If you’ve been following my blog – you’ll know that one of my 30 before 30 goals is to practice Body Positivity. This quote here really sums it up for me…when I started this journey I was really in a place where I was fed up of trying to get the “perfect figure” and never actually achieving it. After years of yo-yo diets and various fitness fads…I never found anything that stuck and enabled me to really feel good in my own skin.
I’ve been following Megan Jayne Crabbe (aka @bodyposipanda) for a long time and have always felt inspired by the content that she put out there. She is so authentic, open and I love that she not only embraces the body she has – but has fun with it! So it when I found out she had written a book, it was a no-brainer that it was going on my read list.
Get ready to learn
For anyone that has read any kind of “self-development” books, you’ll know that it’s a pretty intense experience. I feel like I’m now realising why it takes so long for me to get through these books – YOU LEARN SOOO MUCH! (the one book a month target is sooo unrealistic).
Every time I read a book of this kind I feel that I come away somewhat changed…and this book was no exception. I naively thought that this book would just be full of positive, self-affirming anecdotes and body positivity exercises but damn, its soo much more than that.
Exposing the path to perfection
So I feel like I’m going to struggle to do this book justice by trying to explain what it’s about…but I’ll do my best.
Take everything you’ve ever thought you understood about body image/ beauty standards/ diets/ fitness and essentially scrunch them into a little ball! This book shines a light on the darker side of these industries and highlights that actually these miracle fix-it solutions aren’t always all they’re cracked up to be.
Working in marketing, I understand that language and messaging are so important and that if you get it right…you can sell a shit load of stuff. What I never really appreciated though until now is just how much of an impact that can have on our internal programming…and it can all start at such a young age! To think that there are girls out there the same age as my niece (aged 9) who are already worrying about the size/shape of their bodies and what they are eating is heart-breaking. It was a real wake up call to just how much influence these industries have.
I also learned about the really negative impact that these messages can have on those who are dealing with eating disorders in which Megan Jayne Crabbe is very open about her own story. I am very fortunate that whilst I’ve always “struggled” with my weight and body image – I never got to this point. I was so thankful to learn more about this in the book and gain perspective on my own experience.
A bit like when I read “The Chimp Paradox” – I couldn’t stop writing in the book. I was constantly highlighting sections and writing notes in the margins. I think that part of the reason it took me so long to finish it was I needed to give myself time to absorb the information – this is pretty big stuff!
Got the body positivity bug
I’ve been on this Body Positivity journey pretty much since my boudoir shoot last year (which is still one of the best decisions I have ever made) and I am pleased to say though I am finally at a point where I really love my body!
It’s not been easy in any way, and I know that it will be an ongoing process. There will be down days or days where I feel frumpy…but the difference now is that I’m not going to let that stop me living my best life!
This book has given me is more insight into a topic I’ve now definitely got the buzz for – in summary, I loved this book! There is a great list of recommended reading material at the back which I’m definitely going to look into. If you are looking for something to challenge your mindset or the answer as to why the “miracle myth” never seems to work – this is definitely a good place to start. Megan Jayne Crabbe manages to tackle what are sometimes quite challenging subjects with consideration, humour and honestly that makes it soo relatable.