The Body's Edge: Our Cultural Obsession With Skin [Hardcover]

Marc Lappe (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Unlike ancient cultures that prized the wrinkled faces of the elderly, we worship supermodels' smooth, expressionless skin and spend billions on cosmetics to achieve a youthful look. The human skin-its anatomy, physiology, diseases, racial connotations, its physical and symbolic role as our boundary with the outer world-is the subject of this involving, often eloquent study by science writer Lappe (Chemical Deception: The Toxic Threat to Health and the Environment). Considered a mirror of inner wellness in traditional Chinese medicine, and a vulnerable shield or a trophy in Greek mythology, the skin is today increasingly recognized as a permeable system, and recent research suggests that it has its own built-in, autonomous immune defenses. Lappe chronicles skin diseases from smallpox in ancient Egypt to modern epidemics of skin cancer, acne, vitiligo and psoriasis. He documents the hazards of silicone injections, ultraviolet lamps, excessive suntanning and chemicals in factories and farms, and alerts us to the potential dangers of cosmetic products such as soaps, lotions, moisturizers and skin tighteners. Foreign rights: Frances Collin Literary Agency.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

The skin is not just a body covering: it incorporates four means of defense for the body and participates in the immune system. Lappedescribes the skin's anatomical and chemical makeup and shows how it reacts to diseases and traumas both exterior and interior. The skin's greatest enemy is sunlight, and the glorification of tanning, Lappeshows, has done much to damage it and to create cancers. Acne, another threat, has been unfortunately treated with two drugs, Accutane and tetracycline, that have harmed more than cured; Lappetells their stories. Drawing from his own experience, he shows how silicone injections harm the skin and how chemical company cover-ups and overly quick FDA approval have allowed the stuff to produce dangerous conditions. Cigarette smoking has been demonstrated to cause facial wrinkles, and, he points out, "every designer knows cosmetic products produce `cover girls' by covering" --that is, masking damage. Lappeoffers more than the medical perspective, however, examining many cultural and metaphorical allusions to the skin. His informative and readable book certainly covers its subject. William Beatty

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 242 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co; 1st edition (June 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805042083
• ISBN-13: 978-0805042085
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,364,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The obsession actually goes beyond culture, December 2, 2000

By 

Dennis Littrell (SoCal) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Body's Edge: Our Cultural Obsession With Skin (Hardcover)

The skin is the largest organ in our bodies, and it is one of the things that defines us in the eyes of others. It is not nearly enough to say that someone is black, or brown or white since there are many shades of black, brown and white, and as far as skin goes not one of them is really black, brown or white. Also there is a difference in the smoothness and texture of skin that is seldom addressed, but very keenly felt. I am amazed that I can tell the relative age of someone even in a still photo by the feel of their skin that my eyes can discern. Is there anything so appealing as the graphite smooth skin of youth? And how we notice it! And how we long to reclaim it! Which, in a sense, is what Lappé means by "Our Cultural Obsession with Skin." We are attracted to and repulsed by the skin of others. Big pores may offend us. An oily sheen may put us off. Freckles we may like or not. Skin advertises our age and the state of our health. Try as we might we cannot hide because our skin is there for all to see.. And the skin doesn't lie, although how hard we try to get it to!

This is an informative and interesting but hardly inclusive little book, especially strong on how we try to improve the appearance of our skin. One of Lappé's major points is that there isn't all that much we can do. Most of what the pharmaceutical industry sells us doesn't work. He offers insights into how the skin functions, to what extent it is a barrier and a sieve. He includes material on "the silicone story," and skin diseases, but is a little heavy on his role and interest in testifying against some chemical companies--but certainly I think we can approve of that.

Although I enjoyed reading this, I would like to see a book on skin that goes more deeply into the cross-cultural and political aspects of skin, how the color and texture, how the oiliness and the blemishes of the skin affect different people. Also a more detailed history about attitudes toward skin differences would be very interesting, including practices such as scaring, tattooing and how the grooming instinct is played out on the skin.

In short this is readable and interesting, but only touches the surface. (I know that's a stupid pun, sorry.)

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars You Will Learn Just As Much As Reading a Medical Reference, August 27, 2000

By 

Matthew M. Yau "Voracious reader" (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Body's Edge: Our Cultural Obsession With Skin (Hardcover)

You will learn just as much as reading a medical reference, except Marc Lappe adroitly puts it all together in a plain text. We are all very obesses with colors and appearance of our skins yet neglect the fact that skin is the front-line boundary against an inimical world. Therefore, more than to your anesthetic sense of beauty, the skin provides resistance and separates us from the outside world through a thinnest of margins. Lappe discusses how the newly discovered permeability of the skin, long recognized by other cultures, has lead to the use of drug-bearing patches; how potentially harmful chemicals penetrate the skin; how vulnerable we are to particular environments. You have to read it yourself and discover "skin".

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I was a great book!, August 20, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Body's Edge: Our Cultural Obsession With Skin (Hardcover)

This was the best book i have ever read in my life. I learned so many causes and how it could be gone. I think this book is a good reference.