WE WILL REWRITE THE NARARTIVE OF BLACKNESS THAT CENTERS AND CELEBRATES
OUR JOY.
In It's Always Been Ours eating disorder specialist and storyteller
Jessica Wilson challenges us to rethink what having a "good" body means
in contemporary society. By centering the bodies of Black women in her
cultural discussions of body image, food, health, and wellness, Wilson
argues that we can interrogate white supremacy's hold on us and
reimagine the ways we think about, discuss, and tend to our bodies.
A narrative that spans the year of racial reckoning (that wasn't), It's
Always Been Ours is an incisive blend of historical documents,
contemporary writing, and narratives of clients, friends, and
celebrities that examines the politics of body liberation. Wilson argues
that our culture's fixation on thin, white women reinscribes racist
ideas about Black women's bodies and ways of being in the world as "too
much." For Wilson, this white supremacist, capitalist undergirding in
wellness movements perpetuates a culture of respectability and
restriction that force Black women to perform unhealthy forms of
resilience and strength at the expense of their physical and
psychological needs.
With just the right mix of wit, levity, and wisdom, Wilson shows us how
a radical reimagining of body narratives is a prerequisite to
well-being. It's Always Been Ours is a love letter that celebrates
Black women's bodies and shows us a radical and essential path forward
to rediscovering their vulnerability and joy.
