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3.37 AVERAGE
3.37 AVERAGE
This book was completely different than what I was expecting.
I had heard about the book a long, long time ago. The title intrigued me, and it went on my mental "to read" list, where it resurfaced when I was looking for writings about body image issues. With the word "feminist" in the title, I expected it to be mostly about body acceptance in a society that says no woman is acceptable. Boy, was I wrong!
What was inside was a self-help book about compulsive eating, which can basically be defined as eating when you're not hungry, or not feeling like you have control around food. Sure, there's discussion of feminist issues inside, but the bulk of the text revolves around how to start a compulsive eating group with other women and work through the emotional issues surrounding your compulsive eating problems.
But still...an "anti-diet guide" where the text keeps referring to losing weight? Mixed messages, anyone?
Some interesting points discussed are the idea of ways in which one's "fat" is mentally beneficial to her, the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, the diet cycle that was common in the era the book was written (and which I have personally watched people struggle with) including the ramifications of using "good/bad" language, stuffing yourself as a way to "stuff down" emotions instead of dealing with them, and more. Anorexia and bulimia are also discussed, but not nearly as thoroughly as compulsive overeating.
Despite this seemingly tepid review, the content was illuminating to me personally–it just wasn't what I was expecting. The book could do with a revision to modernize it a bit, including changing the title to something that more accurately reflects the content.
I had heard about the book a long, long time ago. The title intrigued me, and it went on my mental "to read" list, where it resurfaced when I was looking for writings about body image issues. With the word "feminist" in the title, I expected it to be mostly about body acceptance in a society that says no woman is acceptable. Boy, was I wrong!
What was inside was a self-help book about compulsive eating, which can basically be defined as eating when you're not hungry, or not feeling like you have control around food. Sure, there's discussion of feminist issues inside, but the bulk of the text revolves around how to start a compulsive eating group with other women and work through the emotional issues surrounding your compulsive eating problems.
But still...an "anti-diet guide" where the text keeps referring to losing weight? Mixed messages, anyone?
Some interesting points discussed are the idea of ways in which one's "fat" is mentally beneficial to her, the complexities of mother-daughter relationships, the diet cycle that was common in the era the book was written (and which I have personally watched people struggle with) including the ramifications of using "good/bad" language, stuffing yourself as a way to "stuff down" emotions instead of dealing with them, and more. Anorexia and bulimia are also discussed, but not nearly as thoroughly as compulsive overeating.
Despite this seemingly tepid review, the content was illuminating to me personally–it just wasn't what I was expecting. The book could do with a revision to modernize it a bit, including changing the title to something that more accurately reflects the content.