Written by licensed clinical mental health therapist Alishia McCullough, Reclaiming the Black Body: Nourishing the Home Within is more than a self-help book; it is a revelation. There are many factors and nuances to how eating disorders manifest in Black communities. Reclaiming the Black Body is a fantastic resource because it dives deep into this rarely investigated subject, and so much more.
Starting with the author’s note, McCullough takes readers on a relatable journey grounded in history, self-awareness, social justice, and community care. Straight out of the gate, the author’s notes chapter is a succinct and moving recap of the losses Black communities experienced alongside the racial awareness and uprising during the pandemic. We get this recent history through the lens of the pandemic’s impact on McCullough’s career as a therapist and her personal life.
McCullough found herself bombarded on all sides and decided to step away from a practice that was not in alignment with her ethics and values, realizing that if she did not leave her job, her mental and physical health would suffer. So, with the added attention of the need for Black therapists during the pandemic, she took the brave step of leaving a soul-draining practice and stepping out on her own. The writing in this book is impressive. McCullough’s tone is like she is in the room, having a loving and informed conversation with you.
Reclaiming the Black Body: Nourishing the Home Within is part history lesson, part inspirational text that educates as it takes the time to work through the nuances of the challenging items discussed. A key element of this self-care resource is that before the author dives into a subject using “social-justice lingo,” she takes the time in the early chapter “A Few Key Terms and Concepts to Situate Us” to define the terms and concepts she will be using throughout the book. She describes the terms eating disorder vs. eating imbalance, colonization, capitalism, trauma, epigenetics, and what it means to be embodied in ways that are informative and engaging for people who use these terms regularly or not.
The book is a perfect example of how to engage complex topics from a trauma-informed perspective. Some chapters come with deeply thought-out content warnings at the beginning of the chapter to prepare the reader for what is to come. One that stood out for me was Chapter 5: “Fatphobia and the Black Community.” The content warning states, ”This chapter will discuss examples of fatphobia, anti-fat sentiments, and weight stigma. While I intend to describe these terms and experiences to offer more content and aim to discuss these things in an honest and responsible way, I understand that this topic may be triggering or activating for those who are fat or in larger bodies and for those who live with eating imbalances.” At the end of each chapter, there are questions for reflection where readers can pull out their journals and use the writing prompts to dive deeper into the material. McCollough writes in a kind and loving style that welcomes readers with clarity, deep knowing, wisdom, empathy, and compassion.
Instead of just being a book that gives unrealistic exercises that are hard to execute and understand, Reclaiming the Black Body: Nourishing the Home Within recognizes the challenges that Black people face every day as human beings on this planet, folds in how systems impact the Black community’s ability to nourish ourselves while we also coexist with systemic racism, and then celebrates the fact that we are still here, and does so in a relatable way. The wisdom is down-to-earth and accessible.
Eating disorders in Black communities do manifest in ways that we commonly see in other communities, but what Alisha McCullough exposes are the unique and subtle ways we see eating disorders appear in Black communities that are traditionally ignored. For example, how abstinence culture in conservative Christian Black culture defines a young Black woman’s worth by her ability to limit her calories and keep her dress size as small as possible, factoring into her worthiness and ability to attract a mate. The book also discusses the impact of a hip-hop culture that created a body image for women that negatively impacted generations of Black girls attempting to achieve an almost impossible big bust, thick thigh, small waist combination to be considered to be attractive, worthy, and dateable. It also gives a candid look at the rise of toxic veganism in Black communities as a class issue, as well as the illusion that one style of eating is the only style of eating that all humans need to achieve optimum health and wellness.
Many people in Black communities love talking about cooking and eating soul food, but beyond fat shaming, most Black folks have not had time to discuss eating disorders. Early on, when defining the terms she will be using in Reclaiming the Black Body, McCullough talks about how, in order to survive, Black people have had to be disembodied. Our ancestors were placed under such extreme physical trauma that their coping mechanisms were to be disembodied from the pain and suffering that their physical bodies were going through, without the proper nutrition to survive. These coping mechanisms have been passed down through family lines, and in some cases, this kind of disembodiment is perceived to be strength. Only recently have we begun to scratch the surface of how to process this trauma in different ways.
After Reclaiming the Black Body: Nourishing the Home Within lays out the history, challenges, and complexities, it gives the reader different perspectives and provides the opportunity for readers to start the process of formulating how to create individual solutions and connect to community. I’ve been practicing yoga asana since 2001 and recently completed my 500-hour yoga guide certification. I’ve always liked yoga and recognize the African roots of the practice. I always have to translate the teachings to be relevant to my experience as a Black American woman descendant of enslaved Africans from South Carolina and the West Indies.
Reading Reclaiming the Black Body: Nourishing the Home Within did not require additional mental gymnastics; this book felt like coming home. McCullough was able to capture a knowing that has always been inside me, but no one has dared to articulate. I’m so grateful that McCullough had the knowledge, compassion, and wisdom to be the vehicle through which this powerful wisdom can enter the world, particularly now.
Black people have continuously educated one another beyond systems. Reclaiming the Black Body: Nourishing the Home Within is like the Our Bodies, Ourselves for Black folks. A must-read, essential for any Black person who feels a gap in self-care beyond rest, plant-based diets, potions, and lotions.
