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Review: “Body Positive Power” by Megan Jayne Crabbe aka @bodiposipanda

  • Writer: Holly Jane - Writer
    Holly Jane - Writer
  • Mar 27, 2020
  • 4 min read

Genre(s): Lifestyle, Eating disorders, Recovery, Feminism, Self-help, Psychology

Favourite Quote: “Intuitive eating means eating what you want, when you want it, and stopping when you’re full.”

I'm going to be honest with you, reader. Self-help books have never really been my thing and I've never had the mental capacity to let written advice sink in and be reflected upon the way the authors of these books intend.

That being said, I decided to whack on ahead and buy this one purely because I have been following Megan on Instagram for quite a few years and wanted to see what this whole ‘body positive thing’ was about. They say don't judge a book by its cover, but I'm a sucker for bright colours.

So, there I am with a dripping buttery bagel and sat ready to start reading. The introduction jumps straight into Megan’s personal life as she’s slap bang in the middle of battling a serious eating disorder and is on what she fears, would be her death bed at the time. It’s a sobering beginning to such a colourful and vibrant book, which also begs the question; how many other people have been through this experience at such a young age? After the initial haunting feelings, I got hooked into Megan’s backstory and her teenage psyche of why she hated her body so much.

Megan lists and quotes various forms of research from scientific studies and other self-help books in the field that have given her inspiration and self-power over the years. For me, this boosts my subconscious into really believing this is a powerful movement that exists rather than my biased view of “these self-help authors just want you to buy into their ideals.” Megan does have a lot of strong opinions on this, but is backed up by her own experiences and the facts of what the diet and fitness industries angle towards, their monetary and marketing tactics used as well.

It’s a fascinating insight into how these industries have managed to stay in power for so long and how we’re ruled by this, even sub consciously. If you’re sick of buying blindly into the lie that all women must be petite, beautiful, small, thin and white: this one’s for you.

Pros

· If you're looking for a community that will support you, regardless for how you look and how big or small you are, this is it.

· This book promises to support and boost you through every chapter and it delivers that.

· Every page is filled with positive and empowering quotes and research from across the internet and other such books that greatly promote the BOPO movement.

· Megan is a likeable and down to earth motivational speaker, which really comes across in her words.

· This book will not judge you or make you feel and for your culinary choices.

· You are hereby ENCOURAGED to eat what you want.

· For those who haven’t heard of intuitive eating; this is your introduction right here. Like everything else, this will take some time and perseverance, but there’s no rush.

· The various artworks are cute, inclusive and fantastic imagery to accompany the book.

· It really delves into the psychology of why some people suffer from eating disorders and why. Megan isn’t psychologically trained but offers a first-hand insight into this.

Cons

· You need to be reading this with a very open mind and be willing to disregard every health study, article, personal prejudice known to man.

· This book promotes intuitive eating and if you aren't willing to eat according to how your body feels, rather than your brain or feelings intervening - this will not be for you.

· At certain times, the book can sometimes repeat certain points and go backwards and forwards on itself, but in dealing with mental health – sometimes, we do need this format for the information to sink in.

Final thoughts

This read is a rendering experience to someone who’s been dealing with body image issues and low self esteem for as long as I can remember, but one I don’t regret. Self help books are never going to be a quick fix for what we feel, but Body Positive Power bridges the gap between our brains and our bodies, so we can start to greater understand what goes on under the hood.

Everyone will undoubtedly have a different journey and payoff. Surprisingly after a while, I stopped feeling bad eating every time I read some chapters before work and I began to enjoy my morning breakfast and sugary tea, boosted by such empowered writing. I didn’t feel at all judged or ridiculed. Eventually, I started thinking; ‘ya know what, I might try this intuitive eating thing’.

And I did it! I finally managed to read through and successfully absorb a self-help book. And now, I have time to reflect whilst continuing to eat food triumphantly and without guilt. Overall, I really enjoyed this and it’ll have a proud space in my ‘anxiety’ section to run back to at times I feel myself feeling low.

About the author:

MEGAN JAYNE CRABBE is a writer and activist. She lives in Essex, and when not being an all-round BoPo warrior, she can probably be found wearing pyjamas and talking to her dogs.

Check our Megan’s social media:

As always, I’m taking requests for reads I should review next. Feel free to drop me a line via the site or my social media pages. Thanks for reading!

HJ


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HOLLY JANE - AUTHOR

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