Customer Reviews

Our Looks/Our Lives: Sex, Beauty, Power, and the Need to Be Seen

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

 

 

I expected to find this interesting, and didn't. Nancy Friday injects far, far too many of her own experiences and attitudes, and expects them to be the norm. She seems to believe that many of the "Good Girl Rules" still apply, citing the fact that most men still hope to marry virgins, etc. Riiiight, and most women would like to marry a millionaire. Ask the British Royal Family about the availability of virgin brides! Any mother of a teenaged boy can tell you, adolescent girls today are often avid, relentless pursuers, and sex with them is pretty much a given, not a mere possibility. Their mothers can be pushy and enthusiastic co-conspirators. There's no social penalty! The world has moved on, however much we may bemoan the fact. This book doesn't ring true for parents who find themselves in the trenches, or for people who know why the latest scandal has become a huge yawn to the general public.

This book explores the psycho-cultural concepts of beauty, jealousy, and sexuality (amongst others). To be quite direct, it's worth the buy, but be skeptical. It is too easy to fall into Nancy Friday's slightly distorted thinking patterns. I think that any good Friday-fan would agree that sometimes, the lady is just not all right in the head. If you have read My Mother/My Self and would like to do some follow-up growth work, this is a good place to start. Friday makes some extremely interesting theories that make a great deal of sense. The only problems with this book are that, like always, Nancy Friday seems to think that her experiences are the norm and every female is the same as her, and that she is way too incoherent with her constant flashbacks to her exhibitionistic youth. All of these flashbacks lead me to believe that, perhaps, she is still expressing her exhibitionistic side through her work to her readers. And we, the "good girls" are going to again accept her and reseal the symbiotic bond (see what an impact My Mother/My Self has made??!!?!?) Well, it's true, anyways. The book is not coherent and can lead you into thinking that everyone is as Nancy Friday describes. BUT, if you are into Friday and liked My Mother/My Self, buy this book. She makes too many good points somewhere in her rambling for you to miss it! It will open your eyes even more--this time more in the way of psychosocial taboos. to sum it all up: if you did not like My Mother/My Self, you certainly won't like this one. If you did like it, you probably will. It is only to those readers that I would recommend this book. With this recommendation I give the suggestion: READ THIS BOOK WITH AN OPEN MIND, BUT NOT SO OPEN THAT YOUR BRAINS FALL OUT!!

For Nancy Friday fans, this book is perfect, because it is almost all about Nancy Friday. Her theories were interesting, I give anyone credit for having enough to say to write a 777 page book; however, most of her theories are not scientifically supported. Instead her theories are derived and supported from experiences from her unique past. Basically if you were looking for a book that talks about the importance of beauty in our society in terms of anthropology, science or even statistics, do not buy this book, as she concentrates mostly on her own experiences. I would like to sit and have lunch with her, she seems wonderful, but this book just wasn't for me.

I found this book to be very thought-provoking. Nancy Friday's views on beauty and sexuality carry a very strong argument. I agree that there are moments where she's almost behind the times...I think there are a lot more women who appreciate masculine beauty than she gives credit for...but I also think that she nails a lot of things right in the head. For example, her theories on male aggression (especially in younger pop culture) are stronger than most. Although Friday does tend to dwell too much on her own experiences (which aren't as interesting as the ideas that follow), the time I invested in this book was worthwhile...if for nothing else, interesting conversation topics!

I enjoy Nancy Friday's perspective on things but it seems that this book is reflective of a yearning to be externally acknowledged. Better off reading Transcendent Beauty by Crystal Andrus.

I liked this book because it was a personal inquiry into Nancy Friday's own past. It included a lot of theoretical perspectives, but these weren't introduced as fact.

As a man, I found a lot of food for thought between the covers of this book. However, I certainly didn't agree with everything Nancy Friday had to say.

If you are exploring your orientation toward looks, beauty or want to understand some of the challenges of this area, I recommend this book. It is a deep personal share that raises excellent questions about this important area of life.