You'd Be So Pretty If . . .: Teaching Our Daughters to Love Their Bodies--Even When We Don't Love Our Own (Paperback)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: Weight-Loss Diary, Child Study Center, Sarah Maria (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Chadwick, who wrote a Weight Loss Diary column for Shape, lost 26 pounds over the course of one year. During the process, the mother of two worried about how her weight-loss project would affect her 13-year-old daughter, and she began to explore her own feelings about how her mother had negatively influenced her body image. Through interviews with experts, mothers and daughters, and personal reflection, Chadwick concludes that moms hold a crucial key to how girls will feel about themselves for years to come. An essential step in raising girls with a positive body image, Chadwick maintains, is to be a positive role model; she encourages mothers to walk the talk by following a healthy life style, exuding confidence and by refraining from disparaging their own bodies. Helpful boxes on how to help girls build a positive body image conclude each chapter, with tips ranging from respecting girls' clothing choices to helping them find a physical activity or sport. Chadwick, who suffered from anorexia as a teen, emphasizes the importance of stressing health over weight loss. This is a thoughtful guide for moms who are rightly concerned about the body image legacy they will inevitably pass on to their daughters. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

IVillage’s NeverSayDiet.com, 1/22/09
“[Chadwick’s] insightful mother-daughter body image angle is fantastic and refreshing.”

Washington Post, 3/3/09
“So how do we break the cycle? Chadwick offers excellent suggestions.”

Seattle Eastside Parenting Examiner.com
“I feel like this is a must-read for all parents—not just moms, but dads as well.”

Publishers Weekly, 3/16/09
“This is a thoughtful guide for moms who are rightly concerned about the body image legacy they will inevitably pass on to their daughters.”

Book a Week with Jen blog, 4/22/09
“It's an important book for mothers and even fathers.”

Newsweek, 5/6/09
“Offer[s] reassuring and practical advice for raising confident daughters and overcoming negative messages you may have received from your own mother…[Chadwick’s] book is a sensible and compassionate guide to understanding the intricate relationship between mother and daughter and how seemingly innocuous remarks can have lifelong consequences…How can we fight back against the negative images? At the end of each chapter, Chadwick offers what she calls "Body Image Builders," steps mothers can take to help their daughters. Some may seem obvious, but are nonetheless worth repeating.”

NeverSayDiet.com, 5/7/09
“Looking for guidance? I urge you to check out Dara Chadwick’s new book.”

Mid-Ohio Valley Parent, 5/4/09
“Looking for guidance? I urge you to check out Dara Chadwick’s new book.”

Suite101.com
“An interesting and engaging read…Mother's and daughters will benefit because Dara Chadwick found the courage to take a personal, emotional journey and share it with the world. Bravo.”

BellaSugar.com, 5/8/09
“its target audience is the mommy brigade, there's plenty in here if you're not a parent — or if, um, you have lingering issues with the way your parents approached your appearance… it's worth checking out if you're a mom, an aunt, a big sister, or just someone who wants to learn how to be a little kinder to herself.”

St. Petersburg Times, 5/9/09
“Worth the read? Yes, if you are interested specifically in the mother/daughter relationship as it relates to body image.”

WhatIWeighToday.com, 5/12/09
“Chadwick does an excellent job of hammer[ing] home the fact that just like so much of our other behavior (table manners, talking with out hands), we model our body image after our mothers...I recommend the book for anyone raising a girl. The issues are nothing less than urgent.”

MizFitOnline.com, 5/12/09
“[Dara is] courageous (in her honesty), real (in sharing how she doesn't always adore her body) & human (in her struggles with motherhood & simply trying to be the best role model she can)…Through sharing her story (and weaving other mom/daughter quotes & stories throughout) Dara helps the reader realize she can be a self-acceptance work in progress and still help her daughter(s) navigate the rocky path to body-love. I really liked this book.”

Diary of a Mother blog, 5/10/09
“What's the secret? We want Hollywood to be our measuring stick? Dara rightly says no way. The brilliance of her book lies in answering those burning questions in the reader's mind. She addresses the hypocrisy head on…The book's strongest takeaway is self-acceptance and the emphasis on health...[A] helpful tool to be sure we're headed on the right path.”

FitWoman.com, 5/19/09
“We were wowed. It’s a great read not only for moms, but for any woman who would benefit from talking to herself more positively about her body, her self.”

VivaLaFeminista.com, 5/20/09
“This was a painful book to read but I loved it…I can't say enough how I hope that every mom out there reads this book.”

MSN.com
“Read the new book, You'd Be So Pretty If… Its practical advice helps cut through our ‘culture of criticism’—whether it's of your own thighs, or those of a famous young singer.”

Jamestown Press, 6/4/09
“A must-read book for all mothers and daughters”

ProjectHappilyEverAfter.com
“Should be required reading for all parents who have daughters…is one of those books that we should all read over and over again as our daughters age. Maybe, if we all do just that, we’ll raise a generation of girls who are body confident.”

Sacramento Book Review, 7/16/09
“Dara Chadwick answers how to ‘teach our daughters to love their bodies-even when we don’t love our own.’ Interviews with many women and girls and her own daughter explain how to navigate in an often tricky world and learn that size doesn’t equal worth.”

Adolescence
“Offers parents fresh and useful strategies for conveying that success is not negated by carrying extra pounds—or guaranteed by keeping them off.”

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books; 1 edition (April 13, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 073821258X
• ISBN-13: 978-0738212586
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #441,593 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Readable, Informative, Touching and Helpful, April 7, 2009

By	S. Schott - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

So often books with subjects like this are written by PhDs who complicate the subject with a lot of scientific information that us regular folk have to wade through in order to get the basic guidance we are looking for. Not here. Dara Chadwick is first a mother, and second, a writer -- the only qualifications needed to write this amazing book. The book is well written, enjoyable to read, and most importantly successful in imparting real wisdom on the subject of body image. Whether it is through the stories of real women and girls the author interviewed or through the practical tips at the end of each chapter, you finish this book feeling like you are now armed to be a better mother to your daughter. Chadwick's willingness to include the personal stories of her mother, her daughter and herself add a human element that makes you confident she knows what she is talking about.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book for all women, not just for moms, May 13, 2009

By	Marsha at Green Mountain at Fox Run (Ludlow, Vermont) - See all my reviews

Despite its title, this book is as much a guide to loving your body for all women as it is for moms. Some of the more outstanding take-home messages include (all quotes):

* Body confidence...it's not about perfection or even hiding flaws. It's about [the] attitude of "There's nothing wrong with me." It's about saying to the world, "This is who I am."

* Confidence in yourself is way more attractive than looks.

* "People are attracted to those who make them feel better, not to someone who's unsure and feels unworthy."

I could go on because this book is packed full of insights like this that can truly help women move past struggles with body image that severely damage self-esteem and get in the way of living productive, happy lives, and yes, achieving and maintaining healthy weights.

It's also an easy and entertaining read, an accomplishment with a topic as profound as this.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Mothers of daughters need to read this!, May 12, 2009

By	M. Heal - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As a mother of two girls, I can not overemphasis the importance of this book. There are things we say and do all the time that are having an impression on our daughter's body image. Just being aware can make a difference. This book is well written and engaging. You will enjoy the personal stories and relate to quite a few of them!