Customer Reviews

Body Wars

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As a PhD student in the biological sciences, I have access to all of the scientific articles referenced in this book, most of which are from very reputable sources. Being obese and having been told my whole life that I am unhealthy for carrying a few extra pounds, I checked out many of these articles and found that the author's statements about how harmful dieting is, and how a little extra weight isn't necessarily unhealthy, were completely accurate. One reviewer complained that this book was too factual, but for me it was the fact that it was so accurate that made it very therapeutic and encouraging. It gave me the power to be mad at those who are actually causing our society to be so harmful to women, rather than being mad at myself.

A clinical psychologist, Margo Maine, Ph.D. is also known for her accomplishments as a lecturer, consultant, researcher, and author. Additionally, she's the Director of the Eating Disorder Program at the Institute of Living and is on the boards of numerous other advisory boards. In the course of her work, she realized that "a new war was being waged: an assault on women's bodies by an economic system and culture intent on keeping them in their place."

She wrote Body Wars: Making Peace with Women's Bodies as an activist's guide for helping women overcome the self-hatred and body dissatisfaction that lead to eating disorders.

How their bodies look is brought to their attention at a very early age for women. Even quite young hildren learn that their ppearance is not satisfactory, and they are taught they must change it, usually by restricting their food intake...<P...Dr. Maine says that the quest for thinness has become so pervasive that "dieting has become a moral imperative of utmost significance; many who fail to lose weight feel they have failed at life."

She emphasizes repeatedly that women truly do have more to offer than their appearance.

Dr. Maine also devotes chapters to plastic surgery, violence against women, ageism, sports, and ballet. She includes a special section for teachers and how they can help their students develop a healthy attitude toward their bodies. The final chapter is for men and the unrealistic standards for appearance that they are facing on an increasing basis.<P Dr. Maine doesn't just talk about the dangers of body dissatisfaction--each chapter includes "Strategies for Change," which are dozens of practical steps individual women can take to help themselves and others. She also includes lists of resources, with all the contacts needed for those wanting a more activist role.

"We've been talking about the problem long enough: we must move into action," Dr. Maine says. Body Wars provides readers with all the information and tools they need to take action. It's an essential reference for all women: for themselves, and for their daughters.

`Body Wars' is both an excellent reference and an interesting book. It reads like a collection of essays with a unifying theme and is a must have particularly for young women. This book is not only for overweight women but for women who feel like they do not measure up to the supermodel ideal. It has chapters that delve into magazine advertising and its effect on women, weightism, which is the politically correct form of prejudice among other things. But unlike most books of this type it does not only tell us what is wrong but it tells us how to change what's wrong. The author Margo Maine, Ph.D. does this through her resource lists at the end of each chapter that has phone numbers, addresses and names of places like the MS. Foundation and the Center for Media Literacy among other things.

I have many issues with my weight and overall apperance, while this (or any) book can't give me magic solutions it is a wealth of insight and inspiration. The author encourages women to focus on our inner selves and social change instead of frivolous wieght and beauty goals pushed on us by advertisers. I reccommend it for all women especially parents and teachers.

For yourself, for your children, for the women and girls in your life. Read this book! It was like having the wool pulled from eyes. I can finally see the lies for what they were. I was angry about these "ideals" for so long and the pressure to get thinner. Now I know why, because it was all a lie to kepp women in their place, make money, and destroy the self esteem of nearly every woman in the Western world.

Margo Maine has done it again in her book Body Wars. I learned how to connect myself with various groups working for a better community, to recognize examples of brainwashed thinking in myself and to do something about it. Margo Maine is an intelligent and empassioned researcher and activist and I am glad she continues to regale us with her comprehensive style and life-changing material.

This book is intelligently argued, thoroughly researched, and simply written. If you hate your body (and most of us do!), this book will help.

This is a great eye opening book! Great for resources and information about how we as a society harm our bodies and our lives. It also gives helpful suggestions and ideas for activism to fight the war against believing we are only about our bodies.

Many statistics and helpful information, yet written in an interesting and easy to follow format.

Buy it! You'll love it!

Margo Maine has done it again in her book Body Wars. I learned how to connect myself with various groups working for a better community, to recognize examples of brainwashed thinking in myself and to do something about it. Margo Maine is an intelligent and empassioned researcher and activist and I am glad she continues to regale us with her comprehensive style and life-changing material.

This isn't a bad book... I don't want to say that this is a bad book. I just didn't like it. If you have read 1,2,3 books on the subject of body image Body Wars will not offer anything new. It's more of the same about eating disorders and the media's role in destroying women's self esteem. For me this book wasn't terribly thought provoking. I would echo what some of the other reviewers seem to be saying, that this book is written like a reference guide for therapy groups. The author seems to be big on the whole "self-reflection" thing. It is not that I am mocking the idea that we should all look within ourselves and really think about why we hold the specific beliefs and prejudices that we do, in fact I think that our world we be a far happier place if everyone did preciseley this. The problem that I have with the whole armchair psychology approach that this book sometimes uses is that it feels forced. I want to do the thinking on my own time. I don't want to be quizzed or prompted. I don't need you to ask me specific questions. If a book is meant to provoke self-reflection than it should do so naturally. This felt forced.