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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!
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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
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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!