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Tainted Beauty
Yvy grew up believing in who she was, but what she didn’t know was how to live her truth. Trapped in a body that presented as male, Yvy had no choice but to take on life’s obstacles whilst attempting to desperately find the answer to living her truth.
And so her journey begins. Yvy embarked towards uncharted territory, knowing that she would inevitably reach her truth and live as an authentic creation. But what she wasn’t prepared for was the lessons she would learn along the way. Lessons that would shape her gender identity and give her the confidence to be unapologetic when it comes to being who she was born to be.
Tainted Beauty is a heartfelt, sexy and hilarious no-holds-barred look into the life of a woman who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is.
And so her journey begins. Yvy embarked towards uncharted territory, knowing that she would inevitably reach her truth and live as an authentic creation. But what she wasn’t prepared for was the lessons she would learn along the way. Lessons that would shape her gender identity and give her the confidence to be unapologetic when it comes to being who she was born to be.
Tainted Beauty is a heartfelt, sexy and hilarious no-holds-barred look into the life of a woman who isn’t afraid to tell it like it is.
286 pages, Paperback
Published August 30, 2019
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
July 31, 2021
In a world where we are encouraged to think of ourselves and our personal journey through life, authenticity is a recurring theme. We often reflect on questions like: what is my true self? What is my full potential? How can I obtain this without putting myself in danger? What can I identify with to strengthen my own identity?
Through the wonderful memoir Tainted Beauty by Yvy DeLuca, we experience from the first person how the journey of gender transition unfolds and how DeLuca managed to reach her own authenticity.
To set the scene: DeLuca started life presenting as a British Indian boy in Blackburn. It is from this starting point that she had to navigate life as a gender different from how she felt. She had to wade through layers of the alienating and homophobic school system while exploring her sexuality and encountering confusions. Eventually she started to consciously form what she had always felt: 'I am a woman'. From here we see the complications of even accessing gender reassignment surgery with its biased bureaucracy. Also the process of reassignment and the physical toll it takes. However, after some initial bumps, DeLuca realises her true self with PRIDE (and love).
A charming aspect of the book is how DeLuca inserts little intermissions between the odd chapter to put forth her opinion, with emphasis. Some examples are: defining gender fluidity and why it's beautiful; explaining where her name comes from; addressing people's rude curiosity toward trans people. These are lovely breaks to create a little treasure within the engaging story. All are wholesome, unpretentious and all hold a little something we can take away with us into our lives. My flat mates believed that they strayed into pop-philosophy in a couple occasions, but I like to avoid this label.
So why 3 stars? For me, 3 stars is 'I liked it' and I did like the book! It was charming, terrifying and endearing at the same time. It is also a really interesting subject matter, of which I have nearly no
in-life experience with. However I did often find it hard to engage with the story in some of the slower chapters, like when she reflects over where she was moving between and the casts of characters she observed while working at a sex shop.
Would recommend to anybody interested in learning more about the life of a trans person: both the hardships and the heroism.
Through the wonderful memoir Tainted Beauty by Yvy DeLuca, we experience from the first person how the journey of gender transition unfolds and how DeLuca managed to reach her own authenticity.
To set the scene: DeLuca started life presenting as a British Indian boy in Blackburn. It is from this starting point that she had to navigate life as a gender different from how she felt. She had to wade through layers of the alienating and homophobic school system while exploring her sexuality and encountering confusions. Eventually she started to consciously form what she had always felt: 'I am a woman'. From here we see the complications of even accessing gender reassignment surgery with its biased bureaucracy. Also the process of reassignment and the physical toll it takes. However, after some initial bumps, DeLuca realises her true self with PRIDE (and love).
A charming aspect of the book is how DeLuca inserts little intermissions between the odd chapter to put forth her opinion, with emphasis. Some examples are: defining gender fluidity and why it's beautiful; explaining where her name comes from; addressing people's rude curiosity toward trans people. These are lovely breaks to create a little treasure within the engaging story. All are wholesome, unpretentious and all hold a little something we can take away with us into our lives. My flat mates believed that they strayed into pop-philosophy in a couple occasions, but I like to avoid this label.
So why 3 stars? For me, 3 stars is 'I liked it' and I did like the book! It was charming, terrifying and endearing at the same time. It is also a really interesting subject matter, of which I have nearly no
in-life experience with. However I did often find it hard to engage with the story in some of the slower chapters, like when she reflects over where she was moving between and the casts of characters she observed while working at a sex shop.
Would recommend to anybody interested in learning more about the life of a trans person: both the hardships and the heroism.
September 10, 2019
An amazing account of self-belief overcoming adversity
As with all the best autobiographies, Tainted Beauty isn’t simply a vehicle to make the author look good, and doesn’t shy away from the more painful moments, but instead highlights them to showcase how we can use them to shape our lives for the better.
An emotional insight for people that might not be fully aware of the barriers faced every day by trans people across the World, and a gripping and hilarious account of how to overcome the obstacles that life can throw at you.
As with all the best autobiographies, Tainted Beauty isn’t simply a vehicle to make the author look good, and doesn’t shy away from the more painful moments, but instead highlights them to showcase how we can use them to shape our lives for the better.
An emotional insight for people that might not be fully aware of the barriers faced every day by trans people across the World, and a gripping and hilarious account of how to overcome the obstacles that life can throw at you.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews