The Body Is Not an Apology: The Power of Radical Self-Love

Taylor argues that a person’s relationship with their own body reflects their relationships with other bodies. She proposes a world in which people see themselves as humans who are connected to other humans, a world that is collective rather than self-reliant.

To illustrate the systemic nature of body terrorism, Taylor uses the analogy of French. If a person grows up speaking French, surrounded by family members, schools, media, and a society that also speaks French, then they will be completely immersed in the language. Even if they started to learn a different language through study, they would likely still think or dream in French or even slip back into speaking French on occasion. Body terrorism, Taylor argues, is similar to the language of French in this scenario. Humans speak body terrorism fluently, as they are immersed in it from the time they are born.

Taylor links this analogy to the concept of implicit bias, which connotes attitudes or stereotypes that unconsciously affect people’s behavior. The collective culture of body terrorism leads to unconscious behaviors that are harmful to bodies. Within this system, she argues, no one is simply a victim or a perpetrator.