Book reco - The Body Is Not An Apology

Helena

Hi friends, I just wanted to share this book recommendation, for anyone who has encountered or struggles with body shame, due to size, shape, age, ethnicity, or any of the other myriad ways we experience this, particularly as women (but of course it can affect anyone).

This book by Sonya Renee Taylor is her manifesto of sorted for moving towards an ethic of radical self-love. I have to admit, at first I thought it was great but sort of stuff I knew - about advertising, social power structures, etc. - but when she goes deep and personal, I'm finding it pretty profound. It's rare I shed tears reading, but this one did it to me.

Anyways, just wanted to share. xx
https://www.sonyareneetaylor.c.....an-apology

3 years ago

Off Topic

8 replies

Latest reply was from cat2

JAileen

Veteran

Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve put a hold on it at the library.

3 years ago

nemosmom

Veteran

Oooh this looks like a great read. Thanks, TG!

3 years ago

Inge

(website)

Moderator

Thanks so much for the tip, Helena, this is going on my list!

3 years ago

Jules

Veteran

Bumping this up.

3 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

This has been on my wish list for a while — I’m glad to hear a personal recommendation for it! Recent body changes have made this more relevant to me lately. I should move it up on the list.

3 years ago

cat2

Veteran

Thanks for the suggestion! My lowest weight as an adult was after fighting a serious medical problem. Both men and women told me I looked great. The women asked how I had done it. That’s when I decided we collectively have some odd ideas about weight. I find it best to focus on trying to lead a healthy lifestyle: preparing and going out for good food, doing outdoor activities I love, etc. I want to be as strong and as fit as I can be leading into retirement, not as small. I realize that’s not the usual view on a fashion blog, where visitors tend to instead encourage being as thin as you can, to keep your size for the sake of fitting into European designer gear, to keep your size through menopause, etc. And to share diet tips.

3 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Cat2, I hear you loud and clear on keeping the focus on staying healthy. But thankfully, I have never seen the focus on YLF to be on staying/getting as thin as possible for the sake of fashion. I know some participants are quite open about their weight-loss efforts, but on the whole, I like that Angie and most forum participants are focused on style at any size.

3 years ago

cat2

Veteran

Hey Janet, I agree on Angie’s posts, she now brings us a better range of options, and Angie’s links to other blogs have also gotten more diverse and interesting. I think when you are caught up in the constant forum messaging you don’t notice it, and it might be helpful to step back and reflect. It’s hard to find a single thread here that doesn’t have weight aware content - complimenting someone for looking thin, posting about weight loss, talking enviously about how someone accomplished recent weight loss, posting regretfully about not fitting into a particular size, posting diet tips on a post about an outfit, etc. If you marked all of those Off Topic you might find some non-weight conscious threads about shoes, but even there, I told someone whose feet shifted weight in pregnancy that my feet shifted in menopause and got unsolicited feedback on the importance of not gaining weight in menopause. (For those of you who don’t know, you may lose some of your arch in menopause and you definitely lose foot padding, but it’s not due to weight.) So while we are chatting about this amazing book, I propose that we also chat about what not being 24/7 slaves to diet culture might look like.

3 years ago

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