You Can't Judge a Body by Its Cover

October 19, 2020
Bedrick (Talking Back to Dr. Phil), an attorney and blogger for Psychology Today, celebrates “the deep wisdom held in... hearts, minds, and bodies” of women in this powerful collection of profiles. “This is not another weight-loss guide,” Bedrick writes, instead presenting the stories of 17 women impacted “by the forces of sexism, misogyny, and shame,” and how they “dropped the shame that bound them to a self-abusing lens about their bodies.” Bedrick argues that people who struggle to lose weight are often unaware of the signals their bodies are sending them: unhealthy eating habits can be an unconscious coping mechanism, and diet or exercise routines can self-sabotage when underlying issues remain unresolved. Each chapter explores matters of body positivity in the lives of women who participated in “a series of psychological interviews” conducted by Bedrick, among them Erica, who used coffee to rebel against her unhappy marriage and needed to drop the habit to feel better again, or Lane, who ate to silence the internalized voice of her cruel stepfather. Bedrick persuasively argues that one’s body is wiser than most realize, and “specific criticisms of our body’s shapes” reveals “locations of profound intimacy ready to be awakened.” This emotional, illuminating discussion will appeal to fans of Brene Brown.