Customer Reviews

Am I Thin Enough Yet?: The Cult of Thinness and the Commercialization of Identity

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

"Am I thin Enough Yet?" is a very well-written book, and I strongly recommend it to women (and men!) living in the Western World, where thinness is what defines a woman's self-worth. The author's interviews with college women are fascinating and useful in terms of showing how common subclinical levels of eating disorders are in this particular population. But if you are a therapist/scholar (e.g., eating disorders is my primary research area), or have read books on sociocultural aspects of eating disorders, this book will not add much to your knowledge.

Dr. Hesse-Biber was my professor for a course I took, and we read this book for the class. I found the book to be personal, yet objective, and very informative. Hesse-Biber clearly outlines the causes of the 'cult of thinness' and does so in an organized manner. I recommend this book to ANY woman/mother/sister/daughter, etc....I also highly recommend MEN to read this book, and for everyone to be aware that the cult of thinness is not just a woman's issue.

Hesse-Biber's book does an amazing job outlining the issues surrounding our cultures destructive preoccupation with women and weight. The combination of pre-existing literature and empirical research emphasizes how and why so many become a part of the cult of thiness. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in opening their eyes to the reality and attempt to break free from the cult.

I found that "Am I Thin Enough" was just the thing i needed to bring my disorder out into the open. I read passages out of this book and thought, "Oh my gosh! That's what i am feeling!" I knew that others felt like this, but i had never seen it on paper. This book has helped me understand my problem and now i am seeking help. I know I can't do it on my own, but with God's help I plan to overcome my battle. I know you can too!!! Goodluck!

I found this book to be both interesting and helpful with regard to my own struggles with "the cult of thinness">

One of the few books I have read on the preoccupation with thinness in our society which admits thinness is encouraged and being overweight is stigmatized. If you are interested in the obsession with weight and beauty you will most likely enjoy this book

Once you get past the rhetoric of victimization from the late 80s/early 90s feminist school, the book offers much information and insight from various studies on how an idea has been sold to us by men...and women.

I was hoping this might integrate Mintz's insight that thinness is about the symbolic control of consumption with the diet industry. Well, it did in a way, but only by going the tired route of muddling up eating disorders and attempts to control weight, while seeing 275lb women who wanted to lose as the victims of an uncaring society, just like the 130 lb college girls who also wanted to lose. I'm starting to wonder where, if anywhere, we might find sense on this topic. Here we sit, surrounded by size 20s on one hand at size 2 models on the other. There is a genuine crisis. But I can't recommend anything I've read hitherto - except Sidney Mintz. Curious.

This is quite well-meaning and has some useful stats on the diet industry, but it's preoccupied with gender irrespective of the way men - and now also nonwhites - have been sucked into the same culture. The gender argument is better in Susan Bordo's work.

This is the worst book I have ever read. The entire book is filled with made up statistics and made up people, giving made up quotes. The author was not subjective at all in her research and is extremely biased towards men! I think that this author had some serious self issues while writing this book! I would never recommend anyone to read this garbage! The author basically spents the entire time, telling how women always forced to starve themselves to get anywhere in this society, which is far from true! And then places the blame on men for the women that do starve themselves, and then insists that men are very subjected to the pressures of society! To prove this point tell me that last time that a male was in the medai, that has body hair on his entire body!!! DON"T READ THIS BOOK!

Not very imformative, keeps on making references to other books, and I hated the "personal" stories, all they did was brag and all. The people who told their "personal" stories sounded like blond bimbos, oh sure, yeah...that one girl never heard of a guy say a girl was smart and intelligent, uh huh.....sure.

I hated the way it was written. It was what the author thought, and pushes you to believe that one this was one way, the way she thinks it is. The author doesn't let you decide, she just gives one side of the issue, not fair!

I like the cover-art, though.