Product Description
"Timely and sympathetic . . . a work of impassioned advocacy."--PeopleA hundred years ago, women were lacing themselves into corsets and teaching their daughters to do the same. The ideal of the day, however, was inner beauty: a focus on good deeds and a pure heart. Today American women have more social choices and personal freedom than ever before. But fifty-three percent of our girls are dissatisfied with their bodies by the age of thirteen, and many begin a pattern of weight obsession and dieting as early as eight or nine. Why?In The Body Project, historian Joan Jacobs Brumberg answers this question, drawing on diary excerpts and media images from 1830 to the present. Tracing girls' attitudes toward topics ranging from breast size and menstruation to hair, clothing, and cosmetics, she exposes the shift from the Victorian concern with inner beauty to our modern focus on outward appearance--in particular, the desire to be model-thin and sexy. Compassionate, insightful, and gracefully written, The Body Project explores the gains and losses adolescent girls have inherited since they shed the corset and the ideal of virginity for a new world of sexual freedom and consumerism--a world in which the body is their primary project."Joan Brumberg's book offers us an insightful and entertaining history behind the destructive mantra of the '90s--'I hate my body!'" --Katie Couric

Amazon.com Review
Adolescent girls today face the issues girls have always faced: "Who am I?" and "Who do I want to be?" Unfortunately their answers, now more than ever before, revolve around the body rather than the mind, heart, or soul. "The body is at the heart of the crisis that [Carol] Gilligan, [Mary] Pipher, and others describe.... The fact that American girls now make the body their central project is not an accident or a curiosity," writes Brumberg, "it is a symptom of historical changes that are only now beginning to be understood." The historical photos, thorough research, and political even-handedness make this a book of worth and sincerity. The Body Project is also comforting for women, adolescents, parents, lesbians, and male lovers of women--helping us sort out the roots of female insecurities, obsessions, and angst.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 4.0 based on 47 reviews)

order received promptly and in good condition by BH (Seattle, WA USA)

5 Stars
September 16, 2009
An interesting and insightful study of the history and evolution of American girls' body image.

Not What You Think - But So Much Better! by solaceinfables

5 Stars
January 15, 2009
If your looking for lengthy, impassioned essays on women's bodies and how the media portrays them, it's not here. This isn't one of those overdone, factually questionable FEMINIST-HUZZAH books that will make the average reader roll his or her eyes (and I say this being a feminist and having read and enjoyed quite a few of those books). This actually provides an exceptionally insightful look into the history of woman's body in America. The book is broken up by body part / issue (acne, skin, the hymen, weight, etc). Each section traces the changing values and attitudes towards that particular issue, sans judgement or preaching. You're not going to get a lot of "the evil media" jabber with this book - you're going to get a well-researched observation. This book is critical to modern-day social studies and sociology as well as gender theory. If this is a subject that you find intriguing or if you're a women's studies/psych/us history/sociology student, this book will prove invaluable. (If not, you will probably be bored--it's intellectually engaging, but not a heart-pounding page-turner.)

the body by Reak Kovacs (USA)

4 Stars
August 15, 2008
made me think about things a little diffrent. It has some really good facts and info in it. Not the best book on the subject but still good.

Unfulfilled Potential by A. Centuolo (NJ)

2 Stars
April 16, 2008
The Body Project does shed some insight into a narrow group of American girls, primarily focusing on how life has evolved over the past 2 centuries for white, middle class adolescents. It is now, itself, though, a dated book. Internet and media's impact on "Our Girls" have left this book in the dust. While it still may be read for Brumberg's personal perspective into the transformation out of the Victorian mentality, and through the sexual and feminism movements of the 1900's, the book is neither objective nor very relelvent to our country's diverse cultural makeup today. Unfortunately, from the time I read the title, through each chapter subtitle, I was left with unfulfilled expecations. Nevertheless, I am happy to at least walk away with interesting tidbits on commercialization of menstrual products, bras, and even the historical preoccupation with hymens.

Understanding a Cultural Obsession by One More Option (USA)

5 Stars
April 23, 2007
Topic: - The book is the author's historical perspective, suggesting there are ever increasing visual evaluations and body standards being placed on American Girls. Commentary: - The book does an excellent job of bringing attention to the messages girls are constantly bombarded with from all forms of media, advertising and cultural rules, messages that try to persuade them their body should have certain attributes and not have other attributes. It outlines how with each new generation, new social visual ideals are added. From shaving legs, to waxing, to eyebrow control, to hairstyles, to overall weight, to muscle tone, to bad breath, to body odor, to feminine hygeine, to piercings, to tattoos, to teeth straightening, to belly button length, to breast shape, to teeth whitening, and on and on. Writing Style: - I thought the premise and supporting facts of this book were excellent, but if I have to fault one aspect of the book, it is that the writing sometimes lost my attention - this occurred even though I greatly care about the issues discussed in the book. What would have made this book better?: - There is an inherent conflict in these issues: How do you make "not being a pawn to these social pressures" interesting and sexually attractive? One of the main draws that advertisers and social forces use is: IF you perfectly control your body and develop these many attributes, THEN you'll be more well liked, treated better, more in control, or more sexually attractive. For the book to have been even better, it needed to spend more time promoting non-conformist beauty ideals and conceptual frameworks. In other words, it needed to do more to show how NOT persuing a "body perfect" can lead to better social relationships, understanding, attractiveness, etc. It's not enough to tell a person, "Don't do that." It's better to show them how alternative paths can produce more fulfilling and better outcomes. This is because women are constantly bombarded with the opposing messages of: "Make your body perfect" and you will receive _____ (fill in the blank). Why did I write this review?: - I read this book about a year ago, and I didn't feel compelled to write a review. But one of the attributes of a great idea or a great book of ideas is the longer the ideas are considered in your brain (the more evidence and scenarios you evaluate using those ideas), the more those ideas resonate with 'truth' or significance. Like most people, I use the internet often. I'm just sickened by the frequency of visual beauty ads. From wrinkle creams, to Stry-Vectyn, to Bo-Tox, to acne-fighters, and every other blemish or age-fighting cream, lotion, or potion. The same messages are coming from T.V. Dove has launched a "Real Beauty" campaign, where they show women with "non-ideal" body types and weight ranges. And while I can admire some of the premise, which is: "Beauty is broader than the narrow definitions of supemodel advertising," I am also saddened as Dove, a cosmetic company, has also introduced the suggestion: Older women and non-ideal women need to spend more money on our beauty products. Olay's campaign of "Fight crows feet . . . on your elbows and your legs" is creating additional Body Projects for women to be concerned about. Given the constant messages and pressures American women receive, I expect most women have dealt with an eating disorder or OCD mindset about their physical appearance. After reading this book, I admire every woman who has managed to overcome our culture's body obsession and who has found a way to moderate their eating habits and perceptions of their body. I recommend at least scanning this book to find any topics of interest. Hopefully, young women who have read this book will be more able to recognize the unnecessary demands and often unreachable standards being asked of them. Hopefully they will learn to define their beauty, and the beauty of the women around them, using more non-body-defined benchmarks.

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