For Hollis, happiness comes through using faith to contribute to her vision for happiness: namely, success, control, and authenticity. That makes her happy. So she pursues it relentlessly. It is just not clear why this is good. And that is where the religious answer comes into play. For Christians, what is good does not only mean what does no harm. Purity is good. Liberty is good. Contentment (even without success) is good. 

In her massively popular book, Girl, Wash Your Face, Rachel Hollis exposes common lies that we believe which prevent us from becoming happy. She explains, “This book is about a bunch of hurtful lies and one important truth.” (xi).

What is the truth? Hollis explains, “You, and only you, are ultimately responsible for who you become and how happy you are. That’s the takeaway” (xi). Buck up. Get to work. And grab happiness by the horns.

To do so, Hollis argues that we need to destroy every lie we believe (xii). She explains, “Recognizing the lies we’ve come to accept about ourselves is the key to growing into a better version of ourselves” (xiii). Elsewhere she writes, “More than anything, I hope you’ll rest in the knowledge that you can become whomever and whatever you want to be, my sweet friend” (xvii).

Given the popularity of Hollis and her book, I’d like to offer three thoughts on Girl, Wash Your Face to help you to evaluate the book.

First, chapters follow a similar pattern of authentic story, growth, and practical tips for how to grow too.

The chapters follow a simple pattern. Hollis tells an embarrassing or at least a story in which she has yet to achieve success. Then along the way, she learns how to overcome some problem. Lastly, she gives readers tips to succeed likewise.

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