Walk Like a Girl by Prabal Gurung

Walk Like a Girl

A Memoir

Prabal Gurung

Penguin Publishing Group · Print & ebook · May 13, 2025

From acclaimed fashion designer Prabal Gurung comes a captivating, courageous literary memoir, a testament to the transformative power of creativity, and a celebration of the power of femininity and individuality Walk Like a Girl is the story of a queer boy who yearned for a world beyond the confines of prejudice he experienced growing up in Nepal and India.

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Who it’s for
A candid memoir where fashion’s rarefied world meets questions of identity, resilience, and belonging.
Themes
Queer identity and self-acceptance, Immigration and discrimination, Creativity and fashion
Genres
LGBTQ+ Lives, Fashion Biographies, Asian & Asian American Lives

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About this book

From acclaimed fashion designer Prabal Gurung comes a captivating, courageous literary memoir, a testament to the transformative power of creativity, and a celebration of the power of femininity and individuality Walk Like a Girl is the story of a queer boy who yearned for a world beyond the confines of prejudice he experienced growing up in Nepal and India.

Continue reading

He came to New York, a hopeful immigrant lured by the siren song of the American Dream, only to encounter pernicious discrimination as he rose within the glossy world of New York high society and high fashion. Chronicling his rise to success as a fashion designer, Prabal reveals the inner workings of this beautiful, treacherous, rarefied world—and what it takes to survive. With brutal honesty, Prabal takes us on a journey from Nepal to New York, and from the harrowing experiences that shaped him to his inspiring, hard-won ascent to the designer he is today, dressing American icons like Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and Kamala Harris. Walk Like a Girl is also an ode to Prabal’s mother, Durga Rana, whose unwavering love and support gave him the courage to be unapologetically himself. To understand that the things people wanted to shame out of him were, paradoxically, his superpowers. A defiant anthem for the soul, Walk Like a Girl is an invitation to rewrite your story. To shatter the mold into which society has tried to cast you. When we learn to embrace the power of vulnerability, the beauty of imperfection, and the infinite possibilities within each of us, we begin to see the extraordinary power within ourselves, waiting to be unleashed.

Style and Selfhood

A candid memoir where fashion’s rarefied world meets questions of identity, resilience, and belonging.

Come here for

  • A queer immigrant’s perspective on prejudice and high fashion
  • An intimate tribute to a mother’s sustaining love

Expect

  • Brutal honesty about discrimination and ambition
  • Reflection on vulnerability, individuality, and self-acceptance

Where it sits

Asian & Asian American Lives69%
Fashion Biographies68%
LGBTQ+ Lives61%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • Asian & Asian American Lives
  • Personal Memoirs
  • Fashion Biographies
Authors
Prabal Gurung
Publisher
Penguin Publishing Group
Published
May 13, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Theme
Queer identity and self-acceptance · Immigration and discrimination · Creativity and fashion
Reading lane
Asian & Asian American Lives