The Invisible Corset: Break Free from Beauty Culture and Embrace Your Radiant Self

Description

Nine years old. That's the average age when a girl puts on her "invisible corset," knowing that going forward, her value is inextricably tied to her appearance. According to author Lauren Geertsen, the invisible corset is a set of culturally inherited beliefs that make women feel insecure and anxious in their own bodies. "Women discarded their whalebone corsets in the early twentieth century," she writes, "But there remained in place an invisible corset, just as limiting and uncomfortable, with its strings left in the hands of culture to tighten as it pleases." Geertsen teaches that the purpose of the invisible corset was always to keep women trapped: while society once limited women's freedom by saying their place was in the home, it now restricts women with the message that their place is in a beautiful body. By unraveling the false narratives that keep these invisible corsets in place, Geertsen helps women shift from controlling their bodies as burdens to trusting their bodies as lifelong partners. Unlike other body positivity books, The Invisible Corset isn't about celebrating your wrinkles or loving your butt-it's about freeing yourself from a culture that puts so much emphasis on them in the first place. As the corsets come off, women will reclaim their time, money, and confidence so they can courageously do the work their souls came to do.

LAUREN GEERTSEN is a body connection coach who helps women overcome body anxiety and heal their relationship with food. After healing her own severe autoimmune disorder, she realized that women must trust their bodies to achieve health and confidence. Her website, empoweredsustenance.com, has supported over 40 million readers with holistic recipes and resources. She resides in Phoenix, Arizona.

"The Invisible Corset will teach you to trust your inner wisdom and help you heal your relationship to your body. It will give you the grace and ease that come with rejecting beauty and diet culture and owning your right to self-love." --Elyse Resch, MS, RDN, CEDRD-S, coauthor of Intuitive Eating "The Invisible Corset lifts the shackles of our conditioning and provides a manual for the revivification of the body through true love, not affected 'self-acceptance.' Give yourself the gift of healing the most important relationship in your entire life, starting here." --Dr. Kelly Brogan, MD, author of New York Times bestseller A Mind of Your Own and Own Your Self "What a beautiful book. Lauren teaches reconnection and partnership with our body, in order to connect with its innate wisdom and break free from the abuse of toxic beauty culture. I felt myself breathing a little deeper, feeling a little more fully, and all my muscles slowly relaxing with every new chapter I read." --Caroline Dooner, author of The F*ck It Diet "In a world where we are constantly bombarded with unrealistic standards of how to look and be, The Invisible Corset is a breath of fresh air. Lauren guides you to remove the invisible strings that keep you tied to a cycle of chasing unattainable beauty standards and helps you discover your path to self-love." --Dr. Jolene Brighten, NMD, bestselling author of Beyond the Pill "The Invisible Corset is a gift to us all. Lauren's tools will empower you to let go of society's standards of beauty. She invites you to break up with shame and liberates you to find freedom in your own beauty that is unique to you. Her words will be tattooed on your heart and soul." --Dr. Morgan Francis, PsyD, body image therapist