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A review by tyaneka
Red Lip Theology: For Church Girls Who've Considered Tithing to the Beauty Supply Store When Sunday Morning Isn't Enough by Candice Marie Benbow
5.0
I’ve been following Candice on social media for quite a while now so I was really excited about reading this book. I’m not sure what post made her stand out to me but I’m sure it was something about the church. A lot of people came to know her for the Lemonade syllabus penned in honor of Beyoncé’s lemonade album, but by then I was already sold on her musings about Black women and especially Black women and the church. Her words often make me realize how much I really limit God…based on my upbringing and environment.
In these essays, we follow Benbow’s quest to find wholeness, freedom, and self-love within the confines of the church. She is on a journey to reconcile what she learned as a child and later as a student with the life she was actually living as a Black woman. What started out as a trite response to an obstinate classmate, Red Lip Theology has turned into a philosophy and way of life for Candice. In her plain spoken way, Benbow challenges what we learned about God as children and how the limits we place on Him oftentimes causes harm to ourselves and others, particularly Black women and members of the LGTBQIA+ community. She challenges us to accept that we are deemed good by God and worthy of love and respect. This book is a love letter to her mother as much as it is to Black women everywhere.
I love everything about this book, from the title of it to the name of each chapter, which include makeup instructions for a perfect face slay. This book is for everyone…those who grew up in the church and those who didn’t…those who still attend church and those that no longer attend church. Red Lip Theology is a philosophy we should all be familiar with.
In these essays, we follow Benbow’s quest to find wholeness, freedom, and self-love within the confines of the church. She is on a journey to reconcile what she learned as a child and later as a student with the life she was actually living as a Black woman. What started out as a trite response to an obstinate classmate, Red Lip Theology has turned into a philosophy and way of life for Candice. In her plain spoken way, Benbow challenges what we learned about God as children and how the limits we place on Him oftentimes causes harm to ourselves and others, particularly Black women and members of the LGTBQIA+ community. She challenges us to accept that we are deemed good by God and worthy of love and respect. This book is a love letter to her mother as much as it is to Black women everywhere.
I love everything about this book, from the title of it to the name of each chapter, which include makeup instructions for a perfect face slay. This book is for everyone…those who grew up in the church and those who didn’t…those who still attend church and those that no longer attend church. Red Lip Theology is a philosophy we should all be familiar with.