Unsqueezed

Ever check the mirror and wonder if you look good enough? Do you choose your clothes to disguise your flaws? Do you sometimes think plastic surgery might be the only way for you to feel good about your body? Do you ever feel squeezed into someone else's mold? Come and join Margot Starbuck in her journey to become unsqueezed! In twenty-seven brief, funny and reflective chapters she helps us discover why God really gave us bodies and what we can do with them to serve him and others. Jump out of that suffocating mold and discover what your body is really for.



Margot Starbuck is a writer and speaker who cares deeply about what it means to follow Jesus in the sneakers, pumps or Doc Martens in which we find ourselves. She is passionate about communicating God's great love for the world--inextricably bound to God's love for individuals--in print and in speech. Margot studied art at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, California. At the beach and in dorm rooms, she began to notice the bind in which women find themselves today, specifically as they're pinched by the culture's insistence on the value of appearances. She was further equipped to process these issues theologically at Princeton Seminary. Today, Margot continues to be energized by the kingdom reality of God's big plan for our bodies which have been called good. Her first book, The Girl in the Orange Dress, describes the way she came to know that the God who "so loved the world" cared deeply for her. Her second book, Unsqueezed, is about that inextricable love setting people free to be agents of the new kingdom Jesus ushered in. When she's not writing books, Margot pops up online in places like Relevant, Kyria and New Christian Voices. Though disheartened by much of Christian culture's silent insistence on keeping up appearances--namely, by simply doing it--Margot is regularly inspired by those countercultural heroes and communities who are exercising different practices. (For a sane perspective on body image, she recommends TrueCampaign, an organization partnering with Food for the Hungry to transfer resources from personal self-improvement to global survival.) Right now, Margot is writing a lot about what it looks like for normal-ish folks to exercise love and justice in our cars, at the grocery store and in our neighborhoods. When audiences invite her to speak about how we can live with less stress, or spend more time with God, or grow in our faith, she still often seems to end up right there where the recycled rubber meets the road.

Introduction: A Third Way
Part One: The Problem


1 LIES: Digital Fluff and Other Modern Temptations


2 SHAME: What's Particularly Devilish About Hollywood Makeovers


3 MARKETING: Shame Sells, and We're Buying It


4 TEMPTATION: Even Jesus was Tempted by Carbs


5 JUDGMENT: My Butt Is Ranwd


6 GLUTTONY: Enough Really Is Enough


7 OBJECTIFICATION: How Women Agree with Our Thingification


8 SELF-PREOCCUPATION: The Boiling Frog Syndrome
Part Two: The Purpose


9 FREEDOM: Chain Saw Liberation


10 VALUE: Living into a New Reality


11 RECOGNIZABILITY: Water Park Epiphany


12 FUNCTION: JD's Fabulous Breasts and Other Useful Body Parts


13 CELEBRATION: Embracing Our Queenliness


14 NEED-MEETING: The Life-Changing Day I Actually Needed a Milkshake


15 ACCEPTANCE: Unfortunate Stereotypes and the Lies We Believe


16 LOVE: Christian Bumper Fish


17 TOUCH: "Burrito Me!"


18 RELATIONSHIP: The Truth About Bodies You Won't Hear About on MTV
Part Three: The Plan


19 MISSION: The Look of Unconditional Love and Acceptance


20 IMAGE-BEARING: "Yep, You Belong Together"


21 MOVEMENT: Some Tough Questions About Simulated Exercise


22 OTHER-CENTEREDNESS: Skating Grandma, Rap Mama, and the Pigment-Deficient


23 JUSTICE: From Doritos to Discipleship


24 MINDFULNESS: Why I?m Most Jazzed About My Fabulous Couch Pants


25 AUTHENTICITY: B Who U R


26 FRIENDSHIP: I Get by with a Little Help from My Friends


27 PRACTICES: The Next Thing


Epilogue: Sermon on a Twenty-First Century Mountain


Resources


Group Discussion Questions


About the Author

"In twenty-seven brief, funny and reflective chapters [Starbuck] helps us discover why God really gave us bodies and what we can do with them."



"Starbuck responds to societal pressure to strive for physical perfection with this lighthearted and laid-back book. She's no stranger to the influence of advertising and honestly shares her struggles to avoid falling into a snare. Ultimately, Starbuck observes, God loves His creations just as they are, and artificial means aren't required to maintain a relationship with the heavenly Father."



"Unsqueeze from the skinny jeans and enjoy the humor, stories and practical tips Margot has squeezed into these pages instead! This is a book for real women who have real thighs, real pimples and real issues with accepting the bodies God gave them. Margot assures and reassures us of God's amazing love for us just the way we are. Couch pants, here I come!"



"Margot Starbuck is one unique cookie. And her countercultural message says you are too so ditch the 'culture's insane enslavement to physical beauty' and get on with getting okay with yourself, just the way you are. In a quirky, often funny, über real and refreshing altogether unhomogenized voice she lays out an argument against valuing bodies for how they appear. Unsqueezed is unsettling. Even if you disagree on some of her points, she provokes thought. The writing also surprises—in a book on body image she manages to address social justice. Fantastic. Cheers to Margot."



"Margot Starbuck reminds us of what's most important: being who God made us to be. That's a truth any young adult, woman or man struggling with body image will never forget."



"In a time of rising cultural backlash against unrealistic standards of beauty and value, Margot Starbuck is a fun, fresh voice. And a true woman."



"What are bodies for? With wit and humor Margot Starbuck answers this question and shows us our distorted thinking in regard to our female bodies. With gentle prodding she shows us how to see our bodies through God's eyes. She helps us laugh at ourselves without ever laughing at us. Give this book to your girlfriends and you will start a conversation about the beauty dilemma that plagues Christian women."



"This book is brilliant! Since beginning to work with eating disorders I've read a lot of books out there on women's relationships with food and their bodies. I found Unsqueezed honest, insightful, challenging and laugh-out-loud funny. It is now at the top of my list for books on food and body image issues. Margot writes with authenticity, heart and a thoroughly biblical understanding of how God designed us to understand the human body. I highly recommend it."



"Margot Starbuck navigates the complexities of self-image, appearance, our bodies and beauty with humor, insight and wisdom. Get ready to be both entertained and moved. You will be laughing out loud one moment, then suddenly challenged with biblical truths that will transform your thinking and inspire change. Reading Unsqueezed is a truly liberating experience."



"One of the best books I've seen that gives genuine encouragement to women regarding who they are and becoming all that God wants them to be. I love the emphasis placed on relationship rather than appearance. Every woman in the world needs the truth found in these pages!"



"Occasionally, someone comes along and challenges you to think—really think—about what it means to follow Jesus in this body you've been given. Unsqueezed did what a book really ought to do: it made me think. This book is the best sort of 'ouch.'"



"Margot Starbuck finally says what all of us are thinking and, with God obviously whispering in her ear, tells us what to do with it. A must-read for any woman of any age who has ever wrestled with her body image. And who hasn't?" weniger anzeigen expand_less