Haunted for years by sexual harassment and misogyny, Girl W. is no longer afraid to tell the truth. In this bold and timely book she shares real-life horror stories about sexual harassment and discrimination, and how they can turn both home and workplace into living a nightmare for women.

“You should talk like a woman, and behave like a woman.” Brought up in a traditional family, Girl W had been hearing these words since she was a small child. Now, in “unwomanly” fashion, she boldly shares true stories of sexual harassment and gender oppression at home and in the workplace.

For Girl W., oppression often came from her family and arrived wrapped under a cloak of love. During adolescence, she was urged to wear extra t-shirts under her school uniform to hide her growing breasts, and to never discuss her periods, as if being a woman was somehow shameful. She was taught that women should always be polite and never complain about the mistreatment they suffered.

But the horrors didn’t end with childhood. As an adult, Girl W found that the “ghosts” of patriarchy were everywhere, including the workplace. Supervisors forced her to drink alcohol at business events, bosses scolded her for fashion choices, and after-work drinks and business dinners were inevitably punctuated by lewd jokes and sexual remarks.

Beginning as a series of posts on Facebook, these short and powerful true-life horror stories have been shared thousands of times online. Now available in book format, Workplace Horror is a direct and vivid depiction of the ways women in East Asia are still struggling to live their lives free of oppression.