In a world where social media serves as a constant reminder of what we don't like about ourselves, we need to learn when and why it is important to filter those beliefs out. Reading books that remind us why we are beautiful changes the conversation about the parts of us we believe are flawed. If we want to change what society deems beautiful, we need to actively dispute it by loving ourselves and the bodies we are in. Here are the best books to help us learn how to love our bodies.
Sexy is Timeless: Ten Timeless Sexy Assets That Lie Within You
By: Luisa Diaz
Luisa Diaz teaches readers how to use femininity to their advantage and harness the power they have within them. This book encourages women to embrace their sexiness by empowering them to utilize their knowledge and confidence. Luisa challenges conventional stereotypes of beauty by redefining what sexy means. She defies gender norms that society imposes on women by showing them how to be unapologetically confident. After reading this book myself, I felt powerful as a female in a world where we rely on social media for our own worth. It made me question the constant comparisons I make about myself and the unrealistic standards of beauty that I see online. Sexy Is Timeless is a refreshing take on societal standards and teaches women that femininity is not a weakness but a strength. It helps females reclaim the confidence they already have to be assertive and sexy. This is a must-read if you need a reminder that you are confident, beautiful, intelligent, and strong.
Body Outlaws: Rewriting the Rules of Beauty and Body Image
By: Ophira Edut & Rebecca Walker
This book takes a deep dive into a world where women come in all shapes, sizes, colors and are unconditionally accepted. It discusses the intersection of body image, race, ethnicity, sexuality, and gender and opens up an important dialogue about them. This book talks about women that have decided to redefine the dominant standard of beauty through listening to their own feelings towards their bodies. It is incredibly inspiring and encourages women to redefine what beautiful means to them. I have yet to read this book but I am excited to do so.
Big Girl: How I Gave Up Dieting and Got a Life
By: Kelsey Miller
Kelsey Miller discusses her constant battle with fad diets, healthy eating, and paying nutritionists to make diets for her. After years of a never-ending fight against the size of her body, she hit diet bottom. She suddenly realized no diet could make her happy about her self. Eventually she learns the power of listening to her body by eating intuitively and exercising to enjoy it rather than to punish her body. Being a woman like many other who have struggled with a viscous cycle of dieting and binging, this story is groundbreaking for me. I encourage anyone who has struggled with the image of their body to take time to read this story.
Hunger: A Memoir of (My) Body
By: Roxane Gay
This memoir confronts the issues of body image, weight, and food. She writes about the feelings individuals have about food involving appearance, pleasure, and health. Roxane shows her readers how to take care of their body through eating and nourishing it. She takes them through her own journey that is honest and raw. This book was recommended to me by my professor after I shared my own struggles with eating and fueling my body. Roxane Gay is admiringly vulnerable in this story as she opens up about the shared challenges most of us face.
You Are A Badass
By: Jen Sincero
Although this book isn't focused solely on body image specifically, it encourages readers to love themselves unconditionally. This book is filled with advice ranging from how to make money, enact real change, overcome fears, and learn to love everything about yourself. It is a refreshing self-help book because it uses humor and raw emotion to convince the audience of how awesome they are. I have read this book and I can confirm, I felt like a badass after reading it. I would recommend this book to anyone- especially if you feel like you are stuck in a rut.