Beauty is an almost undefinable word. We can be at peace with ourselves one day, and have an identity crisis the next; Reflections is here to tell us that we are all stunning, and that beauty is defined by you, not society.
Holly's new book is a revelation in self-help / Picture Credit: Century
The synopsis
Reflections is a self-help book written by TV host Holly Willoughby, who has had her fair share of life experiences.
The book talks you through how to truly love yourself, even on the worst days. There are various sections within that talk about everything from guilt to detachment, all the way through to embracing individuality.
Holly talks about her personal experiences with her body, how she relaxes, and how being a mum has changed her life for the better, including how she thinks and how she feels.
So, what did I think?
As someone who is going through a somewhat rough time at the moment, the chance to review Reflections was an opportunity for me to learn how to love myself again.
Reflections talks about beauty in more ways than I ever knew existed. Beauty is not defined, I learned, by those around you or by society, it is defined by you, and what makes you the best version of yourself.
Within the first few pages, I was already feeling happier. Holly’s writing style is so unbelievably kind, caring and nurturing, and I felt validated the whole time I was reading her book. It felt so good to know that someone as wonderful and positive as her feels some of the things I feel, which made me feel close to her, despite having never met her.
The thing that stood out to me, perhaps the most, was her writing. It was unlike anything I have ever read before. On every page, she gave advice or made suggestions on how to do your make-up or what clothes might make you feel good; she was careful to be tentative and that was something I appreciated.
At no point did Reflections feel like an instruction manual on how I should live my life; every page was careful to point out that each piece of advice or life story was subjective to Holly herself, and if you wish to follow in her footsteps you’re more than welcome, but she always made sure to state that she is not telling anyone what to do.
I loved this, as it made me feel as though I had a choice about whether to do what Holly did, or whether to try something else. There were gentle reminders that this is her experience, which I thought was rather important.
The writing also made me feel comforted. As odd as this might sound, Holly’s wording was so caring and loving, that I felt safe within myself when I was reading. I found myself agreeing with her a lot, and even nodded along to some of the points she made.
I cannot stress enough how relaxing Reflections was to read; it was so enlightening and Holly brought up so many topics and examples (from her life and the lives of others) from which I drew much inspiration.
I felt happier when reading this book, as it made me feel as though I wasn’t alone with my struggles. Holly talks about beauty in the most captivating way, and asks readers questions along the way about what they can do to feel better in themselves, and it genuinely made me stop and answer each one.
Reflections carried me through emotions, experiences and so much more; there are sections on anger and sexuality that felt so significant to me. This book is almost like a Bible on how to love yourself, but with careful, loving advice rather than instructions.
Holly speaks in detail about certain aspects of her life, such as being a mother and the things she does to relax and calm herself. I felt my eyes open and the possibilities out there, and began to realise that just because I don’t look like someone else, or because I may be a bigger size than my friends, doesn’t mean I’m not beautiful, and that will stay with me forever.
The last few chapters of the book walked me through make-up looks, which I thought was great! Holly spends the book talking about inner beauty, but she also recognises that things such as jewellery and clothing can make us feel incredible too.
She uses examples of women such as Gemma Chan, Emma Stone, Beyoncé, and herself, to show that even the women of Hollywood look nothing alike, and are all beautiful.
This section was such a fun way to close out the book, as it focused on the fun side of make-up, skin care and other self-care tips; I especially adored this section as I am wanting to experiment with my make-up, and now I know exactly how!
Reflections is a stunning, beautiful and wonderful book that highlights every aspect of beauty, emotions, struggle and joy, and I feel myself becoming happier by simply reading it.
Holly has written a stunning guide of sorts to help every gender, age and ethnicity to love themselves, and has done a stellar job of writing it in such a way that made me feel validated, heard, and most of all, worthy.
Written by Melissa, who you can follow on Twitter @melissajournal
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Tagged in Holly Willoughby