The Invisible Corset

Book excerpt: Learn to love your body—for real this time Women in touch with the wisdom of their bodies are the single greatest threat to societal systems of domination, oppression, and control. We are also the greatest possibility to bring healing, peace, and restoration to our world. —Lauren Geertsen No matter how much we try to tell ourselves to love our bodies and accept our flaws, most women can’t quite get there. Even though we know the beauty standard is unrealistic, we secretly feel like it would be so much easier if our stomach were just a little flatter, or our skin a little smoother, or a million other little things. As a result, we sacrifice our health, heritage, sanity, and lives on the altar of beauty culture. Why is it so hard to feel confident about our bodies, or even just accept them? Because willpower alone isn’t enough to undo generations of brainwashing intended to repress women’s confidence and power. In The Invisible Corset, Geertsen carefully illustrates the psychological gaslighting that leads women to internalize the belief that their appearance makes them not only unworthy of love, but incapable of fulfilling their actual destiny. By highlighting each restricting string of the invisible corset all women wear, Geertsen helps us reclaim our bodies for ourselves, discovering newfound confidence, power, joy, and pleasure as we do. You’ll explore: How the invisible corset cuts you off from your body’s wisdom and nature’s intelligence—the true sources of your intuition, pleasure, and powerHow beauty culture is the most recent form of patriarchal oppression — and why women are both responsible and able to free ourselvesWhy the body positivity movement often makes self-criticism even worseThe racist history of beauty culture, and how it still perpetuates racism todayJournaling prompts, rituals, meditations, and other exercises to help unravel the toxic beliefs that keep the invisible corset in placeA variety of practices to help you reconnect with your body—to tune into your intuition, set healthy boundaries, align with your True Self, and more For any woman who is ready to go from struggle, discomfort, control, and shame to pleasure, confidence, freedom, and soul-fulfilling purpose, The Invisible Corset is an essential guide.