we headed to a run-down Denny’s to chat and pass the time before the conference started.

The Lord knew I needed to go to that conference. The Lord knew I needed that weekend away from the craziness of life. We were hosted by the sweetest, godliest couple who really poured into us (not just gave us a place to stay), and the conference was amazing.

And by the way, I did get to meet Kristen and Bethany and they are some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met.

There has not been anything I’ve read or watched from them that hasn’t uplifted or encouraged me in some way or another. 

Their book, Girl Defined, was no exception.

I gave it to my eleven-year-old sister for Christmas and by March, she had read it twice and loaned it to a friend, who had read it thrice. Both say it’s their favorite book.

From the back of the book:

In a culture where airbrushed models and career-driven women define beauty and success, it's no wonder we have a distorted view of femininity. Our impossible standards place an incredible burden of stress on the backs of women and girls of all ages, resulting in anxiety, eating disorders, and depression. One question we often forget to ask is this: What is God's design for womanhood?

In Girl Defined, sisters and popular bloggers Kristen Clark and Bethany Baird offer women a countercultural view of beauty, femininity, and self-worth. Based firmly in God's design for their lives, this book helps women rethink what true success and beauty look like. It invites them on a liberating journey toward a radically better vision for femininity that ends with the discovery of the kind of hope, purpose, and fulfillment they've been yearning for.

About the Authors

Kristen Clark is married to her high school sweetheart, Zack and is the co-founder of GirlDefined Ministries. She is passionate about promoting the message of biblical womanhood through blogging, speaking around the country, mentoring young women, and hosting Bible studies in her living room. In the end, she's just a fun-lovin Texas girl who loves all things outdoors and eats dark chocolate whenever possible.

Bethany Baird is a Texas born and raised girl doing life with her parents and seven siblings. She is the co-founder of GirlDefined Ministries and is passionate about spreading the truth of biblical womanhood through blogging, speaking and mentoring young women. To her family and close friends, she is simply a tall blonde girl who loves any form of competition, drinks way too much coffee, and can't get enough of her little fluffy dog.

Overall Rating: 5 stars

Writing Style

Something very different about this book is that it is written in very simple language. Like I mentioned above, my eleven-year-old sister had no problem reading it. For me, I do prefer a higher level of reading, but I love that I can give this book to young girls and have them understand everything.

Kristen and Bethany are very funny and have some hilarious personal stories, which spice up the reading. It makes it hard to put down—knowing that there might be another funny story on the next page!

Content

The content was excellent. I have a strong appreciation for their approach toward Scripture, their love for the Lord, and how theologically sound their work is. I can tell how much this book was bathed in prayer. It makes a difference.

I loved the Three Pillars of Biblical Womanhood they discuss in the book: She helps others, she nurtures relationships, and she produces life. I love how these are not only applicable for women who are married with children, because Biblical womanhood is much more than children and marriage.

Maybe this is just me, but I love stories and I love when books are full of examples and stories that are applicable to the topic. Kristen and Bethany provide loads of stories. Stories about themselves, about a pink-haired girl named Chloe, about Marilyn Monroe. 

This book gets into the very deep topic of Biblical womanhood and breaks in down into something that almost anyone can read, appreciate, and understand. 

Mature Content

There is nothing explicit in this book that parents should be concerned about. Yes, it talks about serious topics like God’s design for sexuality. There are many stories of dysfunctional lives, including at least one dealing with abuse. But these serve a purpose and there is no explicit content.

Final Thoughts

Girl Defined is an excellent book for any girl wanting to know more about God’s design for women, femininity, and beauty. I have no hesitations about recommending this book. Also, check out their blog, their newest book Love Defined, and their upcoming conference (which I will be attending, Lord willing!).

Have you read Girl Defined? If so, what are your thoughts?