Becoming Unbecoming

Trigger warning: this book contains violent trauma, serial murderer, gender violence, bullying, offensive language, child abuse, and misogyny.

By Saily Marrero

Becoming Unbecoming by Una (a pseudonym) is a non-fiction story that is part memoir, part true crime, and part feminist commentary on the sexual violence experienced by women. Using Yorkshire Ripper’s killing spree in 1970s England as the backdrop, it’s used to draw comparisons to Una’s own experiences and commentary on society’s reactions to violent crimes against women.

The Yorkshire Ripper evaded the police for years in part thanks to the widespread misogyny at the time. This misogyny affects Una, especially after she is sexually assaulted herself and bullied by her peers. For example, assumptions were made about the killer targeting prostitutes or women with “loose morals” because the first victims were described as such. This leads to blaming victims, essentially saying “they must have done something terrible to deserve being attacked so viciously”. Bringing it back to Una’s own assault, it only cemented the falsehood that she too deserved it. During the investigations women were sometimes ignored, dismissed, or simply not believed meanwhile the killer was free despite being interviewed by police numerous times. This shows how society and media can influence young people to internalize these damaging beliefs.

As the Yorkshire Ripper killings inform Una’s world, she then explores the various responses her community has on these killings. She examines the idea that hurt people hurt people. In her argument, “shouldn’t we be drowning in predatory females by now?” since women are more likely to be victims of sexual abuse (pg. 126). Another issue she examines more closely is being called a “survivor”. While it’s used in good faith and to empower women, it also undercuts the hardships faced by victims in the aftermath of the crime. On page 142 Una states, “What a waste of my valuable time surviving has been!” She explains she’s spent “so much time struggling” to manage the damage. This is energy she could have used in better ways. These are just some of the things she examines in the book.

Meanwhile, Una’s illustrations are mostly black and white with very few pops of colors like blue, red, green, and yellow. The illustrations are often abstract. For example, on page 40 she depicts herself as a moth going through metamorphosis as a metaphor for her own changing body. In her author’s note she explains that the more abstract drawings are on an “unconscious, symbolic level” and “communicate something words perhaps cannot.”

With discussions and depictions of sexual violence, misogyny, offensive language, and true crime the book is meant for mature audiences. At the end of the novel Una provides an Author’s Note explaining what inspired her to write the book and further insight on her illustrations. Readers will also find a bibliography, a notes section, resources on the topic of sexual assault, and suggestions for further reading.

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Saily Marrero, M.S.I. is the Nursing & Health Studies, Psychology, and Biology Librarian at the University of Miami. She enjoys reading Graphic Novels and Romance.