2022: A short, powerful take on body positivity that I'm not sure was meant for me...

I first heard of Sonya Renee Taylor in conversation with Brené Brown and I literally bought her book the next day. I loved her voice and her tone in regards to body positivity and immediately wanted more. The book started off so strong, and has so many wonderful nuggets of wisdom. My favorite is "start by remembering everyone is not a poodle and that is okay".

Taylor set this book in the plural second person, and it was funny how the use of the "we" pronoun was sort of alienating to me. Whenever Taylor made a statement that I didn't agree with or had never experienced, I felt like I was eavesdropping. I know that Taylor used this point of view to be more inclusive, but I felt like I was invading a space that was not meant for me.

My big takeaway is that Taylor is a phenomenal writer, but this book was hyper-focused for an audience to which I did not belong. Sure, there are moments where I don't love my body, but they pass, and they do not get in the way of me living my life. What a privilege it is not to fight with your body or be ashamed of it everyday. If you are struggling with any of those feelings, I think you will 100% enjoy this book and find much value and meaning in it.

"Have compassion for and honor people's varied journeys. Not everyone has read the books you've read or head the experiences you've had. There was a time when you had not had them either. Our journeys are unique and varied. Compassion births patience."