Unsqueezed: Springing Free from Skinny Jeans, Nose Jobs, Highlights and Stilettos [Paperback]

Margot Starbuck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 20, 2010

Ever check the mirror and wonder if you look good enough? Do you choose your clothes to disguise your flaws? Do you sometimes think plastic surgery might be the only way for you to feel good about your body? Do you ever feel squeezed into someone else's mold? Come and join Margot Starbuck in her journey to become unsqueezed! In twenty-seven brief, funny and reflective chapters she helps us discover why God really gave us bodies and what we can do with them to serve him and others. Jump out of that suffocating mold and discover what your body is really for.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Unsqueeze from the skinny jeans and enjoy the humor, stories and practical tips Margot has squeezed into these pages instead! This is a book for real women who have real thighs, real pimples and real issues with accepting the bodies God gave them. Margot assures and reassures us of God's amazing love for us just the way we are. Couch pants, here I come!" (Amy Nappa, author of Thirsty )

"Margot Starbuck is one unique cookie. And her countercultural message says you are too so ditch the 'culture's insane enslavement to physical beauty' and get on with getting okay with yourself, just the way you are. In a quirky, often funny, über real and refreshing altogether unhomogenized voice she lays out an argument against valuing bodies for how they appear. Unsqueezed is unsettling. Even if you disagree on some of her points, she provokes thought. The writing also surprises--in a book on body image she manages to address social justice. Fantastic. Cheers to Margot." (Lindsey O'Connor, author of Moms Who Changed the World )

"Margot Starbuck reminds us of what's most important: being who God made us to be. That's a truth any young adult, woman or man struggling with body image will never forget." (Michelle LaRowe Conover, 2004 INA Nanny of the Year and author of Nanny to the Rescue! Series )

"In a time of rising cultural backlash against unrealistic standards of beauty and value, Margot Starbuck is a fun, fresh voice. And a true woman." (Constance Rhodes, CEO, FINDINGbalance, and cofounder and director, True Campaign (www.truecampaign.org) )

"What are bodies for? With wit and humor Margot Starbuck answers this question and shows us our distorted thinking in regard to our female bodies. With gentle prodding she shows us how to see our bodies through God's eyes. She helps us laugh at ourselves without ever laughing at us. Give this book to your girlfriends and you will start a conversation about the beauty dilemma that plagues Christian women." (Lilian Calles Barger, author of Eve's Revenge )

"This book is brilliant! Since beginning to work with eating disorders I've read a lot of books out there on women's relationships with food and their bodies. I found Unsqueezed honest, insightful, challenging and laugh-out-loud funny. It is now at the top of my list for books on food and body image issues. Margot writes with authenticity, heart and a thoroughly biblical understanding of how God designed us to understand the human body. I highly recommend it." (Travis Stewart, ministry relations, Remuda Ranch Treatment Center )

"Margot Starbuck navigates the complexities of self-image, appearance, our bodies and beauty with humor, insight and wisdom. Get ready to be both entertained and moved. You will be laughing out loud one moment, then suddenly challenged with biblical truths that will transform your thinking and inspire change. Reading Unsqueezed is a truly liberating experience." (Ann Capper, R.D., C.D.N., nutrition editor, FINDINGbalance.com, and author of Big Thighs, Tight Jeans (Should Jan Go on a Diet?) )

"One of the best books I've seen that gives genuine encouragement to women regarding who they are and becoming all that God wants them to be. I love the emphasis placed on relationship rather than appearance. Every woman in the world needs the truth found in these pages!" (Susie Shellenberger, editor of SUSIE Magazine )

"Occasionally, someone comes along and challenges you to think--really think--about what it means to follow Jesus in this body you've been given. Unsqueezed did what a book really ought to do: it made me think. This book is the best sort of 'ouch.'" (Paula Rinehart, author of What's He Really Thinking? )

"Margot Starbuck finally says what all of us are thinking and, with God obviously whispering in her ear, tells us what to do with it. A must-read for any woman of any age who has ever wrestled with her body image. And who hasn't?" (Nancy Rue, author of Everybody Tells Me to Be Myself but I Don't Know Who I Am )

Product Details

• Paperback: 237 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (May 20, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830836160
• ISBN-13: 978-0830836161
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #304,684 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Margot's first book, The Girl in the Orange Dress: Searching for a Father Who Does Not Fail, was awarded Best Nonfiction Book of the Year, 2011, from the Advanced Writers and Speakers Association.

Margot's other books include: Unsqueezed: Springing Free From Skinny Jeans, Nose Jobs, Highlights and Stilettos (IVP) and Small Things With Great Love: Adventures in Loving Your Neighbor (IVP). Her writing has also appeared in Relevant, Rev!, Pray!, Radiant, Neue, Adoptive Families, Family Fun, Fine Homebuilding, and other publications. She blogs at Red Letter Christians and hermeneutics, and is a a popular speaker at retreats, conferences, and college campuses.

Margot is a graduate of Westmont College and Princeton Theological Seminary. She served with Urban Promise ministry in Camden NJ before being ordained in the Presbyterian Church. She's served as a chaplain among folks living with physical and intellectual disabilities. Margot also served as an interim pastor of Ponds Reformed Church in Oakland, NJ.

Margot is pretty convinced that as we receive God's "I am for you"--as we really get it, in our bones--we're set free to live a life of love which is for others, especially God's beloved ones who are poor and marginalized. Her hope is that her readers and listeners who are ambivalent, either about God's great love for them or for those who live on the world's margins, are challenged and transformed by some really good news.

As a young adult, Margot was reunited with her birthmother, and now enjoys a relationship with her & with her adoptive parents. Margot lives in Durham, NC with her husband, Peter, and their three children, by birth and adoption. She likes being with her sweet kiddos & hanging out with friends--with and without disabilities--at Reality Ministries. She's also a pretty big fan of the work of Compassion International. Learn more at www.MargotStarbuck.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What are bodies FOR?, July 16, 2010

By 

AJTB - See all my reviews

This review is from: Unsqueezed: Springing Free from Skinny Jeans, Nose Jobs, Highlights and Stilettos (Paperback)

This book revolves around a pretty simple premise. Margot wants us to stop thinking of our bodies as objects to be viewed and start understanding them as subjects with a purpose. She asks, what are bodies for?
And she states her answer pretty simply. Our bodies are meant for relationships, with God, and with one another. And yet, "Our culture has thoroughly and effectively marketed the myth that women's bodies exist for no higher purpose than to be viewed... As if we have no awareness that we've been made to walk with the Lord in a vibrant, living relationship of love and service, we live, and eat, and shop, and dress as if our bodies were meant for the visual enjoyment of others."
There are a host of problems with the common cultural perspective: "What is particularly sinister about our culture's fixation with beauty, and with my personal one, is that it keeps our eyes turned upon ourselves." Not to mention the fact that life tends to bring with it the impossibility of maintaining bodies that (from a purely objective perspective) visually please others. The thing is, though, bodies that are used for the service of others become beautiful. It's a different beauty than that of plastic surgery and supermodels. It's the beauty that comes from relationships rather than objectification. The beauty that comes from love.
So what is this body of mine for right now? It's for carrying a child into the world. It's for serving my family. It's for laughing and enjoying time with my husband and my friends. It's for thinking and writing and communicating. It's for becoming beautiful by being for other people.
For any Christian woman who wants to take a few steps away from all those self-critical thoughts about her appearance, Unsqueezed is for you.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I have highlights but this book was still powerful!, September 28, 2010

By 

Kathryn E. Miller - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unsqueezed: Springing Free from Skinny Jeans, Nose Jobs, Highlights and Stilettos (Paperback)

Just imagine for a moment what it would be like to be more concerned about reaching out in love to someone rather than wondering what they think of you. Just imagine for a moment what it would be like to not feel inadequate because you don't wear the latest styles. Just imagine for a moment what it would be like to not feel horrible about adding two pounds. That is the world Margot Starbuck invites us into in her book, Unsqueezed: Springing free from skinny jeans, nose jobs, highlights and stilettos.

Yet, I'll be honest. I put this book on my desk, intending to read it but kept avoiding it. I had recently bought skinny jeans, my hair sports highlights and I would love to wear stilettos if I weren't so tall. As for the nose job, I finally grew into my too-big-nose. I instinctively knew Unsqueezed would squeeze my complacency and comfort zone and I didn't want to be uncomfortable.

When I finally gathered the emotional energy to reading Margot Starbuck's book, I was indeed challenged but I laughed all the way! Margot is a funny writer. A very funny writer. I'm not one to get easily humored by the written word. But Margot is truly funny...even as she punches you in the guts with truth and conviction.

Lest I scare you away though, Margot communicates a loving tone with a passion for drawing us closer to God's loving heart. In fact, her book was spiritually deeper than I thought it would be. She calls us to a heart level of seeing how the things of this world do not satisfy and only finding our contentment in Christ will truly bring the satisfaction we desire. She does not hit you over the head; she beckons you to search whether thinking how to lose 30 pounds will make you more desirable. Or wearing the latest fashions will make you acceptable to others. She calls you to think about your heart, not just your body image.

And did I mention? You'll laugh with joy as you consider how much God loves and accepts you unconditionally--expressed by Margot as only Margot can. Margot's purpose is to motivate us to view our body, not as an object to be worshiped, but as an instrument of God's love to others. That's why she communicates reasonableness. She doesn't say, "You're wrong to want to lose 30 pounds." She asks us to ask why it's so important to us and will it help us love others well?

And to help you get the point while you're smiling, she frequently includes a list of "Ten Best Things," like: "Ten Lies Advertisers Want You to Believe," "Stuff It Sort of Seems Like Bodies Were Made To Do," and "Ten Ideas for Food Discipleship" amongst many other thought-provoking yet funny views of life.

One of the most endearing and encouraging themes of Unsqueezed is Margot's wonderful ability to poke fun at herself. There's no "looking down her nose" in this book. She exposes her own struggles and temptations of being "squeezed" by our culture, and her sometimes inadequate ability of resisting.

I am so glad I read Unsqueezed. I was affirmed to hold on to godly motivations I already had, challenged to repent of lies I've believed, and motivated to make changes that draw me closer to God's loving heart. And I laughed and smiled through it all.

(Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from IVP as part of their blogger review program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.")

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Margot gets into your head., July 7, 2011

By 

Brian Sun (Flagstaff, AZ) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Unsqueezed: Springing Free from Skinny Jeans, Nose Jobs, Highlights and Stilettos (Paperback)

Okay, okay, I know it was written for girls but I don't care.

Margot gets into your head in this book. In a good way, not the creeper way.

Unsqueezed is filled with tons of truth. If women (and men) take to heart the truths written in it about our identity in Christ, the world would look different in a day.

Girls (and guys) should read this book.