Bravo. It's rare a book, especially nonfiction, will make me tear up, but Sonya Renee Taylor managed. I would love to give this to a million people.

initial thoughts: this book does touch on many important topics, however, it definitely was not the book I thought it was going to be when I picked it up. I felt like many of the topics were a bit surface level and while the examples the book gave added to her points, I really wished we would have heard more of Sonya's story.

This was just ok for me. I agree with the authors main message but her style is just not quite a match for mine.

As someone who has always had a complicated relationship with their body this was a thought provoking and powerful read. There is a lot of vulnerability in these pages and is a well written exploration.

An important reminder to always be authentically and unapologetically you. I will definitely return back to this book whenever I need a reminder to be proud of myself.

This is a complex but heartfelt exploration into bodies and the ways we think about, starve and nourish them. What an incredible piece of work in an anti-fat world. Thank you for letting me read this!

An important message that so many women need to hear, as well as people in power who have the ability to change the message and embrace body positivity. I will recommend this book to everyone.

If you’re looking for a real, raw, and inspiring read, this book is it! I believe every women should read this truly empowering book!

An important read for anyone with a body. Sonya Renee Taylor’s message helps us re-shape not only how we see ourselves, but also how we see and unwittingly perpetuate harm against others. Taylor’s vision of radical self love is both a call to deeper compassion and a rallying cry for justice for all bodies.

This is a revolution for women and their bodies. Sonya's prose mixed with funny anecdotal experience sucks you right in and you won't want to look up until you're done reading! Powerful, inspiring, transformative. Every woman (and man) needs to read this book.

Overall: 3.75-stars

The Body Is Not an Apology is an excellent introductory text about radical self-love. The best part of the book is how the author, Sonya, differentiates body positivity – which often feels ingenuine and edges into toxic positivity – from radical self-love. The book is filled with relevant and world-transforming statistics, and Sonya’s narrative is reinforced through testimonials of her workshop’s participants. The Body Is Not an Apology demonstrates not only the toxicity and oppression that is grounded in our body shame and the world’s beauty industry but shows how we – the readers – can meaningfully change the relationship we have with our bodies.

The Global BodyShame Profit Complex (BSPC)

Beauty standards throughout the world are informed by racist and heteronormative values. Do you think it’s a coincidence that most wellness, self-care and beauty world centres white women? Think about the variety of light shades foundations come in versus darker shades. Still not convinced? Go read The Body Is Not an Apology! The book has one of the best chapters I’ve read that breaks down body shame and the global BodyShame Profit Complex (BSPC). The BSPC makes (through marketing, popular culture and health care) its consumers feel less-than and profits from purchases used to correct and/or assuage the less-than feeling.

Now, that’s not to say we cannot buy anything from the beauty or fashion industry. Sonya is calling her readers to reflect on why we feel compelled to buy a $180 wrinkle-defying serum or a specific outfit. If it’s rooted in the belief that you are less if you don’t have/use these items, you’re not buying these items for positive fulfilment. They’re actually a representation of our internalized body shame.

"How has body shame fueled your consumerism? What do you buy to 'be normal,' 'fit in,' or 'fix your flaws?'” ~ The Body Is Not an Apology (2nd Edition) by Sonya Renee Taylor

Radical Reflections

One of the best parts of The Body Is Not an Apology are the integrated radical reflections and prompts Sonya asks the reader to do as they read the book. Like the quote above, her queries are probing and ask the reader to engage with what they’re reading. They demonstrate to the reader how subtle and insidious the BSPC is. It can influence anything from our relationships to how we spend our money (and on what). It demonstrates why celebrating difference is not enough; we need to gain a mindset that acknowledges these categories we like placing people in are not representative of anyone – even those who seem to fit them.

Fatphobia

I appreciated how Sonya cited so many pieces of work that challenge heteronormative beauty standards, fatphobia, racism, ableism and capitalism. One concern that always comes up whenever there’s a discussion on fatphobia is health. Many people believe that (1) they have the right to comment on another person’s health and body, and (2) being fat means they’re unhealthy. A really great video that explains the fallacy of weight and health in science is discussed in The Body Is Not an Apology. Health at Every Size (HAES) movement (a movement I recommend looking into!) co-created an animated video called “The Dangers of Poodle Science:”

Our society is packed with so many beliefs about weight and health that are false because they were created by biased scientists and influenced by a society filled with fatphobic norms. There is so much research out there if you’re really curious about fatphobia.

One such example is the fat tax. Many non-fat people believe that plus-size clothing being expensive makes sense because there’s more fabric being used. For any concerned customer who does their research, the increase in fabric does not equate to such a dramatic spike in selling price—the extra fabric costs around 1 USD.

The real cause for the dramatic price difference between a “normal” size range and a plus-sized range is that there are very few clothing options for fat people. This creates a monopoly, where, because of the lack of competition, the clothing business has the ability to set the price as high as they want. Because we exist in a fatphobic society, no one calls the clothing businesses out for their unethical and exploitative practices. Don’t think it’s unethical or exploitative? Think about going into a clothing store and trying on a size 6 shirt that’s $20 – it doesn’t fit. So, you try on the size 8 – it’s a perfect fit! Yet, as you go to the cash register, the price is $22 – $2 more than the size 6. And, when you go to that shirt’s display area, you realize every time the size decreases, its price decreases by $2… and every time the size increases, its price increases by $2. This is an economic inducement telling consumers that our society economically rewards thinner people and punishes fatter people.

While the example I used above does not literally exist in any mainstream fashion brands (can you imagine the PR mess if they did?), its message exists everywhere. Through our TVs, the media we consume, the fashion we digest, the advice we receive from our friends, family, doctors and even strangers.

While learning about how enmeshed fatphobia is in our society can be demoralizing, the first step towards transforming our society recognizes there’s a problem in the first place. And part of that process is reclaiming the word fat; recognizing it’s a descriptor and should not be a metonym for ‘bad,’ ‘lazy,’ or unhealthy; nor should it be an insult.

In Conclusion

Three aspects of the book that I didn’t delve into were how fatness intersects with queerness and disabilities. I thought Sonya did an amazing job discussing how intersections of such identities – including being a racialized body – can magnify the oppression and discrimination a person experiences. The final aspect I didn’t talk about was how toxic masculinity informs body shame; I found that conversation really interesting, especially as Sonya took the time to interrogate what toxic masculinity means in the radical self-love space.

Why not 4-stars? My detail-oriented tendency was agitated as I read the 2nd edition of The Body Is Not an Apology and realized there were many statistics that I would’ve liked updated. And, for the stats that were from 2010 and 2014, I realize the 1st edition was published in 2018, so I would’ve liked an explanation why she kept these numbers in the book (even a brief footnote explaining it was a study she did in those years, etc.). As you can tell from the quotes I used for my Instagram review of The Body Is Not an Apology, the concept of Body Terrorism was very intriguing; I felt like it addressed the significant harm internalized body shame can inflict on a person. However – and this is really nit-picky – the terrorism definition Sonya chose frustrated me. There’s no uniform definition of terrorism – seriously, every country has a unique definition – yet the one she chose didn’t address the one agreed-upon characteristic: political underpinning (which I think is relevant to BSPC, given its white supremacist foundations).

Your Body Is Not an Apology Workbook releases this month (April 2021). It’s an activity and reflection-based guide designed to help you actively put the following pillars into practice:
Pillar 1: Taking Out the Toxic
Pillar 2: Mind matters (how we see our bodies)
Pillar 3: Unapologetic Action (get to know your body)
Pillar 4: Collective Compassion (how we treat ourselves and others)

I am grateful to the publisher and NetGalley for offering an advanced digital copy of the 2nd edition in exchange for an honest review.

I changed my star rating on this book so many times. I loved the message and the interactive nature of some of the chapters, but overall, I think I expected (and would have a preferred) the more traditional approach of presenting the evidence to systematically back up the argument.

I expect that Sonya Renee Taylor is a powerful coach and speaker, and I am sure that her approach works beautifully for that kind of environment. In a book, though, it felt woo-woo in ways I wasn't happy with, because I believe in her point. I wanted to read this book and be able to explain fatphobia and body politics to a friend, but she wants to coach me to change my approach to my own body.

I mean, I do recommend this book, of course I do. Its message is life-changing. I just wish that message was delivered in a less-preachy, more evidence-based way.

This is a powerful book about confronting our insecurities and the way that society has conditioned us to feel about bodies that are not a size 2. Incredibly important read.

Love love love this book about radical self love! Highly recommended! #TheBodyIsNotanApology #NetGalley

This book should be on the school syllabus. I will be recommending to all my friends.

It was easy to read but very informative and had the right balance of history, background, personal anecdotes and advice without coming across as very self help book like.

It was really interesting and I think purchasing as a hard copy would be much better than on kindle. Im looking forward to reading the activity book next.

Thank you for the arc.

"Fretting about the fifteen pounds you have been fretting about for fifteen years is a lighter load than paying down the $15,000 in credit card debt so you can finally start that business you always wanted" - is a quote from this book that is not only resonated with me immediately, but that I've used to reel in all of my friends to read this triumph of a book.

I wish everyone would read it. The world would be a better place. The revolutionary movement of radical self love will change so many mind and hearts.

It goes so far beyond "body positivity" (which is what my guess was it would be about) and really digs into the roots of where our isms come from.

I'm so glad I read this book. I'll be buying a physical copy just so i can pass it around to my friends who also need to read it. I feel empowered and amped up to start recognizing the spaces where I can make space for other folks, as well as a launching point for my own radical self love.

The book was incredibly readable and full of kind humor, and I love the later section that really broke down how we can apply these lessons for the greater shared liberation of everyone.

This book was exactly what I needed to read after one year of depression/stress-eating during the pandemic. Radical self-love! I am all here for it!

“Taking up space we have previously been denied is a step toward bringing a just balance of power and resources (ie. space) in the world. It is an act of radical love.”

I’m not a huge fan of self-help books, but what makes this one different is it doesn’t come across as preachy and there is research including race theory to explain existing societal prejudices. There are many asks to examine our own internal preconceived notions as well.

“Proposing that humans are all the same leaves the idea of the default body uninterrogated in our subconscious and firmly in place in our world, forcing all other bodies to conform or be rendered invisible.”

Highlights:
-I learned new ways to describe issues I never had the words for:
--Poodle science: applying solutions and medical advice in a one size fits all mindset. ie “what if the poodles decided that all other dogs should look, eat, and be the same size as poodles” when the truth is that dogs come in all shapes and sizes depending on their breed
--Health Trolling or Concern Trolling: offering advice (usually ill advised and/or coming from a stranger) to criticize a body under the guise of concern for someone’s health
--Meta-shame: shame for
-Interspersed throughout the books are little calls to actions called “Unapologetic Inquiries” and “Radical Reflections”

I particularly found how Taylor incorporates transgender bodies, disabled bodies (visible and invisible), aging bodies, and bodies of color into the narrative insightful and necessary. Overall, this is a great book to jumpstart or continue your journey of body acceptance and radical self-love.

I have read a substantial quantity of self-help books in my day, and therefore I thought I knew what sort of thing to expect with this book. I was so very wrong. The Body is Not An Apology is so much more than a self-help book. It's a call to action, inviting us to not only love our own bodies but also face up to the ways in which we have perpetrated acts of body terrorism.

When Sonya Renee Taylor talks about body shame and body terrorism, she isn't just referring to the guilt we feel for not being the right size. It's about more than size. Bodies are shamed and degraded for being anything outside of the 'default' body – the default being thin, white, able-bodied, cis, young, and hetero. As someone who presents as most of those things (I'm old and chonky, and identify as bi but am married to a man so it never really comes up) it sadly never occurred to me that body shaming goes beyond what size you are. She provides questions to ask yourself to identify where you might be unconsciously acting in ways that perpetuate body terrorism. I surprised myself with some of my answers, not realising the small ways in which I was adding to the problem. I had to take a deep breath and make a commitment to do better – but oh, what's this? An accompanying workbook to help along the way? Yes, please! But that's a separate review.

For anyone who's ever felt uncomfortable or unsafe in their own skin, or who wants to make the world a more inclusive and equal place for all bodies, this powerful and magnificent book by this powerful and magnificent woman is an absolute must-have.

Sonya Renee Taylor's radical love manifesto is a must-read, for those self-help junkies and new age newbies alike. My favorite thing about this book is that it's not just a string of lamentations or self pitying, nor is it filled with the same clichéd positive affirmations; it's empowering, while it also encourages each of us to start by looking inwards. Change at a macro-level is not possible without individuals addressing their own outlooks, both as they consider the way they speak to and think about themselves, as well as hypocritical belief systems we play into and thus perpetuate. She doesn't ask us to blame ourselves, but rather to look honestly at the ideologies we've been brought up with, so as to dismantle them and rewire our brains to focus on radical self love.

From the title and cover alone, I was intrigued. The book lived up to my expectations. As someone who struggles with her body, this book was just what I needed to read. Very good read.