My Perfectly Imperfect Body - by Debbie Tung (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

From celebrated author and illustrator Debbie Tung comes My Perfectly Imperfect Body, a frank, honest, and deeply vulnerable graphic memoir that chronicles the author's journey of overcoming body-image struggles throughout her youth and young adult years.

Debbie Tung has a simple and gentle message: your body is worthy of being treated with kindness and love at any size.

Illustrated in her unique personal style, Tung shares the experiences of her teenage years and how growing into a mature body combined with teenage angst, vulnerability, and the pressure on girls to be thin and pretty spiraled her into disordered eating. She became obsessed with exercising and dieting, but no matter how much weight she lost, it was never enough. She spent the next few years trying to heal her eating habits, learning about self-love, and finally making peace with her body.

My Perfectly Imperfect Body is her story and one she shares with many survivors of the thin-obsessed early-2000s. She hopes her gentle comics provide a safe space to rest on whichever healing journey you find yourself on as you read.

Review Quotes

My Perfectly Imperfect Body by Debbie Tung is an unflinching exploration of body image, self-doubt and resilience. In her most honest and vulnerable graphic memoir yet, Tung delves into the damaging societal pressures of the early 2000s, revealing how well-meaning comments and impossible beauty standards can distort a young girl's perception of her body.

Through heartfelt honesty and poignant drawings, Tung bravely recounts her teenage years through disordered eating and self-criticism, and invites readers to not only see their own struggles but also to recognize the broader cultural forces at play. The most comforting message of the story is that you weren't the only one who experienced this. It wasn't you--it was the media trying to sell you an unrealistic ideal. And maybe even your mother, but she was brainwashed too.

This graphic memoir sheds light on how societal expectations shaped an entire generation's relationship with their bodies. While it doesn't shy away from a triggering topic, it shines as a story of healing and hope, and tells you to be compassionate with yourself. My Perfectly Imperfect Body is a powerful reminder that self-love is hard-fought but worth the battle." (Marloes De Vries, artist and author of Having Children Is Optional)

Debbie Tung's My Perfectly Imperfect Body perfectly captures the anxiety and shame that so many people (especially women) experience over their bodies and sizes. The desire to be different is an isolating feeling, but this book will help readers feel less alone, more understood, and closer to Debbie for sharing her story. (Siobhàn Gallagher, author of Full of Myself)

With beautiful and sensitive watercolor illustrations, this book is a truly brutally honest look at how it feels to want to be perceived as perfect by your family, your peers... and even yourself. (Victoria Ying, Harvey Award-winning author of Hungry Ghost)

About the Author

Debbie Tung is a cartoonist and illustrator who draws about everyday life and her love for books and tea. She lives with her husband and son in Birmingham, England.