I said I was going to write a review on Tyler Oakley's book almost two weeks ago... And then life got in the way. And I got kinda sidetracked. And then I realized I'm horrible at writing reviews. I mean, I should've known a review wouldn't come out too good when it takes me three or four edits to write a decent research paper. I'm a great English major.
I mean, I guess this is kind of a review since there's quotes and advice from Tyler's book. But I'm not gonna really get into it because I want you to buy his book. It's raunchy, it talks about buttholes*, and he is unapologetically himself through the entire book.
* My computer keeps trying to autocorrect "butthole" to "
buttonholes" and I want you guys to laugh at that like I am,
so there's an insight to my blogging experience currently.
“I was taught that being myself was not only okay, but encouraged - and by being unapologetically yourself, you thrive and inspire others to thrive.”
This is the quote that made me absolutely fall in love with Tyler (Well, Ok, even more than I already am). I had to sit there and put the book down for a second and just kinda think about my career choice. It was at that moment I realized I wasn't blogging the way I knew how to -- I was trying to please a tiny percentage of my blog audience by censoring myself, or not posting about topics I knew they wouldn't agree on or want to read. Honestly there's maybe three people tops who don't like the way I blog because of my swearing, or wanting to talk about "sensitive" topics... So why the fuck am I trying not to write in my own voice? Who CARES about those three people? I honestly think my blog has been suffering because I've been trying to create a "new" version of myself and my writing... And honestly, it doesn't work. You can't please everyone! So if people aren't going to like you, or what you have to say/write, let them dislike the real you. I may swear a lot, or talk about pooping or sex or pervy things, but that's who I am. And I am not apologizing for it anymore.
“Sometimes doing what's right for your conscience is not always the most popular decision, but I can guarantee that in retrospect you won't regret the choice you made.”
I don't have much to say about this quote except... It's so true. It kind of goes hand and hand with being myself, especially with this blog. I dropped out of school for two years to discover myself and to really figure out what I wanted to do with my life, and I don't think that's something people understand unless they've been through it themselves also. I know I talk about it all the time but taking time for yourself and being selfish is never a bad thing. You cannot be happy or successful with anything else in life, whether it be a career or a relationship, unless you are content and confident with yourself.
“No person, no matter how important society deems their relationship to you, has the right to denounce you for who you are.”
One thing I never really talked until recently is the fact that my Mom and I don't have a relationship. Now that I no longer live with her and I've gotten older we can hold a conversation without yelling at each other or having things thrown across the house but I truly don't believe we will ever have that "Mother/daughter/best friend" bond that most girls get with their Moms. I'm not going to bash my mother on my blog because I honestly have no need to, but unless you have a strained relationship with a parent it's just something extremely hard to understand. This quote was the one and only time the whole book I cried out of sadness, because it's about Tyler's relationship with his Dad. Our circumstances are far more different, but it was nice to read of someone who I look up to and admire and respect that had put my feelings of guilt into words. Nobody has to tell you to have a relationship with your parent -- just because they gave birth to you doesn't mean they are your parent. It takes more than giving life to be a parent. This is something I've always wanted to talk about on the blog but have never really had the guts to do but I think knowing Tyler put his relationship with his Dad out in the open in his book I will write about it, and soon. It's such an important topic for people to understand or realize that they aren't alone. I never asked to have such a strained relationship with my mother, but it happened, and I live everyday knowing that we aren't that close. And trust me, it fucking sucks. No kid who has a shitty relationship with their parent has ever asked for it. We also don't want to hear "But they're your only parent"... Just. No. But I will get into that another time.
*******
Tyler's book is incredible. It takes you on an adventure of his life from the beginning throughout his amazing Youtube career. Putting yourself out on the internet is absolutely terrifying. When you're a YouTuber you can edit out the bits and pieces you don't want your viewers to see, but writing a book you are exposing yourself completely. Something about writing makes me braver; it gives me a voice I would never have the nerve to use out loud, and I saw that through each page of Binge. If you need a good laugh and a good cry all in one day, I truly recommend you stopping by any store that sells books and pick up a copy.
I'll leave you guys with this one last quote to prove that Binge isn't all serious business... Something that will hopefully make you laugh out and loud. We all need some laughter in our lives, right?
“Over my lifetime, I've had an interesting relationship with poop...the rectum is a grand thing. My favorite thing about the human body is that we're all basically doughnuts.”
