Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Pageboy: Meine Geschichte by Elliot Page

118 reviews

nerdydeathwitch's review against another edition

emotional hopeful sad medium-paced

3.0

I don't want to critique a memoir because I feel like people have different goals when writing them. I think that this was probably written as part of the author's healing journey and in that way, I hope it provided him with what he needed and will provide other people on similar journeys with what they need. I have no doubt that this could be a 4 or 5 star read for some people. It just wasn't for me, perhaps because I am in a very different place in regards to healing from trauma.  If you are someone with complex trauma who still gets actively triggered, I recommend that you check out the trigger warnings for this book before you read it and have some self care or support lined up before you start. The narrative very much showcases the experience of complex ptsd (nonlinear narrative scenes that function like emotional flashbacks, self hatred and shame woven throughout the book, bouts of dissociation, and swinging between the extremes of social isolation, limerance, and codependency) but does so without any kind of acknowledgement of cptsd. I'm not sure if that was an intentional choice but without that additional context, the story feels incomplete. (Or, at the very least, like a missed opportunity for reflection and drawing connections beyond one's self).

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Stalking and Gaslighting

Minor: Self harm and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

azaline's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Sexual harassment, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Addiction, Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, and Alcohol

Minor: Drug abuse, Drug use, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Self harm, Sexism, Excrement, Medical content, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Outing, and Gaslighting

tishtashohmygosh's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Deadnaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Sexual assault, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Sexism, and Alcohol

Minor: Body shaming, Blood, and Vomit

inkerly's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful sad fast-paced

4.0

3.9 ish stars

The memoir broke me. Literally. My heart would break in every chapter or my jaw would drop . Im not an Elliot Page fan but I enjoy movies he’s been in (Juno, Inception), and I like that he is one of the more relatable celebrities. Elliot has been through a lot in his 37 years of living and he was failed multiple times by the adults around him. I thought I would be reading a book about the inspiring journey of a transman  coming into his identity but what I’m left with is the story of a man who is still trying to pick up the pieces of his life and resolve undue childhood trauma while breaking barriers and staying true to himself. I think the fact that Elliot’s journey is still  “to be continued” makes this book raw and real, but at the same time reading it also felt like reading a sequence of disjointed events (all sad) that didn’t provide complete closure. Based on recent articles and photos of him I sense that his journey with his body dysmorphia is not completely over.  I support Elliot and hope that this new chapter of his life makes him stronger and better than he can ever imagine.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, and Dysphoria

Minor: Death of parent

vixenreader's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense fast-paced

4.25

A structure based on the journey towards self-love, this memoir is deeply poignant, unflinching, and vulnerable, and a honest experience about how wilful ignorance and prejudice ultimately perpetrates the bigotry experienced by the trans community. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Child abuse, Cursing, Deadnaming, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, Outing, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Cancer, Death, Homophobia, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Suicidal thoughts, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Alcoholism, Biphobia, Drug abuse, Drug use, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Medical trauma, Classism, and Pandemic/Epidemic

Be aware that there are themes of parental neglect, rejecting a trans child, bi-erasure, putting actors in harm’s way, the influence of the internet, tension within unhealthy relationships, unhealthy polyamory, heartbreak, threats towards trans and queer folks, nudity in film, erasure of queer identity, and being forced back into the closet.

barefootbetsy's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense slow-paced

4.0

This was a difficult read. What other reviews have mentioned is true, there's not a really clear linear structure. But there is a structure, it's just more circular or spiral-y in nature. The structure seems a little fuzzier than what most of us are used to, which is one reason why this is a memoir, not an autobiography.

There was also more explicit material than I'd been expecting, but it was all relevant, not gratuitous. 

All things considered, I'm glad I read it. If you're interested in Elliot's story then I'd recommend you read it, if you aren't interested in his story then you probably won't enjoy the book very much. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Drug use, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail

crybabybea's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

3.75

This was a really uniquely written memoir told from quite a unique perspective as Elliot Page is currently one of the only openly out trans celebrities in popular culture. I was a bit scared to read this because I had heard it was poorly put together with a non-linear timeline that didn't really land; but I'm happy to say I'm pleasantly surprised and I actually thought the non-linear style worked really well for the point Elliot was trying to make! Queerness is messy and there are so many factors that impact how somebody discovers or pushes away their own queerness, and I think Elliot's writing really sold that feeling well. I also think he is just a great writer in general. You can tell he put a lot of time and heart into making sure the stories he told felt immersive and detailed in just the right way. I think the non-liner timeline helped me as a reader focus on the emotions that Elliot experienced rather than the nitty gritty details of when and where things happened and why. There were also some moments of poetic prose that I think were done quite well also.

I will say this felt a bit unedited, especially near the end. Page repeats himself pretty often (one of the most memorable being his constantly feeling like he needs to "shit blood") which isn't too terrible but was something I noticed. I didn't factor this into my review, but the audiobook also felt a bit lesser quality; there were multiple times that lines were repeated because takes weren't edited properly, and there were random drops in audio quality that weren't awful but definitely noticeable. 

This is overall an inspiring, heartfelt story but there is a healthy mix of heartbreak as well. I was especially moved by the way Elliot told his experience with homophobia, internal and external, and how that kept him from finding his identity for so long. I also found the perspective of trying to navigate queerness while also trying to navigate celebrity culture and his career as an actor super intriguing. 

I think if you go into this knowing it's not going to be a typical memoir with a clear, linear timeline, you will enjoy it, and especially if you are already a fan of Elliot. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, and Dysphoria

umibozus's review against another edition

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Dysphoria

Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, and Sexual harassment

stacy_85's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful informative inspiring sad

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Transphobia, Lesbophobia, and Dysphoria

runbeck's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Transphobia, Medical content, Stalking, and Lesbophobia

Minor: Deadnaming, Drug use, Eating disorder, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Outing, Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Pandemic/Epidemic