Cheeky

Cheeky A Head-to-Toe Memoir

The funny, exuberant, inspiring antidote to body shame-a full-color graphic memoir celebrating the imperfections of the author's female body in all its glory. Too tall. Too short. Too fat. Too thin. The message is everywhere-we need to pluck, wax, shrink, and hide ourselves, to not take up space, emotionally or literally; women are never “just right.” Well, Ariella Elovic, feminist and illustrator extraordinaire, has had enough. In her full-color graphic memoir Cheeky, she takes an inspiring and exuberant head-to-toe look at her own body self-consciousness, and body part by body part, finds her way back to herself. How does Ariella learn not to see herself as a never-finished DIY project, but to accept and even love the physical attributes society taught her to hide? How does a mirror go from a “black hole of critique” to a “who's that girl” moment? Essential to her journey is her posse of girlfriends, her “yentas.” Together, they discover that sharing “imperfections” and some of the gross and “unsightly” things our bodies produce can be a source of endless laughs and deep bonding. It helps to have a team with some outside perspectives to keep our inner bullies in check. Charming and hilarious, full of empathy and candor, and gorgeously illustrated, Cheeky aims to inspire women everywhere to embrace their bodies, flaws and all, and also their respective bodies' needs, desires, and inherent power.
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Reviews

Photo of Ari Rose
Ari Rose@ariisrose
3 stars
Apr 2, 2025

I would call this inspiring. I found myself thinking about my own body, how I think about it and how I thought about it growing up. Ariella was not afraid to be gross and deeply honest, lol. Very much reminded me of some cousins growing up, but more accepting than them. The art was not to my taste, but that's fine, can't win them all. Some topics made me uncomfortable, but that's ok too, very real to talking about the body in such a brutally honest way.

Photo of Amanda Rocha
Amanda Rocha@wanderermandy
5 stars
Mar 26, 2022

We need more books like this on the market. It is honest and real, and more messages like this should be out there. The art in this was fun, flawed, and fabulous -- just like all of us. It was the perfect echo to the text: love yourself! Today's consumerist, technology-driven world puts way too much pressure on image and we sometimes forget to be kind to the most important person in our lives: ourselves. This book is a great reminder that none of that other stuff matters. This book is perfect for the person who wishes to reclaim their confidence and joy. And the art is just so fun and made it a really quick and easy read. I loved it, truly!!

This book appears on the shelf Page number 500 599

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