Ugly As Sin by Toni Raiten-D'Antonio

Ugly As Sin: The Truth About How We Look and Finding Freedom from Self-Hatred

'I'm Ugly. You're Ugly. So What?'

    In Ugly as Sin Toni Raiten-D'Antonio, MSW, breaks the ultimate social taboo by insisting that she is ugly in the eyes of the world. More shocking still, she calls on the rest of us to own our ugliness too. But don't be insulted. There's a liberating purpose to her message, one that could finally set you free from the obsessing, self-doubt, and self-criticism that all of us participate in when we think about how we look.

    In this unprecedented examination of ugliness, its pervasiveness in our society, and the havoc it wreaks on our psyches, spirits, and bodies, Raiten-D'Antonio bravely confronts the problem of ugliness (including her own) and opens a dialogue that is provocative and inspiring. She reveals the roots of our perceptions of ugliness and beauty, tracing them through biology, art, religion, and culture and shows how we have been led to fear being defined as ugly ('ugliphobia'), and how this dread has become a universal problem. Comparing ourselves to impossible and ever-changing ideals of beauty, we endlessly cycle between efforts at self improvement and hopelessness.

 What you will learn from Ugly as Sin is that overcoming ugliphobia begins with understanding the origins of the problem and learning that what we call ugly is not frightening or alien but part of being human. With searing honesty and empathy, Raiten-D'Antonio gives us the courage to redefine ugliness according to our own standards, while providing tools for finding self-acceptance and living in a world in which ugliness seems to be the ultimate sin. (This is from the back cover)

My Take On the Book:  This  book is written as a self-help book for those women who see themselves as ugly. The author, Toni Raiten-D'Antonio, speaks candid on the subject because she considers herself to be the "U-Word" as well as everyone else!  How can this be so?  She explains that our society sets standards of beauty. Every time you turn around you are hearing about a new product, a new procedure, a new food to eat  that will make you look beautiful, no lumps, bumps, spots and wrinkle free! So who should read this book?

The "Ugly as Sin" phrase is a huge money maker for most businesses.  Sure companies don't come right out and call us that but it is implied by all the products, tips, rules, etc that we are expected to follow.  Even in our own families we find such talk of others and of ourselves.

I enjoyed reading this book.  In the long run, this book made me feel "less ugly" about myself because the author played all the ugly cards, she didn't hold anything back on the way we see and feel about ourself through our own eyes or as society sees us.   I appreciated her frankness. I"m not ready to hand the book over to my teens but I will think about her words when the "U word" comes up in our conversations.

GIVEAWAY

1 copy

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Giveaway ends October 10th (USA/Canada)
Thanks to HCI for providing a review copy of the book for my participate in the @TLCBookTours.  I'm an Amazon Affiliate. 

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