3.5 stars
Date of review: August 13, 2024
I found a lot of the thoughts in this book to be very helpful. The author’s practical advice and continuous debunking of diet culture made me aware of toxic societal messages that I would otherwise be, and definitely had already been, getting sucked into. It is an aesthetic book with gorgeous illustrations.
That being said, the author kept mentioning the fact that her own body is not one that society typically marginalises. While this was most probably well-intentioned (I recon she was trying to be aware and mindful of her privilege), I sometimes found it alienating that she constantly cast herself as separate from marginalised bodies. I also wondered whether her writing a book geared towards women living in marginalised bodies, yet not belonging to this demographic herself, is an act that subtly takes an important platform away from people who might be better equipped to express their views on this particular topic. Perhaps it would have been more helpful for the author to write a book for people struggling with body image and eating disorders, yet not living in typically marginalised bodies (which is what I was initially expecting).
On the other hand, it is understandable that the author would wish to acknowledge her privilege, and it is very obvious that she has intended to use her platform for good. So, in essence, while I had internal debates with myself while thinking about the potential caveats of some of her words, the author has ultimately written a useful, informative book that will likely be a very helpful companion to those wishing to kickstart a body-image-recovery journey.
You Are Not a Before Picture by Alex Light is available to purchase on Amazon UK.
