blog Post: book Review

Pussy: A Reclamation by Regena Thomashauer is one of those books that leaves you feeling like it was written specifically for you. She knew my struggles; she offered sound advice on a path forward. The book became my lifeline. It named my shame, explained my disconnection from myself, and taught me to listen to the whispers of my body and how to own my story.
Central to my reclamation of myself and my feminine essence was the reclamation of the word Pussy, as a symbol of strength, of wisdom, of healing, of connection. 
Below are my takeaways: 
1. Reclamation of my Feminine Power
For eons, women’s inherent power has been diminished. We are born into societies that tell us we are not good enough, that our bodies are not good enough. We learn to understand that being feminine is synonymous with weakness. We learn to value our worth based on how much we do for everyone else. 
Thomashauer pinpoints that as a result of this disconnection, we become disembodied people-pleasers who learn to compromise and neglect our needs. She teaches that the path back to wholeness is reclaiming the word “pussy” as a symbol of strength, vitality, and creation, breaking away from its derogatory use.
2. Self-Love & Pleasure
Another of the main themes in the book is how our connection to pleasure has been demonized and often suppressed, but this connection is essential for our continuous well-being. Thomashauer explores the concept of “pleasure as power,” inviting us to prioritize our pleasure. Pleasure isn’t only a sexual experience but is seen as the gateway to deeper self-awareness. With every step toward claiming our pleasure, there is greater confidence, greater self-trust, and a better, deeper, more loving connection to ourselves. When pleasure is central in our lives, we are more authentic; we feel freer to let creativity ooze out of us.
3. Listening to the Body-Embodiment 
There is so much wisdom that exists within each of us. The more embodied we become, the more access we have to this wisdom. Thomashauer believes that when women listen deeply to their bodies,  honor their signals, and learn to trust the wisdom from within, we become more in tune with our intuition, power, and creativity. Our bodies hold the key to understanding our desires, boundaries, and needs. 
When the guiding light is the voice within, our decisions, actions, and self-worth are tied to what pleases us, not everyone else. 


4. Sisterhood and Community
Pussy: A Reclamation highlights the importance of building communities and having sisterhood, areas that are often overlooked. We all need spaces that allow us to feel safe enough, held enough, seen thoroughly, and understood to allow for the reconnection to our bodies to begin. 
We need spaces filled with women who celebrate the power of our feminine power, spaces that reject shame, spaces that don’t judge, and spaces carefully constructed out of compassion and love. We need a sisterhood willing to acknowledge and heal the history of pain and violence, a sisterhood that uplifts us. 


5. Healing from Shame
Healing has been at the core of every step I have taken for quite some time. But this book offers a deeper, more connective path to healing, one that highlights that healing also entails healing my sexuality, my relationship with and to my body, and my relationship with my feminine side. Shame has been intricately interwoven with our sense of identity and understanding and relationship to our bodies. Throughout the book and through its exercises, I get to process and release my shame; I get to feel what coming home to my body feels like. 
6. Own Your Story
We are encouraged to take full ownership of our stories, rewrite narratives of disempowerment, reclaim the parts of ourselves that have been suppressed, and create a path more aligned with who we are. This book encourages you to accept all parts of self, to accept your flaws and imperfections, to find joy and curiosity on the journey to reclaiming self.