Coping with Beauty: A Guide for Real Girls [Library Binding]

Stefanie Iris Weiss (Author)

Book Description

Series: Coping | Publication Date: April 1, 2004

Teen girls are often obsessed with looking beautiful, and many suffer emotionally when they don’t feel that they meet society’s unattainable standards. Beyond peer pressure, the media plays a huge role in self-perception. This book explores ways that girls can get a grip on their true beauty, and teaches them how to avoid getting caught up in the infamous "beauty myth" that has kept women and girls in a hamster wheel for centuries.

--This text refers to an alternate Library Binding edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up-Weiss writes that beauty, or the lack thereof, determines everything from what girls wear to what they eat and how they perceive themselves. Our culture is constantly confronted, through advertising and the media, with false images of how women and girls are supposed to look and act. The author points out that the beauty myth is not a plot, but a self-esteem problem. She stresses the need for teens to accept themselves, to recognize their unique, natural beauty, and to view other young women as equals, rather than as competitors. Weiss briefly discusses bulimia, anorexia, and self-mutilation as "consequences of the myth," as well as the racism perpetuated by the "Barbie" syndrome (the tall, blonde-haired, blue-eyed female as society's ideal). The book encourages readers to keep a journal and presents boxed writing exercises that promote self-esteem, as well as self and cultural analysis. While the feminist bias is a bit heavy-handed, overall, this title is a worthwhile effort.
Kim Harris, Newman Riga Library, Churchville, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Library Binding: 128 pages
• Publisher: Rosen Publishing Group (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823930335
• ISBN-13: 978-0823930333
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,944,733 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Stefanie Iris Weiss is the author of nine books, a freelance journalist, ghostwriter and editor. Her latest book is Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable (Crown Publishing/Ten Speed Books, 2010). Stefanie has written five books for teens on diverse subjects: from veganism to yoga to tattoos. She's based in New York City, and loves being at the cultural epicenter of the known universe. She spends a lot of time in cafes working on her book and magazine writing.

With a Master of Arts in English Education from New York University, Stefanie loves to teach. She has been an adjunct professor at Hunter College in New York City and leads private writing workshops for both teens and adults. Stefanie was recently a mentor for Girls Write Now, an organization that connects professional women writers to teenagers seeking mentorship in writing. Learn more about her work at stefanieirisweiss.com.