You Are Not a Before Picture

by Alex Light

You Are Not a Before Picture by Alex Light discusses history of diet culture, media’s influence, how to overcome your own issues around body image. It's also part memoir as Light shared her own experiences around body image and eating disorders.

I liked that it’s inclusive in addressing the racism rooted in fatphobia as well as classism of labeling food as “good” or “bad” and issues like food deserts.

I will say as someone with health problems, I had a more difficult time with the “view your body as a vessel that’s works for you, and how it functions, rather than an object” when for me (and maybe many others who are disabled or chronically ill) can feel angry at our bodies sometimes for not “functioning or being healthy” like others. But the author said herself she is coming to this from a perspective of being straight, cis, and able bodied so she mostly touches on that experience since she can’t speak accurately on others.

Overall it’s an empowering book! I’ve read other books on the subject, one of which she quotes from, so most of this information wasn’t new to me. It’s good to serve as a reminder/refresher though and I’d recommend if you’re starting your recovery journey and not ready to read a heavier or more niche book (like ones that focus exclusively on intuitive eating, fatphobia culture, etc) just yet.