Operation Beautiful: Transforming the Way You See Yourself One Post-it Note at aTime [Bargain Price] [Paperback]

Caitlin Boyle (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 3, 2010

An empowering book with photos, notes, and true stories about an underground campaign to recognize the true beauty within every woman.

Tired of watching women pick themselves apart in front of the mirror, blogger Caitlin Boyle scribbled a note on a Post-it: "YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!" and slapped it on the mirror of a public bathroom. With one small act, she kick-started a movement. In a matter of days, women were undertaking their own feats of resistance, posting uplifting notes on gym lockers, diet shakes in supermarkets, weight-loss guides in bookstores, and anywhere else a nagging voice of self-criticism might lurk. Emboldening and contagious, the "operation" has attracted widespread attention from the media, including the New York Daily News and salon.com.

Operation Beautiful showcases the notes women have posted around the world and the stories behind them, along with interviews, interesting research findings, and tips for improving one's outlook on life. Blending a confessional tone with gutsy observations about redefining beauty, the chapters address key issues for women of all ages, including Fighting Fat Talk, Family and Friends, Food, Fitness, Faith, and Going Forward. In the scrapbook tradition of PostSecret and Davy Rothbart's Found, Operation Beautiful is filled with black-and-white photos and a two-color design, making it the perfect gift for any friend, sister, daughter, or niece.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Operation Beautiful is an amazing book and movement that greatly helps women take control and start slicing out self-hate, stitching up self-esteem, and finally start healing from all the body drama that's making us sick!"
-Nancy Redd, New York Times bestselling author of Body Drama: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers

"In a time when so many people have their self-esteem and inner sense of wellness determined by plastic and often unrealistic standards, Operation Beautiful guides the way to loving oneself in a wholesome sense and to being the healthiest, best you can be!"
-Jennifer Ashton, M.D., CBS News Medical Correspondent and author of The Body Scoop for Girls

"Operation Beautiful is tea and sympathy, a kick in the pants, and a pep talk from a trusted friend all in one. Caitlin walks the walk and expertly weaves her own deep-held secrets in with life-changing stories of women from all around the world...should be mandatory reading for women everywhere."
-Stepfanie Romine, SparkPeople.com

About the Author

CAITLIN BOYLE is the editor of operationbeautiful.com and writes a daily food and fitness blog, Healthy Tipping Point, which garner more than 520,000 hits per month combined. For five years, she served as a contributing columnist for The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition. She lives in Orlando, Florida.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Gotham; Original edition (August 3, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592405827
• ASIN: B004LQ0ENM
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 7.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #604,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Caitlin Boyle, the blogger behind www.HealthyTippingPoint.com and www.OperationBeautiful.com, began blogging in 2008. Caitlin had worked as a freelance writer and technical writer for seven years, but in September 2009, she resigned from her corporate job to write a book based on Operation Beautiful.

Caitlin writes a daily food and fitness blog, Healthy Tipping Point, which chronicles how Caitlin balances her busy lifestyle with healthy eating and exercise. Readers relate to her "Everywomen" experiences and enjoy her 5K, 10K, and Half Marathon race recaps. Caitlin utilizes her personal blog as a way to encourage other women to stay healthy and active and seeks to remind readers that there the "healthy ideal" looks different for every woman.

Operation Beautiful originally began on Healthy Tipping Point. In June 2009, Caitlin was inspired to post a note that simply read "You Are Beautiful!" in a public restroom. She took a picture of her note and posted it on Healthy Tipping Point. The response from her readers was instantaneous, and Caitlin's e-mail was flooded with photographs of notes posted all over the country. Within two days, Caitlin knew she had a phenomenon on her hands and launched the blog Operation Beautiful.

Caitlin is 26 years old and lives in Orlando, Florida with her husband and her two dogs. In addition to blogging, her other writing experience includes a five-year stint as a contributing columnist for The Wall Street Journal Classroom Edition. Caitlin attended the University of Pittsburgh and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Non-Fiction Creative Writing.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Good intentions, yes. Helpful, no. August 31, 2012

By Nicole Ashley

Format:Paperback

When I first learned of the OB movement, I thought it was fabulous idea. The world could use more random acts of kindness, right? I wrote a few notes and while the idea of leaving notes for others was uplifting, it did nothing for my own eating disorder or body image. I could easily look at another woman and see she was beautiful, but looking at myself, I can't say the same. I think Caitlin means well with her intentions, but it's almost a joke hearing her say we should all stop fat-talking when she's never really been fat to begin with herself. I recognize her credibility shouldn't have to do with her size, but Caitlin specifically doesn't seem to really believe what she says. Since giving birth, Caitlin has publicly voiced her frustrations about not losing weight as quickly as she had hoped. Knowing firsthand how hard it was to see my body change throughout pregnancy and then after birth, I know her thoughts are normal. However, not once has Caitlin said of her new body that it was "beautiful". This just leads me to believe this whole movement was just a fluke and Caitlin only goes along with it because it brings in money. Caitlin could have wrote a fantastic memoir-type book about her own story of overcoming fat-talk, but to group this book with self-help books is misleading. Someone who truly needs help would likely not benefit from this book, or any post-it for that matter.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars I'll give you my copy December 29, 2012

By Jay

Format:Paperback

Bought this book because I enjoyed the author's blog, but it was a major disappointment. The author has ZERO credentials and is simply writing her opinion on big topics. She asked others to submit their work and she compiled it as "research"- there's nothing original or any real data.

I will probably donate my copy to Goodwill as it's currently collecting dust.

39 of 58 people found the following review helpful

1.0 out of 5 stars Really??? November 17, 2011

By SW

Format:Paperback

Fabulous -- here's a book written by a skinny girl who has never struggled with her weight telling us we can all feel empowered simply by leaving and finding sticky notes that tell us we're beautiful.
I have been anorexic. I have been obese. And I can tell you that it is absolutely ridiculous and juvenile to suggest that someone deep in the grips of an eating disorder, or someone who truly feels horrible about the way they look, will just magically feel better by reading a positive sticky note left by a total stranger.