Stumble It!
A Book Blog Tour - Rosie Molinary's New Book - Beautiful You A Daily Guide To Radical Self-Acceptance
Tuesday, October 12, 2010 at 08:00AM 
Today I'm going to review the new book Beautiful You A Daily Guide To Radical Self-Acceptance by Rosie Molinary and published by Seal Press.
The subject descriptors listed on the back of this book read Psychology and Body Image. However, I think the descriptors could easily include 'Education' and 'Self Realization/Self-Emancipation'. These latter subjects may not be actual descriptors in the biz, but after reading this book, it can easily be classified/shelved in these areas as well.
For this review, I read this whole book from cover to cover and deprived myself from the thrill of using it as it was designed to be used: as a daily page turner revealing exercises that are there to; encourage, challenge, demystify, educate and improve/emancipate your patterns of thinking about beauty and self-perception.
In addition, I embarked on a new form of expression - podcasting!
*********************************************************************
Rosie Molinary
This book is an action plan for a year of introspection. It will have you unveiling the external, often unattainable fictions about what you're supposed to look like. Rosie demystifies the source/origin of our contentment and satisfaction by having you actively engaged in realizing it is fully within your power; and within your strengths, passions and capabilities that your light will shine most beautifully. However, if you are a woman who is intelligently conscious of these truths it is still a different matter entirely to be ready, present and willing to do the deep hard work of the exercises.
Rosie successfully challenges our ability to look within ourselves with authentictity and integrity. Through a wide range of films to watch, authors /quotes to read, and anecdotal experiences, Rosie shepherds us through a labyrinth that leads to our core.
In addition, she challenges our sense of responsibility and accountability to our greater community- to our gender. By guiding us to serve as active mentors and members of the greater collective female consciousness, Rosie has us face what it is to be globally minded, working on behalf of others and developing a voice. Lastly, the educational merit of this book for educators and parents alike was mind-boggling to me. All of us at one point or another will be faced with modeling a behavior or guiding a younger generation and how we do that can be life-altering.
If you are ready and committed to the experince of this delightful book on day 345 you could be contemplating this,
...When I was teaching, I heard Gloria Steinem speak*. The auditorium was packed and as she began a small infant began to weep. The mother couldn't silence him, so she tried to discreetly sneak out of the auditorium, hoping, I am sure, not to bother the other audience members. "Don't go," Steinem said, interrupting her remarks. "We put up with so much noise in our lives- beepers and cell phones, sirens and car alarms. The least any of us can do is be patient with the sounds of child." That remark has stayed with me so many years later. I was impressed by Steinem's acknowledgement of the child's voice, the humanity she exhibited in noting his humanity, and the way she cut away from her prepared remarks to teach all of us a quiet and powerful lesson.- excerpt from Beautiful You by Rosie Molinary
*************************************************************
I was fortunate to score a phone interview with Rosie! I recorded that informative and eye-opening conversation and I know that you will just love to hear it while you go for a walk, commute or whateva! The podcast is located at the end of this post so PLEASE click on it and LISTEN to the interview.
Rosie will have you begin your journey on day 2 by signing a contract with yourself. This thirteen point pledge of allegiance is dynamic and severely truncated here in this excerpt, but it will give you a three point taste:
The Body Warrior Pledge: Because I understand that my love and respect for my body are metaphors of my love and respect for my self and soul, I pledge:
- To stop berating my body and to begin celebrating the vessel that I have been given. I will remember the amazing things my body has given me: the ability to experience the world with the breadth of senses, the ability to perceive and express love, the ability to comfort and soothe, and the ability to fight, provide and care for humanity.
- To understand my body is an opportunity not a scapegoat.
- To be the primary source of my confidence. I will not rely on others to define my worth.
GIVEAWAY!HAVE 30min? WIN A FREE COPY OF BEAUTIFUL YOU: Listen to the podcast interview with Rosie and comment to this post with one aspect of the interview that spoke most loudly to your soul. This will be one step required to qualify. The next step to qualify for the giveaway is to go to Rosie's Facebook 'Beautiful You' Fan page and 'LIKE IT! letting her know Amarettogirl sent you ;)
You have until Friday Oct.15th Midnight Eastern Standard Time to submit your entry to win the book. HEY BTW! This is open to ANYONE ANYWHERE!
Though the podcast and the giveawy stay here, On Oct.13th this blog tour goes to: Imperfect Spirituality Follow it!
For those of us deliberately doing this kind of work there will undoubtedly be exercises you have done before and goals you may have already set for yourself. Yet that results in a wonderful sense of accomplishment and on those pages/exercises you can do what I did...draw a large smiley face on that page and write 'Did this!' Furthermore, trust me, there's no way you've done even more than an 20% of the creative and interdisciplinary exercises in this book which leaves you with 80% of a beautiful self yet to unveil!
Reader Comments (13)
ahh, dude, this came out so well. i listened to the podcast and it's so funny to hear you guys talk, i can hear you getting giddy when she says the same stuff i've heard you say in the past couple years.
the best part's when y'all are talking about process, and how it's destination vs. journey when really it's always just been about journey.
so glad you got to try out doing podcasts, and all this new stuff.
I hope you're doing your best! i hope to talk to you soon!
this is powerful stuff and as a teacher myself and an 'adviser' to an all girls hombase of adolescents...I am so excited about this work!!!! Also as a mom of an 8 year old girl I am thrilled to embrace and explore in order to inspire..........
Amazing post, podcast interview and everything!!!! I love it!!!! Mostly, I love listening to two women who are so powerfully and purposefully working to make positive change in this patriarchal purgatory we live in...Keep going!!!!
i loved the part where you talked about the toxins to your body that no one really mentions like gossip, and criticism. it reminded me of a scene from mean girls where they al look in the mirror and take turns saying something they don't like about their bodies. rituals like these seem to happen often and have become almost routine. the become addictive, you tend to keep going and going and you keep finding little things here and there, and when your friends join in its just a hate bash on our bodies. I think its important to take a stand say no i have no complaints about my body, because then nobody at the lunch table would want to be the one to not love their bodies, instead they would all try to find positive aspects. the new ritual would be to to turn the hate bash into a positive uplifting session, making you feel more at peace in your body. I cant wait to get my hands on this book and congrats to your blog, its amazing
I cant wait to hear the interview..... Im downloading it now but I hate college internet connections its taking for ever to download :(
I hope all is well :)
I thought I posted yesterday but it must not have gone through. Loved the post and experiencing the interview all over again. What a delight to think and dream with you. And your blog readers are so passionate and right on! So inspired by their thoughtfulness!
I sooooooooo related to the struggle with people commenting on your weight loss and the discomfort around that. I actual wrote and performed a piece about that very thing years ago and it prompted me to find it. It's called 'Serenity'........
I will xerox it for you : )
:(:(:(:( it wont open! for me.
THIS sux, i became a fan...
I loved both your questions and Rosie's responses. The aspect that spoke most loudly to me was about her thoughts on straightening her hair - "to make her life easier." For nearly a decade, many years ago, I permed my hair "to make my life easier." How interesting that we saw doing opposite things to our hair was perceived necessary and a means to being more presentable than what is our own natural state. Your podcast was inspiring and I am looking forward to her lunchtime talk! Thank you Marisol!
What a fabulous interview! I can't wait to read more in the book & hope to see Rosie speak during her book tour. One topic that I can definitely apply to my own life is the section about not joining in when your friends decide to criticize themselves. This is something that I would never have thought about before because it seems like such a natural reaction. Now that I am more aware of it, I hope to not do it again.
Finally got a chance to listen to the podcast. I've a ton of opinions and thoughts on this subject especially as a woman of size who is ok with being of size who accepts herself fully. I'm the girl who does straighten her hair but I do it not for society or praise but because I like the way it looks on me, but I also embrace my curls.
What I enjoyed most was you rapport with the author you shared ideas and thoughts on something that you care about and it shows(is that the right term when talking about an audio interview) you did a great job on this piece congrats.
Omg, this interview was so great and it really touched my heart. I definitely understand each and every one of Rosie's points and they were all eye-opening and just plain genius. I am a young woman who is totally aware this notion of image; however, I try my best to not let it get the best of me. I am a woman of size and am completely comfortable with my body. If I ever decide to change something, it'll be because I want it for myself and not because of other people's opinions. I can honestly say that I am so excited to read this book and I know I will love it just like I loved this interview! Ms. Diaz you are amazing ! :)
diaz, you and this author have so much in common, i miss you dealthy.