The Body Is Not an Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor
When I first began Sonya Renee Taylor’s "The Body Is Not an Apology: the Power of Radical Self-Love", I expected it to be a manifesto of liberation. I got exactly that and then I got so much more. Yes, Taylor is an advocate for radical self-acceptance as the path to dismantle oppressive systems built upon white supremacy, patriarchy and exploitative capitalism. But in encouraging us to rekindle the connection between our minds and our bodies, Taylor inadvertently guides us into the conversation around death, death anxiety and inherent dignity.
Taylor’s premise rests on the foundation that we have been brainwashed into believing our bodies are tools of control for our minds and social norms require constant apology for perceived inferiority. In order to rise above systemic inequity, we must accept our bodies and ourselves as one - inherently worthy - being and then shift that gaze to those around us as complete, inherently worthy beings, exactly as they are. Just as I struggle with the conversation around “death positivity” so does Taylor reject “body positivity” instead placing emphasis on the whole and acceptance of what is instead of judging what should be.
What if she is absolutely right? Do we live in a world governed by productivity and consumerism? Does that world purport white, thin, able-bodied, cis-gendered, heterosexual and disability-free ideals? Do we persecute people instead of discriminatory practices; e.g. do we judge people for not fitting into plane seats instead of airlines for not accommodating all people? The natural implication of her elegantly argued premise can be extended to ask: If we are constantly judging bodies, do we perpetuate a cultural death phobia by finding bodies outside the (healthy, ageless) ideal unworthy of dignity and respect?
Though it is an unexpected addition to a death and grief library, "The Body Is Not an Apology" may be foundational reading for those attempting to root out the threads of collective grief and death phobia that have a stranglehold on our modern society.
