Customer Reviews

The Body Burden, Living In the Shadow of Barbie

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Stacey Handler's book is an emotional revelation. You don't expect that such a challenging personal journey would need to be undertaken by the granddaughter of Barbie's creator. You imagine instead an idyllic childhood surrounded by every Barbie doll ever made, every Barbie pal, every Barbie accessory -- no matter how expensive. You picture endless happy hours lost in play. No doubt that was true some of the time. But, in her insighful and courageous new book, The Body Burden: Living In the Shadow of Barbie, Stacey Handler reveals that things are not always what they seem. Always overweight, haunted by the impossibly perfect Barbie she saw everywhere, badgered by her grandmother to control her eating, Handler struggled to be thin, to be like Barbie. How ironic, I found myself thinking as I read her book, that such an impossibly skinny doll should cast such an large shadow. Yet it has for many young girls who look in the mirror and see a very different image from their beautiful, popular, fashionable Barbie with her handsome, adoring Ken. When that disparity is reinforced every day by size-prejudice in television commercials, magazine ads, and the attitudes of loved ones, the effects can be devastating. Despite its considerable bumps along the way, Handler's story is one of personal triumph. Through sheer force of character, she has emerged a woman very much "in the process of becoming". Her poems and essays give encouragement to women everywhere facing issues of body image and personal self-worth. She's been there and she knows what it takes to survive. A gutsy, no-holds-barred anthology of one woman's journey to self-acceptance.

I found this book very well written by Ms. Handler. It is hard to realize, a woman who's grandparents created the Barbie doll went through so much pain while growing up. The poems were so strong and so heartbreaking that I wanted to cry. I also cried to the chapter about her father who sounded like a wonderful man. I had lost my mother three years ago so was able to relate to it. I feel that this book will be very inspirational to all women of many shapes and sizes. This book shows readers a true survivor. I would recommend this book as a worthwhile read. Ms. Handler truly has talent in writing as well and should release a book with all her poetry she has written in the past. I hope to see another book by her in the years to come.

When I first picked up the book I was very interested in seeing what it was all about, the title really caught my attention. In the book there were a lot of things that I could relate to. I myself am a bit overweight and have always struggled to lose the extra pounds. Her story really is an inspiration to all those unhappy about their body. I never really stopped to think about how the image of Barbie affected people and when I was reading Stacey's story it really made me think about how today's society portrays women compared to the way most women really are. I hope that it makes people stop and think and realize that it is not how a woman looks on the outside that makes her beautiful. I think Stacey I very brave for telling her story and I recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a truly inspiring tale.

This book is a most have for anyone who grew up with Barbie. I know now why I always wanted long slender legs."The Body Burden" is about women as a whole. It shows that as women, we are not alone in our thoughts, feelings and food issues in a society obsessed with media perfectionism.

A fabulous book!! I laughed, I cried...I could relate to many of Ms. Handler's writings. So many women try to conform to the "societal standards" of what women are "supposed to look like." Ms. Handler certainly has a unique way with words and has expressed herself openly and honestly! How refreshing! I believe that this is a MUST READ book of quality, for women of all shapes and sizes. As a BBW (Big Beautiful Woman) that has accepted for a many years her size, I am glad to see that there is an author acknowledging the various sizes of women and the importance of self-acceptance regardless of size! I look forward to additional writings from Ms. Handler!