Reviews tagging 'Body shaming'

Pageboy by Elliot Page

107 reviews

junglejelly's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

3.5

Overall, I did like this book, especially as a fan of Elliot Page. I just wish the writing had been as strong thought the book as it was at the end.

The writing itself was heartfelt and raw throughout. However, I did feel it was not as strong at the beginning than at the end. At times I also struggled with the nonlinear timeline but this is likely a personal preference.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Sexual content, Medical content, Eating disorder, and Bullying

Moderate: Sexual assault, Mental illness, Homophobia, and Stalking

Minor: Drug use, Blood, Body shaming, Transphobia, Suicidal thoughts, and Alcohol

kransom's review against another edition

challenging emotional inspiring medium-paced

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia

Moderate: Body shaming and Transphobia

re_oanslay's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Body shaming, Bullying, Dysphoria, Rape, Suicidal thoughts, Stalking, Sexual violence, Sexism, Homophobia, and Emotional abuse

lukests's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Child abuse, Sexual assault, Medical content, Sexual content, Pedophilia, Pandemic/Epidemic, Outing, Grief, Toxic friendship, Suicidal thoughts, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Sexism, Physical abuse, Homophobia, Self harm, Hate crime, Fatphobia, Transphobia, Panic attacks/disorders, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Dysphoria, and Deadnaming

kiwichill's review against another edition

challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

4.0

Elliot does not hold back.  His soul is bared about the struggles of coming out in the public eye.  Very honest and real

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Outing, Homophobia, Lesbophobia, Self harm, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Body shaming, Deadnaming, Transphobia, Drug use, Cursing, and Misogyny

Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Gaslighting, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Grief, and Medical content

abicaro17's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful reflective slow-paced

2.75

So the actual story is really compelling about heartbreaking but, like most memoirs I read, is jumbled and feels unfinished. This book would have benefited with a chronological order format or at least naming the year each story was in. Page uses ages as time markers and as someone who has no idea how old they are, it was confusing. Page also throws in lots of random info that doesn't contribute to the story, like info about landmarks or anecdotes about childhood musings. The parts of the story that felt relevant and composed, like Page's tumultuous relationship with their dad or growth in relationships, added reflection and complexity that's desperately needed in this book. I wish I liked this more because learning about Elliot Pages story was so engaging (plus I love them!) but, this book was a little too all over the place for my taste. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicidal thoughts, Toxic relationship, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Deadnaming, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Medical content, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual violence, Child abuse, Confinement, Adult/minor relationship, Lesbophobia, Misogyny, Outing, Rape, Sexual assault, Alcohol, Body shaming, Homophobia, Hate crime, Physical abuse, Bullying, Cursing, Eating disorder, Stalking, Transphobia, and Violence

silverseaslug's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring sad tense slow-paced

3.5

This was a wild ride, though a rather disorganized one. It was interesting to hear Elliot tell their story in their own words (literally, as I listened to the audio book). Could have benefited a lot from some more structure, as it rambled a lot, but overall I was worth reading.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Dysphoria, and Sexual content

Moderate: Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Suicidal thoughts, Emotional abuse, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Bullying, Panic attacks/disorders, Homophobia, Biphobia, Stalking, Self harm, and Misogyny

catsbreadbikes's review against another edition

challenging emotional informative reflective sad medium-paced

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Transphobia, and Lesbophobia

Moderate: Dysphoria, Body shaming, Bullying, Deadnaming, Violence, Stalking, Sexual assault, Eating disorder, and Sexual content

moonyreadsbystarlight's review against another edition

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective

5.0

I really loved this! It seems like the nonlinear story telling is something that folks seem really divided on, but I thought he did it really well. I enjoyed the way he wrote generally speaking, but also specifically the nonlinear narrative. 

I really resonated with the way he described some more internal experiences - as a fellow pisces, that internal escapism is unfortunately quite a mood (especially re: the closet and gender dysphoria). I really enjoyed the different aspects of relationships he discussed in here and the discussion of boundaries and autonomy. There were definitely some hard parts to read emotionally, but it was all really well done and I really liked this book!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexual harassment, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Dysphoria, Excrement, Bullying, Outing, Sexual assault, and Transphobia

Moderate: Body shaming, Injury/Injury detail, and Medical content

Minor: Colonisation

jnestwd's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad medium-paced

3.75

"It was too much to play a role on-screen when the role I played in my personal life was suffocating me already."

Pageboy by Elliot Page sheds light on the cruel, messy, and often torturous experience of growing up transgender in the Hollywood spotlight.

As a life-long fan of Elliot's acting work, and as a fellow queer, I was excited to read this as part of a queer book club. 

I devoured the pages, feeling mostly extraordinarily uncomfortable by the pain and shockingly relatable emotional abuse that Elliot endured as a child from those meant to love and support him, finding few moments of joy and laughter as I annotated my copy of the book.

Rating this book is tricky, as on one hand, I deeply related to, and understood much of Page's pain. But on the other, found, at many times, the prose to be overly self-indulgent and often lit with cliches. As with many of the other reviews, I agree that the writing could have been tightened up. Elliot's search for catharsis through the writing of this work bleeds through the page and whilst I applaud his openness and vulnerability from a lifetime of keeping his true thoughts and feelings bottled up inside, it has a tendency to read like a diary entry.

The timeline jumps back and forth without a common thread or obvious purpose, and in my view the book is best read as a collection of personal essays rather than a linear memoir. 

THAT BEING SAID! I genuinely enjoyed this book and felt deeply moved by it. The anecdotes on the different healthy relationships Elliot has made throughout his life were beautiful and inspiring, and I enjoyed chuckling along with certain queer tendencies that exist no matter your gender (immediately falling in love. amirite.)

Honestly, go off Elliot. You deserve to have your voice heard, multiple references to shitting and all. Love you xoxoxo

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body shaming, Gaslighting, Self harm, Transphobia, Bullying, Deadnaming, Emotional abuse, Pandemic/Epidemic, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, and Homophobia