The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women

Amazon.com

In a country where the average woman is 5-foot-4 and weighs 140 pounds, movies, advertisements, and MTV saturate our lives with unrealistic images of beauty. The tall, nearly emaciated mannequins that push the latest miracle cosmetic make even the most confident woman question her appearance. Feminist Naomi Wolf argues that women's insecurities are heightened by these images, then exploited by the diet, cosmetic, and plastic surgery industries. Every day new products are introduced to "correct" inherently female "flaws," drawing women into an obsessive and hopeless cycle built around the attempt to reach an impossible standard of beauty. Wolf rejects the standard and embraces the naturally distinct beauty of all women.

Book Description

The bestselling classic that redefined our view od the relationship between beauty and female identity.

In today's world, women have more power, legal recognition, and professional success than ever before. Alongside the evident progress of the women's movement, however, writer and journalist Naomi Wolf is troubled by a different kind of social control, which, she argues, may prove just as restrictive as the traditional image of homemaker and wife. It's the beauty myth, an obsession with physical perfection that traps the modern woman in an endless spiral of hope, self-consciousness, and self-hatred as she tries to fulfill society's impossible definition of "the flawless beauty."

Customer Reviews:

New revised version supposedly has all the lies removed.......2007-09-05

In a Stalinesque move that would have impressed him, Wolf has quietly edited out all the false statistics and bogus claims of the original book and released the leftovers. No mention of this deception is given anywhere in the book, like when Stalin would remove people from photos and pretend they had never existed in history. Ha Ha! Nice try Wolf. It IS embarrassing being publicly exposed as a liar, isn't it? Maybe stick to facts the next time. Whoever is impressed by this bilge deserves to be misled, and will continue to be misled until they educate themselves with facts, or raise their intellects so as to be able to separate fact from fantasy. It would have won her a doctorate in Creative Statistics if it was an area of academic study. The problem with many of the 5 star voters of this book is that hatred too often leads to outrageous statements that can be accepted as fact only by fellow haters. Hatred distorts one's mental evaluative machinery, which is only too evident when one looks at works by fellow heterophobics Mary Daly, Andrea Dworkin, Susan Faludi, etc. The Germans made use of this principle well in the 1930s and 40s too, and it also worked here for a while.

Does Naomi Wolf realize yet that she has done more damage to the women's movement than help it in any way? The ammunition she has provided to men's groups has been like manna from heaven, as it is so easily disproved (see Christina Hoff-Sommers) and her thinking is sadly representative of a generation of women who have grown up with the distorted, 50% view of reality seen through a pair of feminist-colored spectacles. They earnestly believe they can make up statistics and get away with it like they get away with everything else in the society they grew up in. Well, a wake-up call for you, Wolf. Objective truth is no respecter of the hypocrisies of feminism and political correctness. Time will see your drivel condemned to the world's literary garbage bin where it belongs, where it will nestle comfortably with similar drivel from Daly, Dworkin, Steinem, MacKinnon, Faludi and other mysandronists.

Must Read For Feminists.......2007-07-30

From the affluent, white female perspective, but still very relevant. Wolf explains how women adopt a third shift to take care of their beauty. It keeps our minds occupied and our pocketbooks empty so we don't start a revolution. I consider it a must read for feminists and pro-feminists.

This might help.......2007-05-22

I actually wrote this comment as a reaction to one of the posts (under the comments section) but then realized that I meant it as a general comment on the book and people's reactions to it. I was fortunate in that I read this book in an academic setting. It was assigned along with many other supportive books, which together shore up any weakness in each respective argument.

But since that is not possible for everyone, I think that if you read this book along with Susan Faludi's "Backlash: The Undeclared War Against American Women," you might find yourself surprised about the subject of a conscious conspiracy to keep women down. Susan Faludi, as opposed to some of the complaints against Naomi Wolf, actually uses real interviews and facts to back up her arguments about the state of the public sector.

I completely agree with many reviewers that say it is important to read the book and make up your own mind, but you might get a better understanding of the situation, and what Naomi Wolf is trying to say, if you also read Susan Faludi's book. I was shocked and amazed by what I read, and without substantial facts to back up her arguments I'm not sure I would have put as much stock in them.

an oldie, but a goodie.......2007-04-16

Some of the stats and facts contained in this book are a wee bit dated, but that's a small minus in light of the many plusses of this powerful book! I started reading it, hoping I wouldn't like it and could put it aside but from the first opening pages, I was hooked!

On page three, Ms. Wolf writes, "The stronger women were becoming politically, the heavier the ideals of beauty would bear down upon them, mostly in order to distract their energy and undermine their progress."

Wow. So, fiddling around with beauty is something that keeps us distracted and distressed, and inhibits the realization of our full potential! Further, she writes, "The beauty myth is not about women at all. It is about men's institutions and institutional power" (p. 13).

If you're ready to have you eyes opened to the facts of women's beauty, take a few hours and read this book. You'll never look at a glossy woman's magazine the same way again.

Very insightful despite some flaws.......2007-04-16

The Beauty Myth explores the contemporary culture of feminine beauty. Its thesis made up of several parts:
1. That the concept of feminine beauty is more a social construct as opposed to a completely biological idea.
2. That it is very successful at debilitating women's progress within work, home, society, relationships, etc.
3. That this has been developed as a political tool, aimed at countering the advances of the feminist revolution.

I think she deals with 1 and 2 very well, however in 3 she falters a bit in that she is too conspiratorial without much proof. She makes it seem that she's talking about some conscious conspiracy to keep women down (this is how many reviewers have interpreted her) - I think this isn't what she was saying but she's not too clear on that point.

Even if you disagree with a huge chunk of what she says in this book, it will still bring in a host of insights that clear-thinking people will hopefully not fight to accept. For instance, she looks at how the "ideal-looking woman" has been and is being continuously redefined to be just out of reach.

Many will find it hard to swallow a lot of what she's saying, all I can say is read it and make up your own mind. However reading a lot of Amazon reviews of the book was very revealing as many of the negative reactions were very knee-jerk and quite brazenly dismissive even though a lot of these people have probably not read the book.

I personally agree with a lot of what Wolf says about society today and the way the female body is used as a political weapon - but no matter what you think this will be a very revealing and insightful read.

Eat Papayas Naked: The Ph Balanced Diet for Super Health And Glowing Beauty

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Eat Papayas Naked
Innovative and delicious

Eat Papayas Naked: The Ph Balanced Diet for Super Health And Glowing Beauty
Susan M Lark
Manufacturer: Silverback Books Inc
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Fruits | Cooking by Ingredient | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Healthy | Special Diet | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Vegetables | Vegetables & Vegetarian | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

The Inflammation-Free Diet Plan (Lynn Sonberg Books)
Dr. Susan Lark's the Menopause Self Help Book: A Woman's Guide to Feeling Wonderful for the Second Half of Her Life
The Spiritual Art of Being Organized
The Acid-Alkaline Food Guide: A Quick Reference to Foods & Their Effect on pH Levels
The pH Miracle for Weight Loss: Balance Your Body Chemistry, Achieve Your Ideal Weight

Accessories:

Tanita BC533 Glass Innerscan Body Composition Monitor

ASIN: 1596370017
Release Date: 2005-09-30

Product Description

Most women dont realize the importance of pH balance, nor are they aware that their pH balance may be out of whack. Acclaimed physician Susan Lark sheds light on this vastly under-discussed health factor. Includes an informative overview of acidic and alkaline foods, explaining how your body reacts to various foods and how to achieve balance through your diet. Discover the effects of pH balance on skin, hair, weight loss and detoxification. Youll be amazed by the results! Achieve amazing weight loss results by kick-starting your metabolism. Over 60 delicious, pH balanced recipes designed to counteract excessive acid and help you achieve radiance and increased energy. A natural treatment for arthritis, osteoporosis, and innumerable other diseases that affect women.

Customer Reviews:

Eat Papayas Naked.......2007-01-18

I love all Susan Lark's books that I have purchased but especially this one I am already seeing the results since incorparating this book into my diet. Thank you amazon for the low price that I was able to purchase the book for.

Innovative and delicious.......2006-07-14

This book is chock full of reliably delicious recipes which are composed of ingredients that so many of us are trying to incorporate into our diets. The dishes induce a feeling of satiety and health as they please your palate. Recipes are not difficult at all, nor filled with esoteric ingredients. This is a terrific cookbook.

Real Gorgeous: The Truth About Body and Beauty

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The truth...
Guide to self-soothing
Give Yourself a Break From Your Own Negativity
Laughter is the best medicine
Please buy this for every adolescent girl you know!

Real Gorgeous: The Truth About Body and Beauty
Kaz Cooke
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Exercise & Fitness | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

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Body Image | Health, Mind & Body | Teens | Subjects | Books
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The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women
Life Without Ed: How One Woman Declared Independence from Her Eating Disorder and How You Can Too

ASIN: 0393313557

Amazon.com

Kaz Cooke knew women needed a book that cut through the confusing and cruel messages about body image, beauty, eating disorders, diets, and cosmetic surgery. "Mostly, we needed a book that wasn't trying to sell us anything except self-confidence and the truth," says Cooke. "I couldn't find one so I had to write one." Written in the spirit of life, liberty, and the pursuit of body acceptance, Cooke playfully challenges some of the most oppressive misogynists of the 20th century: the beauty, fashion, and diet industries. Simultaneously funny and reassuring, Cooke boldly asserts her opinions and research on push-up bras (they dig and hurt), cellulite (it's a cosmetic company-induced condition, not a medical condition), and fashion models ("some of the most insecure, tortured souls around"). The cartoon illustrations offer comic and compassionate accents to this poignant discussion.

Customer Reviews:

The truth..........2007-07-16

Great book about women, self-esteem, & the research that has been done about mass media's impact. The pop culture references are a little dated but the message is still outstanding.

Guide to self-soothing.......2006-02-02

"Road to Hell is paved with good intentions" - that's an exact characteristic of this book. Busting the unrealistic self-image sold to (or stuffed into) us by media and corporations is a great intention. But the book runs to the opposite extreme. Its main message repeated over and over is "Whatever you are - that's normal. Don't do anything, trust you body in its candy cravings and food selection and be happy, even if you ARE looking like a space-porker." Excuse me, but our modern environment, food quality and living habits are far, far away from being normal. And to restore the balance, to get close to a slight resemblance of normal the huge work needs to be done, including strict restraining yourself from over-eating over-processed over-refined food and getting a lot and lot of exercise. Suggested 15-20 minutes three times a week is laughable, you might as well call pushing button on your TV remote an exercising...

Give Yourself a Break From Your Own Negativity.......2005-03-19

Who is Kaz Cooke and why haven't I heard of her? Cooke is another creative artist from down under. The Australian writer, cartoonist, filmmaker and columnist has a slew of works to her name. She is the creator of Hermoine, the Modern Girl, a colourful caricature who's also featured between the pages of Real Gorgeous.

Real Gorgeous is about body shapes, body parts, exercise, plastic surgery, fashion, dieting, advertising, modelling, eating disorders, responding to the body police and so much more. Yes, it's a women's book but it is often directed toward girls too. It touches on so many topics relating to the body and beauty; providing some research, some quotes and some of the authors own opinions. Each chapter has suggestions for further reading.

Real Gorgeous isn't a fat book but a body image book. Anyone is sure to find at least one of the anecdotes in the shadow boxes, placed throughout each chapter, to relate to. If there's one thing, this book shows it's that body image issues are more of a global issue than just within our group of friends. Canadians, Australians, and Americans are all dealing with similar issues regarding body image. Body image issues are also not delegated to one body type. Fat people don't have the monopoly on bad body image.

It acknowledges the impact of family, friends, media and self perception on body image. Cooke exposes the fashion and diet industry for what they are... People "trying to sell you something." She is quick to point out all the money we spend needlessly and what we're really getting for it. A real eye opener.

Cooke summarizes a lot of points from others work to back up what she's saying. Not a page goes by without a quote from someone else. Many relevant quotes from Penelope Goward appear. There are quite a few anonymous quotes like, "a New York make-up artist says..." which I found irritating and at times caused me to question their validity.

Sometimes it seems Cooke is checking to see if the reader is paying attention and will stick in nonsense comments, like during a listing of healthy eating she added, "Don't stick popcorn up your nose." Silly but unexpected and funny none the less.

There's an excellent section called Body Image Boosters the reader can return to again and again for ideas on how to give yourself a break from your own negativity. One of my favourite sections is what to say to the "Body Police". You know those people who never really have anything nice to say to you or who offer a compliment with a negative tag on the end.

Real Gorgeous is an informative, light read with many sections for the stop and start reader. It provides an alternative look at the body and beauty from a personal perspective and that of others. An excellent book to have around.

Review Originally Posted at http://largeandlovely.bellaonline.com

Laughter is the best medicine.......2005-01-31

Real Gorgeous is a well-rounded myth-buster about various aspects of the beauty and diet industries. The cartoons are crazy and humorous, the writing easy and witty. While definitely geared toward adolescents and young adults, the information isn't exclusively helpful to that age range. Recommended for any girls entering puberty or your Cosmo-obsessed friends who buy every new moisturizer & wrinkle-cream on the market. Actually, recommended to everyone just for the one cartoon about the devil and food.

Please buy this for every adolescent girl you know!.......2004-01-19

I got _Real Gorgeous_ as a 17th birthday gift, which is about 5 years later than I wish I'd read it. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed it. It gives you a cute, funny, entertaining look at the media's idea of "beauty", ways to have a more positive body image, why diets don't work, etc. This is advice that could help save many adolescent girls from falling into the typical pattern of low self-esteem, crash dieting, and body hatred. Best of all, it's presented in a light-hearted, positive, friendly fashion that nearly any girl will enjoy. Please do the girls around you a favor and introduce them to this fun, positive, uplifting book (after reading & enjoying it yourself, of course)!

Many Mirrors: Body Image and Social Relations

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Many Mirrors: Body Image and Social Relations

Manufacturer: Rutgers Univ Pr
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body

Average customer rating:

insightful critique of patriarchy/modern culture/postmodernism
This book was earthshattering!
Convincing
Brilliant, relevant, a must-read for feminists
Brutally honest, insightful, and most challenging read.

Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body
Susan Bordo
Manufacturer: University of California Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Feminist Theory | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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Similar Items:

The Male Body: A New Look at Men in Public and in Private
The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls
The Beauty Myth: How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women
Fasting Girls: The History of Anorexia Nervosa
Volatile Bodies: Toward a Corporeal Feminism (Theories of Representation and Difference)

ASIN: 0520088832

Book Description

In this provocative book, Susan Bordo untangles the myths, ideologies, and pathologies of the modern female body. Bordo explores our tortured fascination with food, hunger, desire, and control, and its effects on women's lives.

Customer Reviews:

insightful critique of patriarchy/modern culture/postmodernism.......2007-07-01

my favorite aspect of this collection of essays were the ones critiquing the excesses of postmodernism since they encourage a feminism grounded in reality. for instance, she critiques a music video produced by madonna in which she is the object of the voyeur. a postmodernist reviewer admired the film for playing with the boundaries of gender (due to a throwaway moment at the end of the video), but seriously, what is the reaction of normal viewers to the video? it just promotes the objectification of women. bordo acknowledges that race, class, and sexual orientation make it impossible to envision a quintessential female subject, but that power structures in society still impose similar demands of most women and postmodern critiques detract attention from reconstructing the power structures. her essays insightfully critique the media for producing images which encourage the repression of women (for example, images of slenderness, which values a "masculine" domination of the inner will). as a psychology student with faith in the ability of the clinical field to cure, her discussion of anorexia and bulimia as a culturally-driven phenomenon overcame my tendency to classify them as "psychological" problems.

as for her writing style, bordo is straightforward and persuasive. she presents examples to support each of her arguments, and she displays the power of philosophy to address societal concerns instead of being a field ultimately detached from the concerns of the modern subject. i would enthusiastically recommend this collection of essays to everyone.

This book was earthshattering!.......2005-04-25

The first time I read Ms. Bordo's book, I was so into it that I didn't get enough sleep that night. This book tells us the brainwashing media and society use to control women as well as to maintain the power elite. If the elite, media or otherwise, didn't use impossibly thin, beautiful, made up blonde women to keep them divided and in control, the whole structure would have collapsed long time ago.

Thanks Ms. Bordo for informing me about this, for I've been in darkness for many years.

Convincing.......2003-02-18

The one thing you want to keep in mind when purchasing this book: it's not a light read and it ain't supposed to be. If three syllable words throw you for a loop, stay away. If you feel every fat acceptance book you've read recently has insulted the depth of your intelligence, then read up! At the very least, you can't walk away from this book failing to be convinced that the world at large is at war with our bodies.
Warning: not a feel-good book! You'll be angry and start snapping at your husband, but righteous fury is where change begins.

Brilliant, relevant, a must-read for feminists.......2002-08-30

Although a challenging read for me at times, this book was full of "aha!" moments. I think Bordo nails it when it comes to how the issues women's size and appearance are portrayed in the media. I recommend this book highly to other feminists and those interested in media literacy.

Brutally honest, insightful, and most challenging read........2002-07-27

Susan Bordo's "Unbearable Weight" presents a thoroughly researched, well-balanced, detailed and illustrative account of the female postmodern "body politic." Bordo explores myriad concepts of the body juxtaposed against cultural norms and expectations. For Bordo, the body has both natural and cultural meanings, and gender is a social construct defined by men. Anorexia nervosa is simply a "logical" protest reaction against male dominance and the constraints of female sex-role conditioning. No doubt, while women were not chained in the dark shadows of Plato's "Allegory of the Cave," they were, indeed, shackled outside it but silenced. I, too, like these women, was manacled and confined inside the cave of male social conditioning and what it meant to be a man. And I did not find kindred spirits there. What finally emerged outside the cave was a man with eyes without a face with his very own protest and autobiographical "Sisyphus and the Struggle Within" written inside the heart on stone. While the body is, indeed, a heavy "unbearable weight," it can be made light and bearable through conscious self-definition and identity, mental and intellectual transcendence. Though it poses great danger, it takes Sisyphean strength and courage to break free from, and revolt against the barriers of dominant social control and gender inequality.

Slap on a Little Lipstick...you'll Be Fine

Average customer rating:

Fun and a great gift!
Must share with every woman you know
Read this book!

Slap on a Little Lipstick...you'll Be Fine
Jodi Hills
Manufacturer: Waldman House Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Beauty & Fashion | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

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I Am Amazed

ASIN: 0931674743

Book Description

Slap on a Little Lipstick…You'll be Fine celebrates the beauty of all women…their triumphs, their tears, their strengths and struggles, their journeys and joys - and through it all the smiles that mark survival.

This sassy gift book empowers women with thoughts on daily survival with fun and inspiring verse and art. Hills shares with us some of the empowering messages she learned from her mother and delivers it in a fun and empowering way. This book is the perfect book to share with a girlfriend, mother, sister, day care provider, teacher and more.

Customer Reviews:

Fun and a great gift!.......2007-01-25

This is a great gift book. I gave it to my friend for Christmas. She bought three more copies for some friends of hers.

Must share with every woman you know.......2006-09-07

This book would make an excellent contribution to any woman's collection! Life is a series of ups and downs and this book captures the essence of daily survival. Definitely a must have for every woman!

Read this book!.......2006-08-02

Okay, I admit it: I love Jodi Hill's work. She uses bold primary colors in her powerful illustrations. She uses strong, simple language in her message of joy and hope.

In 2004, Hill launched her writer/author life with Hope-So Too about a young adopted Asian child who adopts a puppy. It's a message of hope.

In Believe and I Am Amazed, she talks to women young and old--with words that make you want to buy copies for sisters, daughters and friends.

In this newest book, Slap on a Little Lipstick...You'll be Fine celebrates the beauty of all women. All of our mothers had such (sometimes inane) statements--some we grabbed onto, others we ignored and yet others we scoffed at. Using the lipstick print we've all left on napkins--and other places, Hill's illustrations are vivid and fun, as are her words.

Slap on is about women facing each day--making it happen ... surviving ... putting up with ... overcoming challenges ... laughter or crying ... sharing our inner beauty--all the while wearing Apricot Beige #7 or Antique Rose.

Like cosmetic companies that discontinued MY favorite color when it has become my daily dab on, life gives us changes, or stops something abruptly that we have become used to.

Jodi Hills says, "When you are a daughter, mother, sister or girlfriend--you are proof positive that daily surviving can be a beautiful thing."

Armchair Interviews says: Slap on a little lipstick...you'll be fine!

Fashion and Eroticism: Ideals of Feminine Beauty from the Victorian Era Through the Jazz Age

Average customer rating:

Quoted from inside cover:

Fashion and Eroticism: Ideals of Feminine Beauty from the Victorian Era Through the Jazz Age
Valerie Steele
Manufacturer: Oxford University Press, USA
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Accessories:

philosophy hope in a jar daily moisturizer

ASIN: 0195035305

Book Description

The traditional image of the Victorian woman presents her as strait-laced and prudish, her clothing an outward sign of her sexual repression and exploitation. This situation supposedly persisted until the Women's Rights Movement and World War I forced the world to acknowledge that women were
liberated individuals with legs. Yet Valerie steele demonstrates that eroticism formed the basis for the Victorian ideal of feminine beauty and fashion--indeed, that the concepts of beauty and fashion are essentially erotic. She shows that, far from being passive "sex objects," Victorian women,
like their modern counterparts, themselves chose to emulate an erotic ideal as an aspect of their own self-fulfillment. Even the notorious corset was neither fetishistic nor an unhealthy instrument of torture, she argues, although its comlex and ambivalent sexual symbolism aroused controversy.
Fashion and Eroticism shows how the New Look of "sexy" modern naturally from within the pre-war world of fashion and not as part of an intifashion movement.
Steele's conclusions are based on prodigious documentary evidence, including visual and material research, in costume collections in the United States, Great Britain, Europe, and even Japan. Fashiona and Eroticism is not only a radical revision of the Conventional understanding of Victorian
fashion; it is a major contribution to the histyory of women and sexuality.
About the Author:
Valerie steele received her Ph.D. from Yale University in 1983, and was the 1984 First Ladies' Fellow at the Division of Costume, National Museum of American History, the Smithsonian Institution.

Customer Reviews:

Quoted from inside cover:.......2002-01-15

In this fascinating new study, Valerie Steele shows how eroticism formed the basis of the Victorian ideal of feminine beauty and fashion, indeed, how the very concepts of beauty and fashion are in essence erotic. Far from being passive sex objects, Victorian women, like their modern counterparts, chose to emulate an erotic ideal as an aspect of their own self fulfillment and were not merely presenting themselves as men wanted to see them.

Fashion And Eroticism is not only a radical revision of our conventional understanding of Victorian fashion; it is also a major contribution to the history of women and sexuality. Steele offers a powerful and convincing new interpretation of the Victorian woman, who has traditionally been presented as strait-laced and prudish, her clothing an outward sign of her sexual repression and exploitation. Steele shows that the Victorians were, in fact, well aware that women had legs. Even the notorious corset was neither fetishistic nor an unhealthy instrument of torture, although its complex and ambivalent sexual symbolism aroused controversy.

Steele explodes the myth that progress triumphed over fashion. She explains how the twentieth century look of sexy, healthy beauty evolved from within the prewar world of fashion, and not as part of an anti fashion or dress reform movement. Her conclusions are based on prodigious documentary, visual, and material research (including the study of costume collections in the United States, great Britain, Europe, and even Japan), set within a sophisticated interpretive framework. Her use of psychoanalytic theory to explain the connection between fashion and eroticism is both lucid and persuasive, and her discussion of eroticism is sensible and precise, a far cry from the usual prurient and anecdotal histories of sexuality. Fashion And Eroticism approaches its subject from the perspective of the most recent work in womenýs history and concluded that fashion and feminism are by no means irreconcilable.

Customer Reviews:

Aesthetics for Every Reader.......2005-03-23

This compilation of essays is accessible for the non-scholar and covers a wide range of topics related to beauty and aesthetics. It touches on both traditional aesthetics and more inclusive aesthetic systems, and the various authors draw on everything from biology to popular culture. The approaches encourage us to think about our visual environment and the arts in new ways and remind us of how important, in today's world, are a fluency with the languages of beauty and imagery.

Average customer rating:

This book is AWESOME!
Score another point for hope!
To feel worthwhile
A true celebration of REAL women
An inspiring book about real women...

I Am Beautiful
Woody Winfree , and Dana Carpenter
Manufacturer: Sourcebooks, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Motivational | Self-Help | Health, Mind & Body | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1402206712

Book Description

A compilation of 50 powerful and beautiful essays with photos of women in their fullest glory--mountain climbing, dancing, spending time with best friends and reflecting on their lives and loved ones. Moving, happy and exciting moments are captured, as well as the self-doubts and challenges that all women face.

Customer Reviews:

This book is AWESOME!.......2001-10-11

I wish every woman in this country would buy a copy and spread the word! We focus way too much in this society on trying to look like everyone else, and "I am Beautiful" brilliantly celebrates the beauty in our individuality. Having this book on my shelf is like having an instant lifeline to an invaluable friend (only it's more like 100 friends!) to perk me back up on those days where I can feel my self esteem suffering because I don't look like all the picture-perfect women I see in magazines or on TV. I can honestly say that every single time I've sat down to read it I've either gotten goosebumps, or big tears welled up in my eyes. Something about this book just hit me right where it counts. I can't say enough about it. Thank you, Woody Winfree and Dana Carpenter, for creating this beautiful work.

Score another point for hope!.......2001-04-27

When I first picked up this book in a bookstore, I wanted to cry. To be honest, the tears welled up in my eyes. They weren't tears of sadness; they were tears of joy. This book is a welcome accompaniment to any home concerened with the importance of a woman's well-being, both physical and otherwise. The pictures are honest renderings of real women, women you'd bump into in the supermarket, or pass on a typical city street. The stories are the ones you've told to yourself time and again--here they are in unison, confirming everything you suspected about the magic inside yourself. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

To feel worthwhile.......2001-04-10

I was given this book by a dear friend because I have been exremely ill the past year and my self-image has become distorted and anguished. I have felt as though my life has lost meaning and my view of myself is no longer of that worth living. Reading this book was an inspired gift. As I read and observed each woman, I learned of the great differences in each person and how to cherish every aspect of that which makes us unique. It is a treasure to cherish for years and years to come.

A true celebration of REAL women.......2001-04-07

Hurray for a book that dares to represent the voices and images of REAL women of all ages and ethnicities!!!!! So often we are forced to read about the personal trials and triumphs of various celebrities on the subject of body image and self-esteem. While some of these stories may be insightful and even enriching, they're still the stories of an already select and sanctioned population who've been validated time and again by the media for a physical perfection that we everyday women should work hard, consciously or subconsciously, to emulate and admire. Now we can hear the stories of everyday women, women just like ourselves, who have important and poignant stories to tell. Thanks to the editors of this daring and moving book, these women have a forum that truly celebrates their opinions and reflections, and we readers have something to be grateful for.

An inspiring book about real women..........2000-05-04

The first time I picked up this book, I literally couldn't put it down. I was captivated by each individual story and one was more inspiring than the next. I think the best thing about "I Am Beautiful" is that it tells true stories of real women, not lofty celebrities that you really can't relate to. Each one of these women has a compelling story and every story is presented beautifully with text and a photo of each woman. I have read it several times and have shared it with friends. All of whom agree that this book is a winner!

Women in Italian Renaissance Art: Gender, Representation and Identity

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Women in Italian Renaissance Art: Gender, Representation and Identity
Paola Tinagli
Manufacturer: Manchester University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Renaissance | Schools, Periods & Styles | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Reference | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Instructional & How-To | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Painting | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Themes | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Women's Studies | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Arts & Photography | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books

Nonfiction | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
Similar Items:

Women of the Renaissance (Women in Culture and Society Series)
On the Beauty of Women
Virtue and Beauty: Leonardo's Ginevra de' Benci and Renaissance Portraits of Women
Dressing Renaissance Florence: Families, Fortunes, and Fine Clothing (The Johns Hopkins University Studies in Historical and Political Science)
Women and Gender in Early Modern Europe (New Approaches to European History)

ASIN: 071904054X

Book Description

This is the first book which gives a general overview of women as subject-matter in Italian Renaissance painting. It presents a view of the interaction between artist and patron, and also of the function of these paintings in Italian society of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Using letters, poems, and treatises, it examines through the eyes of the contemporary viewer the way women were represented in paintings.

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