The Body Liberation Project

How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom

By: Chrissy King

Narrated by: Chrissy King

Length: 6 hrs and 35 mins

Publisher's summary

From author and wellness personality Chrissy King, an exciting, genre-redefining narrative mix of memoir, inspiration, and activities and prompts, with timely messages about social and racial justice and how the world needs to move beyond body positivity to something even more exciting and revolutionary: body liberation.

When Chrissy King first joined a gym, she had one goal in mind: to “get skinny.” In pursuit of this goal, she fell into the all-too-common cycle of “not enough-ness”; no matter what she achieved, there was always something she felt she needed to change about her body, her appearance, herself. This made her realize the most liberating truth of all: She was not the problem. Diet and fitness industries rooted in white supremacy were the problem; Eurocentric and carefully manufactured beauty standards were the problem; discourses telling her that her happiness was directly tied to her physical appearance were the problem. So she created an actionable method to redefine the relationship we have with our bodies, thereby achieving a sense of self-worth that is completely separate from how we look.

The Body Liberation Project is about finding actual freedom in our bodies by discovering strength and aspects of fitness, movement, and eating that work for YOU. It’s about realizing that the goal is not to look at our bodies and love everything we see; it’s to understand that at our essence we are so much more than our bodies. But it’s also about recognizing the harsh realities that prohibit people in marginalized bodies from being able to do so. Society constantly bombards those who fall outside Eurocentric standards of beauty (think Black, fat, trans, etc.) with the message that they are less attractive, and part of the journey toward body liberation is examining your own privilege, acknowledging the harm you may be causing others, and mourning your old ideas about what a body “should” look like.

Recognizing that none of us are free until all of us are, Chrissy King shares the wisdom, the tools, and the inspiration to motivate readers to find body liberation and, even more important, to pass it on.

©2023 Chrissy King (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“King makes her book debut with an impassioned argument urging women to liberate themselves from a culture of “thin privilege” that validates thinness and Whiteness as markers of beauty… A fervent message about self-worth.” —Kirkus

"King’s story is a classic example of how anti-fatness and diet culture infiltrates so many people’s lives, leading us to believe that we can (and should) manipulate our bodies to “perfection” when all this fruitless pursuit does is leave us trapped. In her new book, The Body Liberation Project, King proposes an alternative way of living: Burn it all down and you can be free. We’re extremely on board with that—and we’re thrilled to announce The Body Liberation Project as our April SELF Well-Read Book Club pick." —SELF

"If you’re ready to free yourself from the impossible standards, pick up a copy of King’s book, which traces the history of fat discrimination and how it intersects with other forms of oppression. King also explains the issues with the body positivity movement and how we can truly be liberated from all the appearance-related pressures." —Katie Couric Media

Important Read for Anyone in the Wellness Industry

I think anyone should read this book, but if you work in the wellness industry in any capacity, then you definitely need to read this book. Loved that Chrissy herself narrated it!

Insightful and Informative

Chrissy King offers an insightful look into, and relevant perspectives on diet culture, fat-phobia and white supremacy. She shares techniques and opportunities for self-care and advocates daily practices to cultivate self-love. A must read for those that consider themselves leaders in any wellness industry space.

Supportive information on the body

I liked the conversational style in the book. The author was highly aware of all types of sensitivity around the body. Even things I didn’t know! I learned a lot. I would recommend this book.

Great book!

Two enthusiastic thumbs up! I feel inspired and educated to do better! Thanks for that.

Revelant, current, and entertaining

Loved it. The honesty of Ms. King was refreshing. If I could, I would make this mandatory reading for all high school freshman students.
My only critique is that I wish she had hired a voice actor to read her book.

Excellent, inspiring, honest, and essential for anyone in the health and wellness fields

So wonderful to hear an honest account of the harm that diet culture and white supremacy do to black women, and what we can all do to liberate each other. Thank you, Chrissie, for writing this book.

Absolutely liberating!

SUCH a well done book, Ms. King! Your words landed in every way and gave me more permission to love myself today. Hard stop. I am empowered and emboldened to continue the work and push this book to everyone. Thank you for your time and this gift.

A compelling narrative that goes beyond loving your body

I am so happy I bought the audio version of this book! Chrissy was engaging and authentic in her delivery, and it made it easy to stay immersed throughout listening.

This book isn’t a self help book. Chrissy shared a collection of personal experiences that has led her to body liberation, and speaks from a firsthand experience of being immersed in diet culture or triggered by societies expectations of what we should look like. She’s found freedom and shared ways in which you can step into finding freedom too.

This book is for anyone who may not fully buy into self love or body acceptance. This book is for anyone who has been immersed in diet culture or is trying to find wellness without being crippled by what society sells “wellness” as. This book is for anyone who has spent years trying to shrink their bodies. If you haven’t spent precious weeks, months, years or decades worrying about your body this is a read to support you in finding freedom as you work to truly define the best version of yourself. We can be healthy and whole and that may not look exactly what society says it should.

Chrissy in this compelling listen, shares light on that and so much more

This should be required reading!!!

I wholeheartedly agree with other reviewers who state that this should be required reading, not just for young people but every human being. I know that's a tall order, but I think this book is that profound. My only criticism is that I wish the author had used a voice actor. I intend to purchase a physical copy of this book to re-read and apply the "Principal to Practice" exercises fully.

What an amazing book!!!

I’m so blessed, and glad that I got a chance to read this book, The Body Liberation Project by Chrissy King was such an amazing read. I’m going to shout from the rooftops and tell all my friends they need to read this book!!! thank you Chrissy king for writing this book