Paper Doll
Notes from a Late Bloomer
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4.5 • 12 Ratings
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
An instant New York Times bestseller!
"Dylan makes me laugh and makes me brave. I love Paper Doll, and I love this woman.” —Glennon Doyle, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Untamed
Actress and content creator Dylan Mulvaney’s honest account of her journey through girlhood—an instant New York Times bestseller!
When Dylan Mulvaney came out as a woman online, she was a viral sensation almost overnight, emerging as a trailblazing voice on social media. Dylan’s personal coming-out story blossomed into a platform for advocacy and empowerment for trans people all over the world.
Through her “Days of Girlhood” series, she connected with followers by exploring what it means to be a girl, from experimenting with makeup to story times to spilling the tea about laser hair removal, while never shying away from discussing the transphobia she faced online. Nevertheless, she was determined to be a beacon of positivity.
But shortly after she celebrated day 365 of being a girl, it all came screeching to a halt when an innocuous post sparked a media firestorm and right-wing backlash she couldn’t have expected. Despite the vitriolic press and relentless paparazzi, Dylan was determined to remain loud and proud.
In Paper Doll: Notes from a Late Bloomer, Dylan pulls back the curtain of her “It Girl” lifestyle with a witty and intimate reflection of her life pre- and post-transition. She covers everything from her first big break in theater to the first time her dad recognized her as a girl to how she handled scandals, cancellations, and . . . tucking. It’s both laugh-out-loud funny and powerfully honest—and is a love letter to everyone who stands up for queer joy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this winning debut memoir, actor and influencer Mulvaney recounts coming out as trans and navigating the right-wing backlash to her appearance in a 2023 ad campaign for Bud Light. Writing in the easygoing style of a private journal, Mulvaney discusses the pleasures and pitfalls of sharing one's life online, the lessons she's learned from weathering public controversy, and the details of what she calls "Beergate." Chapters alternate between traditional memoir and chatty letters printed on faux stationery, succeeding in Mulvaney's stated goal of marrying girlishness with gravity. Most affecting are the moments of raw emotion: the author writes of wanting to "cry tears of relief" after receiving a flood of positive comments on her first TikTok about her gender transition in 2022, and of feeling like "a sacrificial lamb" during the Bud Light debacle ("TikTok fattened me up. Big corporate bought me. The media devoured me"). She's also quite funny, as when she describes an appointment at a laser hair removal clinic decorated with Christian memorabilia as "an hour and a half of zapping my pubes in God's house." It adds up to a charming testament to the messy business of getting to know oneself. Illus.
Customer Reviews
Heartwarming
This book is truly beautiful and meant for all the gorgeous trans souls out there. Very detailed on many experiences and one can learn much from these pages. Thank you Dylan.
Buy This Book!
I bought and read this book within 24 hours. A great, easy read that goes way too fast. Loved every story and journal entry. Long live The Dolls, whether Paper or Plastic.