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Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'
Pleasure Activism: The Politics of Feeling Good by adrienne maree brown
4 reviews
helhas3letters's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
2.0
This book is a collection of articles, essays, and interviews, arranged into 6 sections and with the aim of exploring/explaining the use of platforming pleasure in one's life and activism.
I personally found this book quite difficult to read, as it oscillated between articles which used academic language and advanced concepts, and interviews with very casual language and little discernible focus.
The former could have benefitted from explanations of some terminology and concepts as it seemed to assume significant existing knowledge on the part of the reader. I did find some of the explanations that were presented to be unhelpful and confusing, e.g. I felt that the explanation of the practice of 'somatics' did not tell me anything about what it actually was and could have benefitted from clear examples.
On the other hand, the interviews seemed to lack a clear goal and just felt like a transcription of some casual conversations between friends. I personally didn't gain anything of value from reading them.
I also felt that the book spent lots of time describing (many) individuals who were either interviewed or just briefly mentioned. The volume of people described felt overwhelming and I found it hard to locate which of these descriptions were going to be useful and worth remembering. There were some descriptions devoted to a person simply mentioned in passing in conversation, which felt totally unnecessary and irrelevant.
The descriptions themselves also became very personal to the author, e.g. rather than 'X is an expert in Y and works with the organisation Z', it was more like 'X is a good friend of mine and makes me feel Y and we met Z years ago'. Because of this, it was hard to understand the relevance and expertise of lots of these people.
Finally, I felt that a lot of the footnotes in this book were extraneous and didn't add anything of value. I normally love the extra information provided by footnotes, but with this book I ended up ignoring them by the halfway point.
Despite my issues with the structure and formatting of this book, the core concept is interesting and there were gems of thought throughout. I believe however that the topic was too sprawling and it could have been presented best as one long article or a short manifesto, cutting many of the interviews or simply using quotes from them occasionally.
I personally found this book quite difficult to read, as it oscillated between articles which used academic language and advanced concepts, and interviews with very casual language and little discernible focus.
The former could have benefitted from explanations of some terminology and concepts as it seemed to assume significant existing knowledge on the part of the reader. I did find some of the explanations that were presented to be unhelpful and confusing, e.g. I felt that the explanation of the practice of 'somatics' did not tell me anything about what it actually was and could have benefitted from clear examples.
On the other hand, the interviews seemed to lack a clear goal and just felt like a transcription of some casual conversations between friends. I personally didn't gain anything of value from reading them.
I also felt that the book spent lots of time describing (many) individuals who were either interviewed or just briefly mentioned. The volume of people described felt overwhelming and I found it hard to locate which of these descriptions were going to be useful and worth remembering. There were some descriptions devoted to a person simply mentioned in passing in conversation, which felt totally unnecessary and irrelevant.
The descriptions themselves also became very personal to the author, e.g. rather than 'X is an expert in Y and works with the organisation Z', it was more like 'X is a good friend of mine and makes me feel Y and we met Z years ago'. Because of this, it was hard to understand the relevance and expertise of lots of these people.
Finally, I felt that a lot of the footnotes in this book were extraneous and didn't add anything of value. I normally love the extra information provided by footnotes, but with this book I ended up ignoring them by the halfway point.
Despite my issues with the structure and formatting of this book, the core concept is interesting and there were gems of thought throughout. I believe however that the topic was too sprawling and it could have been presented best as one long article or a short manifesto, cutting many of the interviews or simply using quotes from them occasionally.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Cancer, Child abuse, Drug use, Fatphobia, Incest, Pedophilia, Racism, Rape, and Sexual assault
Minor: Addiction, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Sexism, Transphobia, and Cultural appropriation
alayamorning's review
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
There are a lot of important concepts and perspectives shared in this book. I'm really glad I read it. And... it was not at all what I expected.
This book primarily focuses on pleasure via sex and drug use. (On one level I get this as they are the most overtly stigmatized avenues for pleasure.) I was expecting (and hoping!) the book would cover a wider scope of pleasure practices -- nature! music! food! swimming! dancing/movement! laughter! ceremony/ritual! spiritual practice! beautifying self and space! following your curiosity! expressing creativity! community gathering! -- more thoroughly. The opening and closing sections of the book were probably my favorite, as they held a wider scope for what prioritizing pleasure could look like.
I had some discomfort reading the "Skills for Sex in the #MeToo Era" section. I agree that we need better conversations around consent, including getting better as individuals at discerning and speaking our own boundaries and desires. However, the way this section continually juxtaposed consent and #metoo felt irresponsible and edged toward victim-blaming. As if a clear "no" is all that is lacking in instances of sexual assault. (This may not have been brown's intention - in fact, I suspect it wasn't - but it was easy to read it this way.)
Overall, I experienced this book as a handful of seeds scattered over top of the soil, rather than as a flourishing, fully flowering/fruiting garden. Each essay/interview held the seed of an important idea, but each felt underdeveloped. The interview sections especially felt too short. They seemed to end abruptly just as they were getting interesting! (I also had the thought while reading that I would have preferred to experience these interview sections as a longer form podcast, to actually hear these conversations in real time with space to play all the way out. I will have to check out brown's podcast next.)
I think, in the end, this was an offering from adrienne marie brown that outlines how she and some of the members of her extended community have cultivated pleasure in their own lives. If you read it as a model of what living wholeness through pleasure looks like for one person, it may also serve as an invitation to begin exploring what your own pleasure story might look like. (An idea which is encapsulated by brown on the final page:)
"Pleasure is the point. Feeling good is not frivolous, it is freedom. We can gift it to each other in a million ways: with authentic presence, abundant care, and honesty; with boundaries that keep us from overextending; with slower kisses; with foot massages in the evening; with baby hugs and elder hugs; with delicious food; with supported solitude and listening to our bodies, our shameless desire, and coordinated longing.
Find the pleasure path for your life and follow it. Let it reverberate healing back into your ancestors' wounds. Let it open you up and remind you that you are already whole. Let it shape a future where feeling good is the normal, primary experience of all beings." pp. 441
This book primarily focuses on pleasure via sex and drug use. (On one level I get this as they are the most overtly stigmatized avenues for pleasure.) I was expecting (and hoping!) the book would cover a wider scope of pleasure practices -- nature! music! food! swimming! dancing/movement! laughter! ceremony/ritual! spiritual practice! beautifying self and space! following your curiosity! expressing creativity! community gathering! -- more thoroughly. The opening and closing sections of the book were probably my favorite, as they held a wider scope for what prioritizing pleasure could look like.
I had some discomfort reading the "Skills for Sex in the #MeToo Era" section. I agree that we need better conversations around consent, including getting better as individuals at discerning and speaking our own boundaries and desires. However, the way this section continually juxtaposed consent and #metoo felt irresponsible and edged toward victim-blaming. As if a clear "no" is all that is lacking in instances of sexual assault. (This may not have been brown's intention - in fact, I suspect it wasn't - but it was easy to read it this way.)
Overall, I experienced this book as a handful of seeds scattered over top of the soil, rather than as a flourishing, fully flowering/fruiting garden. Each essay/interview held the seed of an important idea, but each felt underdeveloped. The interview sections especially felt too short. They seemed to end abruptly just as they were getting interesting! (I also had the thought while reading that I would have preferred to experience these interview sections as a longer form podcast, to actually hear these conversations in real time with space to play all the way out. I will have to check out brown's podcast next.)
I think, in the end, this was an offering from adrienne marie brown that outlines how she and some of the members of her extended community have cultivated pleasure in their own lives. If you read it as a model of what living wholeness through pleasure looks like for one person, it may also serve as an invitation to begin exploring what your own pleasure story might look like. (An idea which is encapsulated by brown on the final page:)
"Pleasure is the point. Feeling good is not frivolous, it is freedom. We can gift it to each other in a million ways: with authentic presence, abundant care, and honesty; with boundaries that keep us from overextending; with slower kisses; with foot massages in the evening; with baby hugs and elder hugs; with delicious food; with supported solitude and listening to our bodies, our shameless desire, and coordinated longing.
Find the pleasure path for your life and follow it. Let it reverberate healing back into your ancestors' wounds. Let it open you up and remind you that you are already whole. Let it shape a future where feeling good is the normal, primary experience of all beings." pp. 441
Content Warnings
Graphic: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
Minor: Ableism, Racism, and Transphobia
bishopbox's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body shaming, Drug use, and Rape
Minor: Chronic illness, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Incest, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racial slurs, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Lesbophobia
A collection of interviews, essays, poetry, and snapshots of people’s experiences. I highly recommend reading in the order of what intrigues you and feeling free to skip things that are not your style. Some parts of this book may make sense and be easy to follow, while others can be confusing or very wordy.kellyofcali's review
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
2.0
It was an interesting feeling to realize this book is not written for me - and that that is a feeling many, many people have all the time about most media. It was an eye-opening experience. That being said, I didn't connect super well to a lot of the themes, and while I definitely liked some essays, others I wasn't as interested in and it was a bit of slow slog for me. I do think it's certainly a book that many people could get something out of, and maybe something to be picked up and put down vs. read all in one go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming
Minor: Addiction and Sexual assault