"A prescriptive, empowering, and psychology-driven guide to building confidence in your body, clothes, beauty, and life in the era of toxic social media-driven beauty standards. Filled with proven strategies for proactive self-care, this stylish and essential guide provides sage answers to tricky questions like: * Why do I hate the way I look in pictures? * How can I stop comparing myself to all those beautiful people on social media? * Would I be happier if I lost weight? * Why is everyone else so stylish? Illustrated with full-color spot art, Beyond Beautiful is a much-needed breath of fresh air that will enhance your confidence and joy, and help you live your best life"--
Contents
Unpack the problem -- Rewrite your mental script -- Take back the power.
Table of Contents
Introduction 1 (11)
Part I Unpack the problem
1 Body Image 101
12 (24)
Self-esteem, confidence, body image: What's the difference?
12 (3)
Five myths about body image you probably believe
15 (7)
The vicious cycle of feeling not-so-great about the way you look
22 (1)
Avoiding and chasing: The two ways we deal with body-image stress
23 (9)
Say hi to your judgy inner voice
32 (4)
2 The Media
36 (12)
The beauty blast
36 (3)
Why "I'm just doing this for myself is BS
39 (1)
Pretty little things
40 (3)
What's sex got to do with it?
43 (3)
The problem with body positivity
46 (2)
3 Other People
48 (20)
"Grandma says I'm getting chunky" and other ghosts from the past
49 (7)
A typology of body-shamers (and how to clap back)
56 (6)
Why we need to change how we talk about our bodies
62 (2)
Five essential rules for (self-) talking about your body
64 (4)
Part II Rewrite your mental script
4 Self-Perception
68 (12)
Exactly how pretty am I?
69 (2)
What you see in the mirror is not real
71 (2)
Un-skew your perception: The "one thing" habit
73 (1)
Why you hate the way you look in photos
74 (4)
Bad photo emergency: How to deal in five steps
78 (2)
5 Beauty Standards
80 (32)
Hot bodies through history
80 (11)
Primped, plucked, polished: The business of female grooming standards
91 (7)
Who decided women should be hairless anyway?
98 (4)
The impact of Eurocentric beauty standards
102 (5)
Ageism: The grim saga of "younger is better"
107 (5)
6 More Than A Body
112 (8)
What's wrong with deriving confidence from the way you look?
112 (2)
The Beyond Beautiful portfolio
114 (3)
Moving in today: Your positive inner voice
117 (3)
Part III Take back the power
7 I Can't Tonight, I Feel Fat
120 (10)
So you're afraid of being judged
121 (4)
What would Serena do? (Or, why you need a confidence role model)
125 (2)
The confidence ladder: How to get over any fear step-by-step
127 (2)
Don't make me look: When you're avoiding mirrors and cameras
129 (1)
8 Social Media
130 (12)
The real reason your feeds put you in a funk
130 (3)
Selfies: Empowering or problematic?
133 (3)
How to stop feeling Instagram-inadequate
136 (4)
The unfollow list
140 (2)
9 Food & Fitness
142 (12)
How healthy eating became a status symbol
142 (2)
A serial dieter's guide to making peace with food
144 (5)
PSA: It's time to ditch your scale for good
149 (2)
The problem with exercising to "look better naked"
151 (3)
10 Style
154 (12)
The importance of wearing what you like no matter your body image
155 (2)
Stop dressing for your "body type"
157 (4)
Stop dressing for your age
161 (1)
Stop wearing uncomfortable clothes
162 (2)
The body confidence closet makeover
164 (2)
11 Beauty Routines
166 (10)
Is your beauty routine boycotting your body image?
167 (2)
Fun and flexible: What a confident approach to beauty looks like
169 (4)
The Beyond Beautiful reset challenge
173 (3)
12 Cosmetic Surgery
176 (11)
The normalization of "getting work done": Harmful, helpful, or no big deal?
176 (3)
Real talk: Would cosmetic surgery improve your confidence?
179 (5)
Conclusion: Weltschmerz and the squiggly trajectory of change
184 (3)
About the Author 187 (2)
Acknowledgments 189 (1)
Bibliography 190 (7)
Index