Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Reviews tagging 'Fatphobia'
All in Her Head: The Truth and Lies Early Medicine Taught Us about Women's Bodies and Why It Matters Today by Elizabeth Comen
7 reviews
dark
informative
medium-paced
This book will make you infuriated with how men have treated women throughout history, but it’s eye-opening and important to know.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting
informative
reflective
medium-paced
Very informative in a field I know little about, but have continuously been exposed to because family members and friends are contributors. I did come away from this feeling pretty (rightfully) enraged at how internalized misogyny is still so prevalent in our medical practices today, as well as the historic precedent for it. There is a reason why my sisters and I grew up not knowing periods have different phases, why birth control has been particularly difficult to acquire, and why we believe doctors will just write off potentially life-threatening conditions as "anxiety". Yes, medicine has come a long way, but for women, there are literal millennia to catch up from.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Infertility, Mental illness, Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Sexual content, Terminal illness, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Death, Fatphobia, Blood, Excrement
Minor: Eating disorder, Abortion
challenging
dark
informative
reflective
medium-paced
I'm struggling a lot with rating this, and while I landed on 3 stars, I really need to just talk through my process with this book. When I was looking at the qualifying books for the Goodreads "Her Story" challenge, this one is the one that immediately drew my attention. As someone who has health issues and therefore has experienced a lot of medical misogyny (one notable experience being with a GI doctor who once told me my abdominal pain, nausea, and other symptoms were because my bra was too tight, which it wasn't), this seemed like the exact book that I would want to read. I put in an ILL request the literal same day that the challenge was released, and anxiously awaited to receive the book and read it.
And I can say that it was, overall, a great read. While the chapters were quite long (I'd say the average chapter length was around 30 pages; the longest chapter was 36 pages and the shortest chapter was 22 pages), and while I wouldn't necessarily say that it's a super quick or easy read, Dr. Comen broke things down in a really digestible way for a layman. There wasn't convoluted jargon. I enjoyed reading the case studies, both historical and modern, and getting the historical knowledge of all of the shit that doctors used to do (and frankly, still do). I think this is also a history that is important for patients and doctors alike to be educated on, since, as the book shows, many of these things do carry over to how women patients are treated today.
As others have said, though, this book lacks intersectionality and this is where the rating I was going to give started to decline. There is small bits here and there on how race factored into things, but it does leave things to be desired. Don't get me wrong, the book does mention that James Marion Sims's main "patients" (test subjects) were slaves (though I don't think it is directly stated in the book that they were Black women, obviously most can infer that from the fact they were slaves, but nonetheless it would've been something that I think could've been outright said), and mentions the forced sterilization of Puerto Rican and Indigenous women. But those are about the only two things in the entire book that touched upon how women of color were particularly targeted to be unwilling test subjects, and how women of color are still dehumanized and taken less seriously in medicine today.
Also, the part with James Marion Sims's "patients" largely actually is about a white (I'm assuming?) patient who willingly goes to him, and then he realizes from treating her what treatment will work on his slaves. So, truly, I don't think this book dealt
I think, though, I still could've justified a slightly higher, between a 3.5-star and 4-star rating at that point. But then ... page 282 (and the beginning of page 283). *Insert Raymond Holt's "Oh... Oh n... no"* The only time transgender patients and their experiences are mentioned, and there is some red flag language in it. (I've tried writing and rewriting the following couple of paragraphs, but I just can't actually get my thoughts properly in order so appreciate some off-the-hand thoughts.)
I was a bit on edge once HRT started to be discussed in general, but I had pretty much calmed myself as it was mostly just being talked about for multiple pages by that point on cis women going through menopause or other puberty issues. But, for some reason, and I frankly can't really seem to fathom why, Dr. Comen decided to bring up the use of HRT for trans minors. Plus, the difficulties with treating trans men who don't want to come off of testosterone even if being on testosterone is damaging to their own health and exacerbating their cancer symptoms or even making the cancer itself worse (Dr. Comen is an oncologist, hence talking specifically about cancer here). The latter could actually be an interesting topic, if the right sensitivity to the topic is given, but it's just not given sensitivity, or really exploration at all besides about a paragraph.
I just ... ugh.
This total part about HRT as it relates to trans patients takes up only a little over 1 page so I don't see why this had to be in here, as the language is quite insensitive, honestly a bit TERF-y, and it doesn't really add anything meaningful to the discussion. There's nothing meaningful in that little over a page that isn't covered by other topics in the chapter (this was in Chapter 10 - Hormones: Endocrine - The Hormone Hangover) or in the book as a whole. All it did was make me seriously consider my decisions when it comes to reading this book. And then it just made rating this book really hard for me.
I know, I just took off points for a lack of intersectionality and then I say she shouldn't have included the intersection of trans identity. Personally, though, if you're only going to include a group to demean experiences, it is my opinion then to just not include at all.
Now, I decided to keep reading after that, and I do believe that Dr. Comen's writings after that were just as insightful and interesting as her writings before that were. I would also still recommend this book overall as a whole. But this book definitely could've been better.
And I can say that it was, overall, a great read. While the chapters were quite long (I'd say the average chapter length was around 30 pages; the longest chapter was 36 pages and the shortest chapter was 22 pages), and while I wouldn't necessarily say that it's a super quick or easy read, Dr. Comen broke things down in a really digestible way for a layman. There wasn't convoluted jargon. I enjoyed reading the case studies, both historical and modern, and getting the historical knowledge of all of the shit that doctors used to do (and frankly, still do). I think this is also a history that is important for patients and doctors alike to be educated on, since, as the book shows, many of these things do carry over to how women patients are treated today.
As others have said, though, this book lacks intersectionality and this is where the rating I was going to give started to decline. There is small bits here and there on how race factored into things, but it does leave things to be desired. Don't get me wrong, the book does mention that James Marion Sims's main "patients" (test subjects) were slaves (though I don't think it is directly stated in the book that they were Black women, obviously most can infer that from the fact they were slaves, but nonetheless it would've been something that I think could've been outright said), and mentions the forced sterilization of Puerto Rican and Indigenous women. But those are about the only two things in the entire book that touched upon how women of color were particularly targeted to be unwilling test subjects, and how women of color are still dehumanized and taken less seriously in medicine today.
Also, the part with James Marion Sims's "patients" largely actually is about a white (I'm assuming?) patient who willingly goes to him, and then he realizes from treating her what treatment will work on his slaves. So, truly, I don't think this book dealt
I think, though, I still could've justified a slightly higher, between a 3.5-star and 4-star rating at that point. But then ... page 282 (and the beginning of page 283). *Insert Raymond Holt's "Oh... Oh n... no"* The only time transgender patients and their experiences are mentioned, and there is some red flag language in it. (I've tried writing and rewriting the following couple of paragraphs, but I just can't actually get my thoughts properly in order so appreciate some off-the-hand thoughts.)
I was a bit on edge once HRT started to be discussed in general, but I had pretty much calmed myself as it was mostly just being talked about for multiple pages by that point on cis women going through menopause or other puberty issues. But, for some reason, and I frankly can't really seem to fathom why, Dr. Comen decided to bring up the use of HRT for trans minors. Plus, the difficulties with treating trans men who don't want to come off of testosterone even if being on testosterone is damaging to their own health and exacerbating their cancer symptoms or even making the cancer itself worse (Dr. Comen is an oncologist, hence talking specifically about cancer here). The latter could actually be an interesting topic, if the right sensitivity to the topic is given, but it's just not given sensitivity, or really exploration at all besides about a paragraph.
I just ... ugh.
This total part about HRT as it relates to trans patients takes up only a little over 1 page so I don't see why this had to be in here, as the language is quite insensitive, honestly a bit TERF-y, and it doesn't really add anything meaningful to the discussion. There's nothing meaningful in that little over a page that isn't covered by other topics in the chapter (this was in Chapter 10 - Hormones: Endocrine - The Hormone Hangover) or in the book as a whole. All it did was make me seriously consider my decisions when it comes to reading this book. And then it just made rating this book really hard for me.
I know, I just took off points for a lack of intersectionality and then I say she shouldn't have included the intersection of trans identity. Personally, though, if you're only going to include a group to demean experiences, it is my opinion then to just not include at all.
Now, I decided to keep reading after that, and I do believe that Dr. Comen's writings after that were just as insightful and interesting as her writings before that were. I would also still recommend this book overall as a whole. But this book definitely could've been better.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Torture, Medical content, Medical trauma, Gaslighting
Moderate: Cancer, Confinement, Racism, Slavery, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infertility, Rape, Car accident, Pregnancy, Classism
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Gore, Infertility, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Medical trauma, Abortion, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, Colonisation, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Classism, Pandemic/Epidemic
challenging
informative
sad
medium-paced
It was a good read in that it explained a lot about the history of women's health throughout all body systems. It was NOT a fun read. This is horrifying info, yet so accurate to experience. So much rage, both for the history of treatment, and with a couple of the doctors I'm currently having to deal with. So much and yet so little has changed in centuries of medicine.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Medical trauma
Moderate: Misogyny, Racism, Sexism, Forced institutionalization, Religious bigotry
Minor: Ableism, Body shaming, Chronic illness, Domestic abuse, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Infertility, Blood, Dementia, Abortion, Pregnancy, Classism
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Body shaming, Cancer, Chronic illness, Death, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Transphobia, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic
Okay I know I put a lot of them in Graphic BUT I put them in that category because, while done in an educational way, these topics are brought up several times.
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
sad
fast-paced
This title caught my attention because it perfectly described the lazy medical gaslighting my mom was subjected to over and over again for years before she finally learned she had terminal cancer. Every doctor had told her, literally, it was in her head and several of them prescribed her antidepressants. It was only during COVID when she moved in with me and I got her into MD Anderson that the head of the department, a woman, listened, had her tested, and confirmed it was cancer (I, a layperson, suspected cancer, even though none of those other highly educated ones did!). Because it was COVID, the subsequent testing to determine the type and stage of cancer she had took three times longer than normal, even though the #1 enemy of treating cancer is time. By the time she was given definitive news, she was told her only option was palliative hospice care. The cancer that was in her small intestine had metastasized to her liver, her skin, her breasts, her lungs, and basically her whole body. She died three weeks later. Her initial concern was her inability to eat without vomiting. Doctors told her it was because she was stressed and upset. Basically, they wanted her to stop being an emotional woman. If anyone needed to stop being an emotional woman, it was me, because I was pissed. I’m still pissed. If even one of those doctors had taken her more seriously and listened to her, she might still be alive and healthy today. She deserved better. Certainly, she didn’t have to suffer as much as she did for as long as she did.
In my own experience, a doctor misdiagnosed frozen shoulder and ended up telling me my only course of action available would be an expensive stem cell injection which would be temporary and would not be covered by insurance. (Asians and diabetics are highly susceptible to frozen shoulder, so this shouldn't have been a medical conundrum to him, especially given he was Asian too!) There was also my gynecologist. I'd grown several grapefruit sized tumors in my uterus called fibroids, and I was told they take years to grow. Given I was getting annual exams, I was shocked to learn how big they were because no one else had realized I had them. I was so grateful, but I dropped this doctor for three reasons: 1) she kept insisting I didn't need an hysterectomy since I was still in my 30s and fertile, 2) she scoffed at my question about how I would recognize menopause after an hysterectomy, given I wouldn't get a period afterward, and 3) she laughed at me when I told her I was more comfortable with women gynecologists since they ought to understand the female body better than a man and then told me hers was a man and she was very happy with him. (She also kept me waiting at least 45 minutes every time, and I just got fed up.)
So I already knew, instinctively, everything this book covered. Of course I didn't necessarily know all the medical content or medical history, but none of it was surprising. All of it was enraging. I would like to say that I'd recommend every medical student, especially men, read this book. Unfortunately, I fear they would dismiss me the same way all the men in the book dismissed women as unknowing, wrong, hysterical. For all the advances we've made, I don't think we've come as far as we want to think we have, as far as we absolutely need to be. I fear these advances will degenerate with MAGA policies waiting to be implemented and all the damage we are already seeing with antiabortion, anti LGBTQ+, and misogynistic practices already executed since the 45th administration.
I'm lucky in that I live in Houston. It's the largest medical center in the world. But this means that there are probably as many horrible doctors as there are excellent ones, and that it takes me many trials before finding doctors I can trust. This means lost time - both time spent and time taken off work - and lost costs in copays, tests, prescriptions, and even procedures. But it was also the only place that was able to give my mother the diagnosis we needed to know, even though it literally killed her.
If you are interested in learning more, I'd also recommend three other books I read this year, all of which I thought were excellent:
- Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women's Health by JC Hallman
- The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore
- It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (but Were Never Told) by Dr. Karen Tang
Update three days later:
I finished this book on Thursday. The very next day, I had an appointment with my doctor. It was a routine diabetic checkup. I explained to him I was ok with my blood test results, but a couple numbers were trending in the wrong direction, which made me uneasy. I explained all the ways I was combating those numbers and wanted help to reverse them back in the right direction. He chastised me for my concern since the numbers were still good and then proceeded to tell it was all in my head (literally used those words). He concluded the meeting by reiterating that my numbers were fine and that there wasn’t anything he could do since they were ok (again implying, therefore, what he explicitly said before - the problem was with me in my head, and then explicitly suggesting that maybe I should switch therapists since mine was obviously ineffective or go back to my dietician since she had helped me in the past). He then continued by again minimizing my concern that everything was fine and I should relax.
I’ve been in a bit of shock ever since. I’ve spent the weekend processing it, and I’ve decided to send him a copy of this book and explain I’ll be shopping for another doctor, one who will hear me when she listens and will actually take me seriously. I have the power and the right to be heard, and with all the doctors in this city, I’ll eventually find one who will.
In my own experience, a doctor misdiagnosed frozen shoulder and ended up telling me my only course of action available would be an expensive stem cell injection which would be temporary and would not be covered by insurance. (Asians and diabetics are highly susceptible to frozen shoulder, so this shouldn't have been a medical conundrum to him, especially given he was Asian too!) There was also my gynecologist. I'd grown several grapefruit sized tumors in my uterus called fibroids, and I was told they take years to grow. Given I was getting annual exams, I was shocked to learn how big they were because no one else had realized I had them. I was so grateful, but I dropped this doctor for three reasons: 1) she kept insisting I didn't need an hysterectomy since I was still in my 30s and fertile, 2) she scoffed at my question about how I would recognize menopause after an hysterectomy, given I wouldn't get a period afterward, and 3) she laughed at me when I told her I was more comfortable with women gynecologists since they ought to understand the female body better than a man and then told me hers was a man and she was very happy with him. (She also kept me waiting at least 45 minutes every time, and I just got fed up.)
So I already knew, instinctively, everything this book covered. Of course I didn't necessarily know all the medical content or medical history, but none of it was surprising. All of it was enraging. I would like to say that I'd recommend every medical student, especially men, read this book. Unfortunately, I fear they would dismiss me the same way all the men in the book dismissed women as unknowing, wrong, hysterical. For all the advances we've made, I don't think we've come as far as we want to think we have, as far as we absolutely need to be. I fear these advances will degenerate with MAGA policies waiting to be implemented and all the damage we are already seeing with antiabortion, anti LGBTQ+, and misogynistic practices already executed since the 45th administration.
I'm lucky in that I live in Houston. It's the largest medical center in the world. But this means that there are probably as many horrible doctors as there are excellent ones, and that it takes me many trials before finding doctors I can trust. This means lost time - both time spent and time taken off work - and lost costs in copays, tests, prescriptions, and even procedures. But it was also the only place that was able to give my mother the diagnosis we needed to know, even though it literally killed her.
If you are interested in learning more, I'd also recommend three other books I read this year, all of which I thought were excellent:
- Say Anarcha: A Young Woman, a Devious Surgeon, and the Harrowing Birth of Modern Women's Health by JC Hallman
- The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear by Kate Moore
- It's Not Hysteria: Everything You Need to Know About Your Reproductive Health (but Were Never Told) by Dr. Karen Tang
Update three days later:
I finished this book on Thursday. The very next day, I had an appointment with my doctor. It was a routine diabetic checkup. I explained to him I was ok with my blood test results, but a couple numbers were trending in the wrong direction, which made me uneasy. I explained all the ways I was combating those numbers and wanted help to reverse them back in the right direction. He chastised me for my concern since the numbers were still good and then proceeded to tell it was all in my head (literally used those words). He concluded the meeting by reiterating that my numbers were fine and that there wasn’t anything he could do since they were ok (again implying, therefore, what he explicitly said before - the problem was with me in my head, and then explicitly suggesting that maybe I should switch therapists since mine was obviously ineffective or go back to my dietician since she had helped me in the past). He then continued by again minimizing my concern that everything was fine and I should relax.
I’ve been in a bit of shock ever since. I’ve spent the weekend processing it, and I’ve decided to send him a copy of this book and explain I’ll be shopping for another doctor, one who will hear me when she listens and will actually take me seriously. I have the power and the right to be heard, and with all the doctors in this city, I’ll eventually find one who will.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Body shaming, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Drug use, Eating disorder, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Homophobia, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Toxic relationship, Transphobia, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Antisemitism, Medical content, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Pregnancy, Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment, Dysphoria, Injury/Injury detail, Pandemic/Epidemic