Book Review: The Stronger Sex: What Science Tells Us About the Power of the Female Body by Starre Vartan
- Sarah Williams
- Jan 20
- 3 min read
I’ve just finished reading The Stronger Sex: What Science Tells Us About the Power of the Female Body by Starre Vartan, and I loved it.
I loved the content.
I loved the structure.
I loved the flow of the writing.
And I loved the way personal stories are woven together with science, research, and lived experience.
The book is broken down into six clear sections, covering:
Muscles: Power
The Cycle: Flexibility
Persistence: Durability
Overlooked Abilities: Sensitivity
Immunity: Protection
The Long Game: Longevity
This structure makes the book incredibly accessible, while still being deeply informative.
It’s science-heavy, but never dry.
Familiar knowledge — and why that matters
A lot of the information in this book wasn’t new to me.
I’m a woman working in the world of adventure, endurance, sport, and feminism. I also completed a Master’s degree in Women and Gender Studies at Lancaster many years ago. So as I read, I often found myself nodding along — agreeing, understanding, and recognising what was being shared.
But that’s actually one of the book’s strengths.
Because while some of these ideas may feel familiar to women who already live and breathe this space, they are not widely known or accepted in the world at large — and certainly not embedded in mainstream science, sport, or medicine.
The book features in-depth conversations with researchers across biology, physiology, and sports science, alongside powerful stories from athletes, firefighters, and even wood choppers.
Together, they systematically dismantle outdated ideas about women’s bodies.
Ideas that should be outdated — but often aren’t.
The problem isn’t that the knowledge doesn’t exist
It’s that women were never meant to have access to it
One thing that comes through clearly is just how much the science is still lacking. Women’s bodies have historically been under-researched, sidelined, or ignored altogether.
We’ve all heard the excuses:
Women are “too complicated” to study
Hormones and menstrual cycles make research “too expensive”
Male bodies are treated as the default
It’s all nonsense — but it’s shaped decades of medical, scientific, and sporting assumptions.
Women have been positioned as other in a patriarchal society, and when you grow up inside that system, you’re often unaware of what you don’t know.
Knowledge is withheld.
Histories are erased.
Achievements are minimised.
This book helps retrieve that lost knowledge — and put it back where it belongs.
Why this book matters so much
What I love most about The Stronger Sex is that it puts everything in one place.
For women who:
Aren’t in the adventure or endurance world
Haven’t studied gender or feminism
Are busy surviving, juggling work, family, and life
Have never been exposed to this science
This book could be genuinely transformational.
I hope it inspires women.
I hope it motivates them.
I hope it gives them hope.
Women can be strong. Women can lift heavy. Women can endure — often surpassing men in endurance, flexibility, immunity, pain tolerance, and longevity.
So many myths about women’s bodies have already been debunked, but it’s like the world forgets — and they need to be challenged again and again and again.
The uncomfortable truth: the people who need to read this book probably won’t
Here’s the frustrating part.
Women will read this book.
Women will love this book.
Women will feel stronger, more informed, more validated after reading it.
But the people who really need to read this book?
Many of them won’t.
Men who are already allies — who understand feminism and challenge toxic masculinity — will engage with it. But the men who benefit most from the status quo? The ones who like believing they are the “stronger sex”?
They’re often not interested.
They don’t want to learn about menstrual cycles.
They dismiss period blood as “disgusting.”
They don’t understand (or care) why female fat is biologically essential.
They minimise women’s pain.
And while they should care — you can’t force someone to care about something they actively choose to ignore.
Final thoughts
I loved this book.
I’m also thrilled to say that Starre Vartan will be sharing her story on the Tough Girl Podcast. Her episode will go live on 24th February 2026.
I would highly recommend The Stronger Sex, especially if you’ve ever felt gaslit about your body, your strength, or what it means to be a woman.
Read the science.
Read the research.
Understand what women’s bodies are truly capable of.
You don’t need to keep believing decades of misinformation that equates having a woman’s body with being weak.
The evidence exists.
The research exists.
And this book does an incredible job of busting those myths.
A very, very informative — and necessary — read. 💪♀️
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