#SelfCareSyllabus - "This Is Just My Face" by Gabourey Sidibe
Over in our private self-care support group, the Suite (CLICK HERE TO JOIN IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY), we've been having a ton of discussion about body image:Why do we criticize ourselves if our weight fluctuates? Why does buying a bigger pair of pants or a larger dress (instead of trying to squeeze into too-tight clothes) upset us so much?Why is food such a good comfort mechanism? I've been working through these questions for quite some time, which is why I kicked off this year's "Inside the Self-Care Suite" series with none other than Ivy Felicia, body relationship coach. (If you haven't listened to that episode, please do yourself a favor and catch up!)That conversation with Ivy definitely helped move me further along my journey to love my body and since then, I've been looking for resources to help me grow even more in love with myself.So when a friend of mine recommended I read Gabourey Sidibe's new memoir, "This is Just My Face: Try Not to Stare," I immediately picked up a copy. Read it cover to cover in about three hours.I've always thought that if I met her, we'd be friends. I've seen her Instagram antics with her bestie Jussie Smollett and we have the exact same sense of humor: goofy, and always looking for the joke. But after reading her book...well, now I'm pretty sure I'm in love.In the book, she discusses her life up to the present day -- from her mother's green card marriage to her father, to her battle with depression and an eating disorder, to her stint as a "talker" at a phone sex company.As a plus-size celebrity, Gabourey's had to weather intense criticism of herself both on screen and off and is no stranger to the struggle to body peace. In writing this book, she lays it all bare:
"I sometimes get so mad at myself. Mad at my body...But I'm trying very hard to change my mind about that. This is my body. It's going to be with me forever. For all the ways it's failed me, it's come through for me a million times more. I'll never be skinny and don't really want to be. I want to be smaller and I want to be healthier. My body will get me there. Every day I have to remind myself to be good to my body and allow it to be good to me."
Three Biggest Takeaways:
- Get used to telling yourself "yes" more often.
- Don't get in your own way of success. Try something new and if it doesn't work, trust that you will land on your feet.
- You're going to be with yourself for a long time. Make sure you are someone you'd like to hang out with.
Where to Buy: Amazon, $14