It’s not secret a I’m a fan of self help books. With reading being a favorite pastime of mine (one that I for SURE don’t get to do enough of anymore), its always a plus to me when I combine something I love with also something productive. ” The Self-Love Evaluation: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color” by Virgie Tovar was one of those books- packed with not only knowledge, but also opportunities to reflect on your life & the control that you have over it. When you don’t dress like everybody else, you don’t have to think like everybody else.
I received a free copy of The Self-Love Revolution: Radical Body Positivity for Girls of Color in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
“Self Love can be defined a lot of ways, but for now lets say it’s about recognizing that perfection- or flawlessness- is not something we need to earn, but instead a natural state that we already possess.
One thing I really loved about this book was the transparency that was shown. Tovar truly gave an insight to what she has experienced as a woman, in hopes that what she learned will help someone else along the way. She shared not only her personal experiences, but also touched on taboo subjects that correlated to her experiences as well. She talked about “popular culture” and that how it seem as though opinions about who you are from other people (if you believe them to be true) can be detrimental to not feeling that you live us to the “status quo” of others peoples expectations. GOSH- AIN’T THAT THE TRUTH!?
“Being flawless isn’t about doing something without any mistakes; it’s about recognizing that there is nothing wrong with who we are or how we look.”
This book was really powerful because not only was the messaging so much truth, but there were so many sentences that were so inspirational & anyone could relate to! In the very beginning of the book, Tovar said to “Read the chapters you’re most excited about first. Save the rest for later.” and that is totally what I did. I skipped around, really enjoying how no two chapters were the same, but I learned from them all! Some of my favorite quotes from the book are below:
“Beauty is an idea”
“We learn who is beautiful from the culture we are born into”.
“Never be afraid of the truth. Be afraid of lying to yourself and to others.”
I mean….any book that has sentences like that throughout is worth the read! In the beginning of this post I touched briefly how there were journal prompts throughout. I really liked this small detail, because it really allowed the reader a chance to reflect on not only what they might of just read, but also reflect on how what the just read might be similar to what they are going through, have gone through, or know someone who has done either. I think it’s really important to take a minute and reflect like this when you are reading something with so much depth- just to make sure that you’re giving yourself the time you deserve to really understand any and all emotions that you might be feeling.
If you can’t tell by now, I’m a totall fan of this book & recommend to anyone who has ever experienced body issues, or just wants to spend time quality time with themselves reflecting on their life experiences! Be sure to snag a copy, I’m sure you will enjoy it!
Until Next Time!
B
