Ideas worth spreading

The beauty of being a misfit

4,388,829 views |

Lidia Yuknavitch |

TED2016

• February 2016

To those who feel like they don't belong: there is beauty in being a misfit. Author Lidia Yuknavitch shares her own wayward journey in an intimate recollection of patchwork stories about loss, shame and the slow process of self-acceptance. "Even at the moment of your failure, you are beautiful," she says. "You don't know it yet, but you have the ability to reinvent yourself endlessly. That's your beauty."

To those who feel like they don't belong: there is beauty in being a misfit. Author Lidia Yuknavitch shares her own wayward journey in an intimate recollection of patchwork stories about loss, shame and the slow process of self-acceptance. "Even at the moment of your failure, you are beautiful," she says. "You don't know it yet, but you have the ability to reinvent yourself endlessly. That's your beauty."

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Sign up for a writing workshop. Lidia Yuknavitch teaches non-academic writing workshops for people who are interested in transformation via self expression.

About the speaker

Lidia Yuknavitch

Lidia Yuknavitch

See speaker profile

In her acclaimed novels and memoir, author Lidia Yuknavitch navigates the intersection of tragedy and violence to draw new roadmaps for self-discovery.

Roxane Gay | Harper, 2016 | Book

Forthcoming in June 2016, a searingly honest memoir of food, weight, self-image and learning how to feed your hunger while taking care of yourself.

Dorothy Allison | Penguin Books, 2012 | Book

Bastard Out of Carolina

A novel based on the author's difficult life in the rural south, and how she survived.

Tobias Wolff | Grove Press, 2000 | Book

This Boy's Life

A memoir about a boy growing up and through domestic violence and his ability to form relationships and make art.

Deborah J. Stein | Beacon Press, 2014 | Book

One woman’s struggles — beginning with her birth in prison — to find self-acceptance, proving that redemption and healing are possible, even from the darkest corners.

Sean Davis | Ooligan Press, 2014 | Book

The Wax Bullet War: Chronicles of a Soldier & Artist

Stories of a Purple Heart soldier's experience and his return to his community to create art opportunities for veterans.

Learn more

This talk was presented at an official TED conference. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Sign up for a writing workshop. Lidia Yuknavitch teaches non-academic writing workshops for people who are interested in transformation via self expression.