Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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!

Wonderful! So often advice or self-help books are very laborious to read, but with her many funny and touching stories of real people with real struggles, I found this book difficult to put down. The insight from the teenage girls on how they view their mother's body images, as well as their own, were eye opening. At the end of each chapter there are practical ways you can help the young girl in your life get through the many body image struggles we all face. I believe that every mother, grandmother, and auntie who has a young lady whom they love should read this book.

This book made me both laugh and cry at times in recognition of my own struggles with positive body image. It made me rethink the legacy my mother left me on this issue - and that's a healthy thing.
Dara Chadwick writes with grace and wisdom about a difficult subject, sharing her own experiences and her efforts to help her daughter achieve the kind of body confidence that eludes so many of us. But she also does her homework, weaving in the advice and perspective of experts and many other real-life women and girls dealing with the issue. The result is a book that not only touches your heart but is truly useful and practical.

IF you are a normal, well adjusted adult (yeah, I get that not many of us are but whatever) you don't need this book to raise a healthy and confident daughter. I think it's ok for a daughter to see that insecurities are normal and learn healthy ways to deal with them. This book is entirely too long and really poorly written. Every chapter she spends the entire time repeating herself and her story of her "journey" with her body image. By the first 100 pages, I had reread that in different areas of the book probably 6 times. I have a daughter and I just say use a bit of common sense. Don't whine about having thunder thighs, show her how to eat healthfully, make exercise part of your everyday life, and help her understand whats healthy insecurity and whats not. Ugh. I feel like my brain is smaller after reading this.