My Perfectly Imperfect Body
Published on 25. September 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
208 pages
978-1-5248-9002-5 (ISBN)
Description
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 a thin-obsessed media. She hopes her gentle comics provide a safe space to rest on whichever healing journey you find yourself on as you read.
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 a thin-obsessed media. She hopes her gentle comics provide a safe space to rest on whichever healing journey you find yourself on as you read.
Reviews / Votes
"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) "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) "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."
(SiobhA!n Gallagher, author of Full of Myself) "Tung looks back with compassion at her teenage struggles with body image in this achingly resonant autofiction.... Her cute, accessible art softens the painful edges of the story and makes the cartoon Debbie feel like a trustworthy friend."
(Publishers Weekly)
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Kansas City
United States
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 203 mm
Width: 166 mm
Thickness: 18 mm
Weight
451 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5248-9002-5 (9781524890025)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Debbie Tung is a cartoonist and illustrator. She draws about everyday life and her love for books and tea. Debbie is the author of Quiet Girl in a Noisy World, which was listed as a recommended read in O, The Oprah Magazine. She is also the author of Book Love, Happily Ever After, and Everything Is OK, both of which were finalists in the Goodreads Choice Awards. Her comics have been shared widely by Huffington Post, 9GAG, Bored Panda, and Goodreads, among others. She lives in Birmingham, England, with her husband and son.
You can see more of Debbie's work on her website (www.debbietung.com) and social media (@debbietungart).
You can see more of Debbie's work on her website (www.debbietung.com) and social media (@debbietungart).