The Body Is Not an Apology, Second Edition: The Power of Radical Self-Love

by Sonya Renee Taylor

Overview

New York Times bestseller! "To build a world that works for everyone, we must first make the radical decision to love every facet of ourselves. . . . 'The body is not an apology' is the mantra we should all embrace."
—Kimberlé Crenshaw, legal scholar and founder and Executive Director, African American Policy Forum

Humans are a varied and divergent bunch with all manner of beliefs, morals, and bodies. Systems of oppression thrive off our inability to make peace with difference and injure the relationship we have with our own bodies.

The Body Is Not an Apology offers radical self-love as the balm to heal the wounds inflicted by these violent systems. World-renowned activist and poet Sonya Renee Taylor invites us to reconnect with the radical origins of our minds and bodies and celebrate our collective, enduring strength. As we awaken to our own indoctrinated body shame, we feel inspired to awaken others and to interrupt the systems that perpetuate body shame and oppression against all bodies. When we act from this truth on a global scale, we usher in the transformative opportunity of radical self-love, which is the opportunity for a more just, equitable, and compassionate world—for us all.

This second edition includes stories from Taylor's travels around the world combating body terrorism and shines a light on the path toward liberation guided by love. In a brand new final chapter, she offers specific tools, actions, and resources for confronting racism, sexism, ableism, homophobia, and transphobia. And she provides a case study showing how radical self-love not only dismantles shame and self-loathing in us but has the power to dismantle entire systems of injustice. Together with the accompanying workbook, Your Body Is Not an Apology, Taylor brings the practice of radical self-love to life.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781523091010
Publisher:	Berrett-Koehler Publishers
Publication date:	02/09/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	154,837
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Sonya Renee Taylor is the founder and radical executive officer of the Body Is Not an Apology, a digital media and education company promoting radical self-love and body empowerment. Her work has been covered by HBO, BET, MTV, TV One, NPR, PBS, CNN, Oxygen Network, the New York Times, New York Magazine, MSNBC.com, Today.com, Huffington Post, USA Today, Shape.com, Ms. Magazine, and many more. She is a regular collaborator and artist with organizations such as Planned Parenthood, Association for Size Diversity and Health, Binge Eating Disorders Association, Greater than AIDS, and numerous others.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Prologue xiii

1 Making Self-Love Radical 1

What Radical Self-Love Is and What It Ain't 1

Why the Body? 4

Why Must It Be Radical? 6

What Have We Been Apologizing For? What If We Stopped? 12

The Three Peaces 20

2 Shame, Guilt, and Apology-Then and Now 29

When Did We Learn to Hate Them? 29

Body-Shame Origin Stories 30

Media Matters 41

Buying to Be "Enough" 46

A Government for, by, and about Bodies 50

Call it What It Is: Body Terrorism 55

3 Building a Radical Self-Love Practice in an Age of Loathing 63

Mapping Our Way out of Shame and into Radical Self-Love 63

Thinking, Being, Doing 66

Four Pillars of Practice 70

4 A New Way Ordered by Love 81

A World for All Bodies Is a World for Our Bodies 81

Speaking French and Implicit Bias 82

Beating Body Terrorism from the Inside Out 87

Changing Hearts 89

Unapologetic Agreements 93

5 How to Fight with Love 99

Radical Self-Love Transforms Organizations and Communities 100

Freedom Frameworks for an Unapologetic Future 104

Fighting Oppression, Isms, and Phobias 106

Conclusion 129

Notes 131

Radical Resources 141

Acknowledgments 143

Index 145

About the Author 157

About TBINAA 159

Editorial Reviews

12/18/2017
Poet and activist Taylor (A Little Truth on Your Shirt) packs important ideas into this concise volume on body empowerment. “Radical self-love is not a destination you are trying to get to; it is who you already are,” she counsels. She correctly points out the role media has played in objectifying women and holding them to a photoshopped standard that rarely exist in real life—and suggests voting against demeaning advertising with one’s wallet. The common issue of body shaming is thoughtfully and empathetically explored here, as is the importance of changing the messages people receive about their bodies from negative to positive for future generations. Taylor peppers her lessons with questions to readers that she calls “unapologetic inquiries,” such as “What was your earliest memory of body shame?,” and prompts she calls “radical reflections,” bits of hard-won wisdom from her own life, such as “children’s bodies are not public property.” Refreshingly, while women are often assumed to be the group most interested in this book’s subject matter, Taylor wisely casts a wide net and addresses different genders in the book. The author’s sensible and empathetic tone will lend comfort to readers and help them to see that no matter what their body type, they are beautiful. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

This book took my breath away. It’s an unexpected and urgent embrace of truth.”
—Brené Brown, Ph.D., author of the New York Times #1 bestseller, Dare to Lead 

“Poet and activist Taylor (A Little Truth on Your Shirt) packs important ideas into this concise volume on body empowerment. “Radical self-love is not a destination you are trying to get to; it is who you already are,” she counsels…The author’s sensible and empathetic tone will lend comfort to readers and help them to see that no matter what their body type, they are beautiful.”
—Publishers Weekly

“The Body Is Not an Apology wrestles you free from the habit of your shame and declares you whole, right now, just as you are. To follow its revelations and teachings leaves you different on the other side and undoubtedly more yourself.”
—Prentis Hemphill, founder and Director, The Black Embodiment Initiative

“From the moment I met Sonya Renee, I knew my life, my world, and the way I view myself and others around me would never be the same. The Body Is Not an Apology is essential reading for those of us who crave understanding and those who are already on the path to learning how beautiful and complex our bodies are. It will empower you with the tools to navigate a world that is often unkind to those of us who whether by choice or design don’t adhere to society’s standard of beauty. Her words will echo in your heart, soul, and body just as they have in mine.”
—Tess Holliday, plus model, author, and founder of Eff Your Beauty Standards

“The Body Is Not an Apology is a gift, a blessing, a prayer, a reminder, a sacred text. In it, Taylor invites us to live in a world where different bodies are seen, affirmed, celebrated, and just. Taylor invites us to break up with shame, to deepen our literacy, and to liberate our practice of celebrating every body and never apologizing for this body that is mine and takes care of me so well. This book cracked me open in ways that I’m so grateful for. I know it will do the same for you.” 
—Alicia Garza, cocreator of the Black Lives Matter Global Network and Strategy + Partnerships Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance

“The Body Is Not an Apology is a radical, merciful, transformational book that will give you deep insights, inspiration, and concrete tools for launching the revolution right inside your own beloved body. Written from deep experience, with a force of catalytic energy and so much love.”
—Eve Ensler, author of The Vagina Monologues and In the Body of the World

“In 2017, #thefirsttimeisawmyself was a trending hashtag and Netflix campaign. As a disabled woman, #thefirsttimeireadmyself may well have been this book. Thank you, Sonya. Bought two copies, one for me and one for my daughter.”
—Rebecca Cokely, Senior Fellow for Disability Policy, Center for American Progress, disability rights activist, and mom 

“Sonya Renee Taylor is a treasure that this world simply does not deserve. The Body Is Not an Apology is the gift of radical love the world needs! We are all better off because of her presence, talent, compassion, and authentic work. Thank you, Sonya, for all that you do.”
—Jes Baker, aka The Militant Baker, author of Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls

“In these times, when the search for answers to the mounting injustices in our world seems to confound us, Sonya Renee Taylor offers a simple but powerful place to begin: recovering our relationship with our own bodies. To build a world that works for everyone, we must first make the radical decision to love every facet of ourselves. Through lucid and courageous self-revelation, Taylor shows us how to realize the revolutionary potential of self-love. ‘The body is not an apology’ is the mantra we should all embrace.”
—Kimberlé Crenshaw, legal scholar and founder and Executive Director, African American Policy Forum

From the Publisher