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A review by maximum_moxie
Bodies by Susie Orbach
4.0
A fascinating read, one which addresses the dark side of the postmodern "body as performance". The book is both hard-hitting and largely free of academic jargon, which makes it all the more interesting; I profoundly identified with many passages, particularly those exploring the moralization of dealing with one's body.
I don't entirely agree with Orbach's analysis of body issues--she bases much of her model on psychoanalysis, and so reproduces the gender issues of that ideology. For example, her idea that body experiences and mothering practices in infancy cause body issues in later life places a huge amount of pressure on women to treat their children "perfectly". She doesn't explore the idea that making a "project" of one's offspring can be just as soul-destroying (for mother and child) as making a project of one's body. Despite this, her book is a concise indictment of current Western attitudes to bodies--a good introduction for those wanting to go deeper.
I don't entirely agree with Orbach's analysis of body issues--she bases much of her model on psychoanalysis, and so reproduces the gender issues of that ideology. For example, her idea that body experiences and mothering practices in infancy cause body issues in later life places a huge amount of pressure on women to treat their children "perfectly". She doesn't explore the idea that making a "project" of one's offspring can be just as soul-destroying (for mother and child) as making a project of one's body. Despite this, her book is a concise indictment of current Western attitudes to bodies--a good introduction for those wanting to go deeper.