Seeking Imperfection: Body Image, Marketing, And God

by Evan M. Dolive

Every day we are bombarded with messages that we are not good enough the way we are. No matter how hard we try, we will never be good enough in some people's eyes. Drink this and have a party. Wear this and feel sexy. Spray this on and your soul mate will find you. To stand out, you have to look like a cover model or famous actor. These messages can be harmful.

In March 2013, after reading articles about the marketing styles of Victoria's Secret—styles laden with these messages—and targeted especially to younger demographics, Dolive penned an open letter calling for companies to not view girls as objects but as human beings. The letter came out of his desire to instill in his own daughter that love, care, and acceptance should not be based on articles of clothing.

What happened next was truly amazing. The letter was viewed nearly four million times (on his site alone) in about a week-and-a-half, and dozens of other news organizations and publications picked up the story. Dolive was interviewed by national news publications and appeared on CNN and Headline News. The letter was a catalyst for conversations about body image, marketing, and how the church could affect change and confidence in people of all ages.

Seeking Imperfection explores these false messages and takes a look at people from the Bible who, despite their flaws, were still able to serve God faithfully.

Kindle Edition

First published July 31, 2015

Reviews

[Rusty del Norte · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seeking Imperfection is a book seeking to talk about culture from a Christian perspective. The personal stories are interesting and revealing about the author. I enjoyed part of the book that try to counter the mass culture and its focus on imagery. I also enjoyed the positive body imagery at the end of the book.

The author uses a lot of truisms ("mountain out of a molehill") and assumed cultural knowledge. On several occasions, the reader is told to "Google it" - which seems a bit lazy. Reading through the paragraphs in the first two chapters, one is treated to a variety of cultural references without it being cited. It seems to meander at times as focus seems to be a bit of a problem. There is, at time, a lack of clarity as to the purpose of the book. Chapter 3 is an interview that feels more like it should be in the appendices. Chapter 5 feels like a extended sermon on the topic of 'acceptance'. Chapter 6 talks more about church closings and the difficulty of youth in churches.

Overall, its a good book but it needs more focus.