Scan barcode
Reviews tagging 'Physical abuse'
The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women by Naomi Wolf
3 reviews
sreddous's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
4.0
I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book (and about this author, I suppose). On one hand, I believe it deserves to be rated relatively highly because it sure does put descriptions and words to a lot of experiences I've had where I was thinking, "Oh, yeah, that totally happened to me! THAT'S what's going on with that??" and it was very helpful in helping me personally put words to my experiences where I toed the line with societal pressures and frantic calorie-counting and the other unhealthy beauty-related habits I struggled with over the decades. In that regard, I think this book was very helpful and enlightening about a lot of topics that are otherwise easy to just dismiss as "the way it is".
Not everything in this book has aged super well either though, and there are a lot of points that didn't sit right with me even back when I first read this as a high school student in 2004 -- for example, I think the passages about comparing plastic surgery to violence aren't well-researched readings into how people choose to have plastic surgery. There are of course people who do it for 'unhealthy coping society pressure' reasons, but there are also plenty of people who, eh, just weren't born looking the way they wanted to and want to tweak. I think this book doesn't leave quite enough room for people of any gender to say "my body is my masterpiece I'll do what I want with it" which I think is a feminist idea worth exploring!
Still, even if not every idea presented in this book sits right with me, there are still plenty of points that do. I think this is a text worth reading even if you read with a few grains of salt, and it's a good centerpiece for further discussion and critique, which is what I want out of a philosophical-type book anyway.
Not everything in this book has aged super well either though, and there are a lot of points that didn't sit right with me even back when I first read this as a high school student in 2004 -- for example, I think the passages about comparing plastic surgery to violence aren't well-researched readings into how people choose to have plastic surgery. There are of course people who do it for 'unhealthy coping society pressure' reasons, but there are also plenty of people who, eh, just weren't born looking the way they wanted to and want to tweak. I think this book doesn't leave quite enough room for people of any gender to say "my body is my masterpiece I'll do what I want with it" which I think is a feminist idea worth exploring!
Still, even if not every idea presented in this book sits right with me, there are still plenty of points that do. I think this is a text worth reading even if you read with a few grains of salt, and it's a good centerpiece for further discussion and critique, which is what I want out of a philosophical-type book anyway.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse
elisalasater's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Body horror, Body shaming, Sexism, Rape, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Medical content, Eating disorder, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Pregnancy, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abortion, and Physical abuse
Minor: Classism
itszosia's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Bullying, Religious bigotry, Fatphobia, Eating disorder, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Misogyny, Self harm, and Body shaming
More...