Lovely: How I Learned to Embrace the Body God Gave Me

by Amanda Martinez Beck

All bodies are good bodies. Except fat bodies. At least that's what our society tells us. According to the prevailing dogma, thin bodies are good; fat bodies are bad. In fact, any body that fails to measure up to society's standards of perfection is bad. The perfect face has no blemishes, the perfect belly has no love handles, and the perfect skin has no wrinkles or stretch marks. According to this standard of flawlessness, a good body can have no illness, no disability, and no inadequacy. Our cultural understanding of good bodies makes most of us feel like hopeless failures. This is not what our loving God wants for us. In Lovely , size-dignity activist and self-proclaimed "fat girl" Amanda Martinez Beck talks openly about the purpose of bodies, what makes a body good, and the need to reframe the way we think and speak about our own bodies and the bodies of the people around us. Much more than a "self-image" read, Lovely will retrain you to think about your whole self - body and soul - in terms of mercy, kindness, and wonder rather than criticism, failure, and self-loathing. Don't let the scale, the mirror, your interior critic, or the world around you keep you trapped in lies. All bodies are good bodies, including yours.

Genres: Nonfiction, Faith

112 pages, Paperback

Published November 16, 2018

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Refreshing, loving, full of truth and goodness. And some beautiful writing too! Don't let the short length of the book fool you, it is deep and soul searching. I love how she incorporates Theology of the Body and the sacraments. The parts about our bodies having stories to tell, and that weakness is something that tethers us to Christ were really good. The reflection questions at the end of each chapter really took time. I journaled them out and it was so helpful. I've had a big mindset shift reading this book, and I would highly recommend it.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

When we reject our own bodies, we are also rejecting the flawed and vulnerable bodies around us. Anyone who has ever considered their own body as hopelessly flawed or confronted their own physical weakness will find grace in Amanda's story. It takes humility and dignity to open up about her history of shame and to draw attention to the places where she feels most vulnerable, but Amanda is willing to go first in the hopes that her example will offer others the grace to accept & celebrate their bodies.

This is definitely geared towards Catholics, but Christians of all kinds will benefit from Amanda's vision of Christian hospitality, which includes "saying 'no' to cultural standards that promote violence, abuse, and neglect of bodies that don't fit he accepted norm (and) rejecting words, attitudes, and practices that dehumanize our neighbors and assign morality to food choices, exercise habits, or physical health" in order to "create a space of refuge for the weakness of others."

This book is a deep exhale for those who've been sucking in their guts, hoping to go unnoticed in their own bodies. It's a rallying cry for every person who has grown weary of scrolling through friends' cheery pep talks about weird diet fads and exercise challenges. This short book doesn't map out the whole territory, but it provides some helpful sign posts that point out the dangers of a perfection-obsessed culture. Read it & then tell Amanda how it blessed you!

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This new release from Our Sunday Visitor has been my pre-Mass reading companion for a few weeks. (I’ve been traveling a lot so this short 100 page book took a while.) Amanda writes so beautifully about our bodies (small and big and everything in between). It’s a great companion to Emily Stimpson Chapman’s book “The Catholic Table.” Food is not virtuous. Dieting is not God’s plan for us. Simply living out a healthy life for our bodies is His Will for us. So excellent I might need to read it again before it sinks in that what she’s saying also applies to MY body.

[Celeste · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an eating disorder specialist I find myself wanting all of my clients to read a copy of this book. So often spiritual practices can make the journey to eating disorder recovery/body acceptance more difficult, as our faith communities seem to be filled with weight bias and health worship. Amanda’s voice and theology is so redemptive to that experience that many of my clients have. A must read!

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a wonderful book. I didn't agree with everything in this book. I do think exercising and eating healthy are very important for us emotionally, physically, and spiritually. However, It made me look at some things differently. I also learned there are fun ways we can do exercise instead of dreading the going to the gym routine. It also taught me a few things about Catholicism.

[Fayelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful reread, and so much better the 2nd time around. Amanda speaks like a loving advocate for bodies everywhere, even mine. This is a practical and truth filled love story for the best creations of God, and I'm blessed again to have read this book and even more so to call Amanda my very dear friend.

[D.L. Mayfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short devotionals centered around the radical concept that our bodies are good because they were created to be in relationship. Beck does a wonderful job of getting to the root of shame that surrounds our conversations about bodies (and so much more!). I found this book gracious and liberating.

[Andrea Humphries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amanda Martinez Beck has been challenging my thinking about bodies since I first encountered her work a couple years ago. In Lovely, through her use of scripture and poignant vulnerability, she encourages the reader to, as the blurb on the back of the book says, "think about your whole self - body and soul - in terms of mercy, kindness, and wonder rather than criticism, failure, and self-loathing." I cannot think of a single person who does not need the gentle guidance Martinez Beck provides to that end.