I could relate to much of this book, especially in the author's sharing of the many times they were told or made to feel not 'something' enough. The way that people are viewed in relation to their bodies is thoroughly explored in a way that helps you identify how bonkers and worse, harmful that is. Whether that is judging someone for their gender presentation especially where that may not fit with what is seen as 'normal', whatever that is. But also crucially where that is judging someone for the size of their bodies, the author presents a convincing way of refuting these arguments and feeling good about your body, as the way to achieve optimal health. I found this book uplifting in a way that many books on this subject aren't, the queer positivity shines through, which is lovely to access and celebrate for oneself.

With thanks to netgalley and the publisher for an Arc in exchange for an honest review

I received an advanced reader copy of Queer Body Power by Essie Dennis in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t read self-help books very often, but Queer Body Power is very much my kind of self-help. It is all about the intersections of queer identities and fatphobia, and the unique experiences found at this intersection. This book contains so many important lessons, including:

* Identity is not intrinsically linked to your partner. This is important to understand for bisexual individuals, whose identity is often erased depending on who they are dating. Conversely, this applies to situations like a lesbian dating a trans man. Just because she’s dating a man doesn’t mean she is no longer a lesbian; that is her identity.

* The difference between disordered eating and eating disorders, as well as explaining what normal eating behaviors look like. Food isn’t moral, it isn’t good or bad. Food is neutral.

* Social media discriminates against queer content creators, especially when they’re plus size. I myself have had so much of my content removed from various platforms just because I am a fat person comfortable showing a little skin. Meanwhile a thin person can show their entire naked ass on an instagram post and it doesn’t get flagged.

* Most big name clothing brands and designers discriminate against plus size shoppers, rarely carrying anything larger than a size 12, and then the selections available for bigger bodies are basic and boring. Support small business fashion, because oftentimes they are much more inclusive with their designs, and willing to go the extra mile to make sure things fit correctly. I have been blessed to model for many of Chicago’s queer designers, such as Sky Cubacub at Rebirth Garments and An Authentic Skidmark. These designers prioritize fashion for people who are queer, fat, trans, and/or disabled. When you can, buy from small businesses like these so you can wear clothes that make you feel confident, comfortable, and even sexy!

* Queer people often use tattoos to express their identities. This is very much true in my case. I have my stretchmarks on my stomach and up my back tattooed many bright colors. I see this to be not only a celebration of my fatness, but my queerness as well.

* I think one of the most important lessons in this book is to fake it till you make it. Dennis reveals that even while writing this book she continues to struggle against her internal monologue, against the fatphobic voices which have been planted into every one of our heads. Despite this, she persevered and wrote this book full of kind and encouraging messages. I remember having a similar struggle. For years I hated my body. A few years ago I decided to start showing off my body more in my outfits when I perform. While it was a real struggle at first, the more I did it the more confident I became. Now I love my body. It can be really hard to internalize these positive attitudes, but if you begin by simply doing an outward display of them, it will become so much easier to accept and embrace them.

This book is delightfully queer. I felt so much joy when Dennis quoted one of Chicago’s most talented drag queens, Shea Couleé. One of this books greatest strengths is that Dennis not only provides her own personal experience, but she interviewed many, varied queer voices so that the reader could have a more diverse understanding of each subject. It shows that so many people have gone through similar things as you. You are not alone.

Queer Body Power is an important book. It is full of vital messages that queer and plus size youth need to hear. Because so much of the pain, so much of the trauma that we as fat queer people experience could have been minimized had we had access to a book like this, something telling us that who we are and how we look is okay. Thank you, Essie Dennis, for providing these kind words for future generations. Thank you NetGalley and Jessica Kingsley Publishers for the advance reader copy.

Queer Body Power is such an insightful book. I think a lot of young people will benefit from this book being out in the world.

This is a look into how we as people view bodies that have been classified as "other". There are anecdotes from many queer people, disabled people, and fat people. The ideas presented on accepting your body for what it is, for practicing body positivity (in a non toxic way) and self love are still radical. This book provides a step by step on Dennis' journey through that minefield, as well as many other's, and is an amazing resource for people just starting on their journey's.

This book came at the perfect time, as queer kids across America are feeling oppressed by bills about what is and is not 'appropriate' to discuss in schools. I think we all need the reminder that just because bodies exist outside the societal standard does not make them inappropriate, undesirable, or bad.

This was an awesome book!! I loved the positive messages and will be thinking about them for years to come.

Thank you to Netgalley for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

As a bisexual woman of color who has recovered from eight years of disordered eating and eating disorders, I'm glad you wrote this book. Looking back at when I struggled with my body image, I had this warped idea of what I should look like. Though I'm more attuned to Body Neutrality these days, your interpretation of Body Positivity is what the movement should strive to be and I'm still unlearning fatophobia. I didn't know that one of the sources of my eating disorders were from not accepting my queer identities till my early twenties. You also reinforced the idea that I should keep my social media friendly, which I did this year, and maintain my worth not just on my body, but my character too.

Thank you so much to the publishers for providing me with an eArc of this book in exchange for an honest review.

"I needed to accept my body for what it was and stop giving people's opinions any space in my reality."

Essie Dennis brings this guide of queer and body power to fight against heteronormative rules and standards that women and so many queer people had to fight against, and in some cases still fight against to this day. When it comes to body empowerment and people telling you that you're "not enough" in so many aspects of your life, Dennis gives you words and wisdom to help love yourself, your body and everything that makes you, you.

Fatphobia and homophobia are both problems that need to be eradicated. We should be able to shout at the top of our lungs, proclaiming the love we have for ourselves no matter our body types, gender or sexuality. you deserve to be here.

You are enough. We are enough.

It's time for people to stop assuming that there is only one body type. We should be proud of our differences, in our achievements as people. We are forever growing and forever changing. And this book will lead to conversations on change for the better.

As Dennis states, "We all deserve to be represented and to see that our bodies are not bad or wrong."

Having grown up in church and purity culture, there were two things that I was taught - how to hate my body and repress my queerness. QUEER BODY POWER was healing for me. I need everyone to read this.

"Queerness is so much more than a label that is supposedly required for dating. It is community, history, how you carry yourself in the world, fluidity, performance, identity, character, heart."

"Giving myself permission to be who I really am, and truly knowing myself, changed how I saw my body."

"Accepting our bodies as queer people has that extra layer attached to it--you find yourself fighting for liberation alongside a personal quest for body acceptance."

These are just a few quotes that now live in my notes app after reading this book. As a skeptic of most self-help and "empowerment" tools, I was surprised by how much I actually felt while reading this. I left feeling a lot more appreciation for my body and wanting to lean into the hairstyles, lifestyle, and fashion that makes me feel euphoric. As a genderfluid person, I loved the way Dennis talks about the fluidity of both gender and sexuality and the importance of honoring space for all versions of our selves--we are not meant to be "-core" or fit only a certain aesthetic. We can and should explore and embrace all parts of ourselves.

Dennis wants us all to accept our bodies--but she recognizes it's much more than a personal journey; that there are structural and societal pressures that hurt some bodies more than others. She does a great job of bringing in multiple perspectives and talking specifically about fatphobia and ableism impacts different sides of the queer community and how racist and colonial beauty standards must be discarded if we are to ever truly embrace all people and bodies. She acknowledges that queer bodies and lives are inherently political, and makes space for that. But she also talks about things that are deeply personal and embodied--gender dysphoria, body dysmorphia, and the harmful behaviors that can manifest from those.

Overall, this book was cute and surprisingly impactful. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thanks for the ARC to the publisher and NetGalley.

This is a total must-read for anyone who defines as queer or anyone struggling with body image and everything that comes with it. A must for anyone who is lost, coming out or already out and wanting to learn more about their body.

Empowering, helpful and easily a page tuner!

Thank you to the publishers, Jessica Kingsley Publishers, for the ARC of this book received via NetGalley. I leave this review voluntarily.

This is a really important book and I really appreciate the time and effort that the author has put in to not only sharing her own, very personal story and insights, but also to all the other people she interviewed to make sure the experiences shared were as broad and inclusive as possible.

My reactions to this book ranged from "Wow! I never knew that!" to "That's so obvious it could be overlooked!" I should mention that I'm reading this as a cishet-presenting mother of teens, two of whom are trans/NB and much of what I read in this book gave me insight to what they're experiencing/up against, but also gave me plenty to consider for myself - in this ever-changing (aging/perimenopausal) body.

Having said that, I'm not sure there is a clear audience for this book. Is it for teens as they come to terms with their queerness/puberty; is it for medical professionals to be more cognisant of the needs of queer patients; is it for parents, like me? In reality, it's for all of these audiences, all of society - there's a lot to digest to become more conscious of how we can be a more inclusive & accepting society.

If I were to mention a critiscism (and I hasten to add this is more of a personal bugbear than really a fault of the book) but the majority of the book deals with discussing the problems compared how much of the book deals with solutions. I suppose, one of the solutions is to raise awareness of the problems faced, so the book is already doing that by being as broad and inclusive of the issues experienced. Perhaps it just needs to spelled out more and "writ large" for those who don't see themselves as part of the problem and unwittingly or uncaringly contribute to the issues experienced e.g. a discussion on micro-aggressions and their impact.

Kudos and thanks again to the author for this important, powerful book!

I really do feel that I read this book at the right time for me (not that I think there would ever a wrong time for me to read this). I have always had issues with my body – before I realised I was queer, and still now. While I have always had love and support from friends and family, I haven’t granted myself that same support and self-love. This book prompted to do some deep thinking on my own self-image and how my queerness is tangled with it, and how I haven’t been treating myself the way I should. This is something I really appreciate.

I found Queer Body Power to be really insightful and written in such a way that I didn’t feel I was being lectured. Essie Dennis has such a warm and friendly tone to the way that they write, it meant I didn’t feel like I was reading a ‘non-fiction’ book but that I was involved in a conversation. This conversational tone was really brought forward with the inclusion of stories from other queer people. Reading the range and diversity in the stories they had to tell added a depth to the book which I loved.

The exploration of how societal expectations to do with the concepts of femininity and masculinity can be harmful to one’s sense of self and body-image was so interesting to read. It really made me think about the way my presentation has been constantly changing, and how that change was possible reflective of a label I was trying to fit into at the time – however damaging the goal was to my physical and mental health. I loved the selection of focus chapters that they decided to explore. Especially those on gender roles, food, fatphobia, and fashion.

Queer Body Power is a book I think everyone should read at some point – queer or not. This book made me smile, it made me cry, and ultimately it made me think about my own body issues and their source. Thank you Essie Dennis for writing and putting together this honest, raw, and thought-provoking read.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for sending me this free eARC (eAdvanced Reader Copy). I am leaving this review voluntarily. This title will be published 21st March 2022.

Interesting information, not sure how to best apply knowledge with clients at this time. Thanks for the ARC

Thank you to Jessica Kingsley Publishers and NetGalley for providing this ARC of Queer Body Power by Essie Dennis in exchange for an honest review. Overall, I thought that this book was extremely helpful and important for someone that is both Queer and struggles with their body image. Dennis brings up many different points on the intersections between the LGBTQ community and the body movement in general, and brings an overall warmth to the book. The only consistent struggle that I had with this book was the writing style, but I enjoyed the content enough to move past it.

This book is empowering and is going to help a lot of people. My main concern going into this book, was that it wasn't going to be intersectional but I was proven wrong. Essie discuss the link between being queer and body image. I liked that she talked about her childhood, I feel that this is commonly overlooked when discussing body positivity. They also talk sensitively about eating disorders within the LGBTQIA+ community, what I truly appreciated was Essie interviewing a range of people from the community as it shared a wider perspective. I could also tell that this was well researched throughout which made for an overall good reading experience.

I really loved the perspectives in this book and how the author pulls from a lot of different people while also including their own narrative. I wish this book had been around when I was in high school and I know I will definitely be recommending it to a number of my high schoolers!

Full of anecdote and realistic advice, Queer Body Power is a much-needed entry to the self help genre. Too often bodies have been focused on as either needing to be slim or celebrating difference. This book, though, finally combines the two into a very welcome text.

I really, really loved this book. It has content warnings (not something I've seen frequently before and something that's very appreciated!), broad and engaging chapters, an informal and unintimidating writing style and it's super accessibly written language-wise.

The introduction (and through the book honestly) is very personal and draws on experiences in Essie Dennis' life, lending it the very important quality of being truly relatable for young, fat, queer folks. It immediately tackles Body Positivity as something dominated by white cishet women, something well worth pointing out & deconstructing. It also goes through toxic positivity and seperating it out from Body Positivty - it's a movement that doesn't always encompass positive things!

It's peppered throughout with testimonies from other Queer people and is super affirming to read others experiencing the same. Thanks to the nature of the book centreing queer & trans/nb people, it approahces bodies from a perspective relatively free of a gender binary and highlights the need for intersectionality & intersectional approaches. I cannot even begin to gush about how refreshing it is to read a book about bodies that doesn't spent pages placating straight size people, encompasses the various reasons that someone might feel shame about their bodies and (even better!), talks about more than just reclaiming fat bodies and joy...it talks about racialised and disabled bodies!!

The chapters that engage with social media consumption do so mindfully, especially because this was written in the pandemic, and is aware of both its flaws and strengths. It even delvs into the censorship of queer bodies in online spaces (something especially prevalent on instagram). The sections on face filters and digital auto-editing have a lot of basic but still important critiques about the way it can divorce us from our bodies, something I'm super happy to see written about from a queer perspective. The entire chapter on makeup and fashion is fantastic too!

A really, really good book. A bit of a 'starter' on the subject of queer bodies & queer joy, but super super good.

"Queer Body Power" is an endless pit of information and reflections that could not only benefit the queer readers that will pick this up, but everyone else as well.
Dennis writes clearly and in a straight forward manner about the intersections and intricacies of queer identity and disability, race and body image. These topics were especially well developed because of the author's personal experiences and ties to them.
I found particularly insightful having real testimonies from various queer people that identify in different ways and have gone through different, but also similar experiences.

Read this if you want to deconstruct your beauty standards and how they effect queer bodies specifically.

Genuinely, I could not put this down, I feel like I finally feel seen as a queer, jewish, not-skinny person who never quite saw myself represented in a positive way. I loved the discussion this book opens up about colonialism enforcing beauty standards and how queer people can become their own canvases when expressing themselves. Every point made was so well and I absolutely loved it. I don’t want to go into full detail since this needs to be experienced first hand.

Definitely check the trigger warnings if you read it though, but if you’re comfortable reading about these topics, I’d highly recommend it!

QUEER BODY POWER by Essie Dennis is a much needed entry into books being written about body positivity, fat phobia, and queer/trans bodies in general. The perspective Dennis provides is sorely missing from mainstream "body positive" coverage, especially as it centers white cisgender heterosexual women who can afford expensive clothing.

When I first downloaded the book, I expected to read a few pages, then dive in the next day. I couldn't put it down. Thank you, Essie Dennis, for the inclusion of class! This discussion provides needed acknowledgement--and provides insight into how class can impact things like food selection (and access) and overall health. The only shortcoming I found was the limited number of interviewees included in the book. I understand that "known names" could feel more impactful, but the same people being quoted felt repetitive and I started skipping those pages. The LGBTQIAP+ community is far too diverse and vast for six people to speak for everyone.

Still, I absolutely recommend QUEER BODY POWER.