An interesting history of the evolving relationship between American girls and their bodies that left me wanting more in the way of conclusions or recommendations. While populated with fascinating tidbits, I also found the writing a bit redundant here and there. ( )

An utterly fascinating look at body image and cultural beliefs through history. Even though girls have worried about different things at different times, the fact that we all feel inadequate or awkward at times because we don't fit the cultural norm remains the same. If only young girls today could learn to be at peace with themselves. ( )

I had not expected to enjoy this book, since others of a similar nature that I have read recently have disappointed for the most part…but, enjoy it I did. It was well written and easy to understand…with notes even. I was fascinated on the evolution of body image and cultural expectations of women from the Victorian era to the present day…very interesting. I think the “trouble” with sexuality, body image, and the like is not going to go away until “we”, as women, accept and embrace who we are and how we look…fat, skinny, small breasts or large…and acknowledge that whatever it is we feel we are lacking, the girl that has it is probably just as angst ridden at what she feels she hasn’t got…the trouble is teaching that to young girls…I know it has been a hard road to my own acceptance of my body. It was a good read! I give it a solid A. ( )

I'd read most of this book in segments in various course packets while earning my Gender Studies degree, but wanted to have a proper go at it. It's an excellent work that looks at the ways in which American adolescent women's attitudes toward menarche, clothing, fitness, virginity, and personal appearance have changed from the 18th century to the present. Brumberg's analysis is carefully considered and lucidly presented, and she deftly avoids slipping into shrill alarmism. "The Body Project" imparts a sense of the dangerous ways in which women have been encouraged to focus on the outer, encouraged all the while by businesses that see the potential for big earnings in adolescent insecurity. It's an accessable and entertaining volume whose enjoyment potential reaches far beyond the women's studies cachet. (Brumberg's bemusing insistance that body piercings and tattoos are signs of sexual deviance are the only reason I've failed to award it five stars.) ( )

A very interesting book in which the author discusses the adolescent female body and the changing expectations of our culture on that body over the last 100 years. She specifically focuses on menstruation, skin, dress, and sex. It is apparent that there have been problems at each stage in history. The present problem is of girls maturing earlier than they are emotionally ready to handle. She provides a solution to this problem, but it would require a huge change in thinking on the part of most parents. ( )

The one thing that seems to be missing in our eternal quest for sveltness is Perspective, with a capital P. All this navel gazing, or in my case, navel hating, creates this unhealthy vortex of self-obsessed negativity that has a gravitational pull the likes of a black hole. The Body Project by Joan Jacobs Brumberg provides this Perspective in spades. A history of Amercian adolescent girls from the 19th century to the 20th century, the book covers the changing attitudes concerning menstruation, skin, body image, and sex for this period. Consumerism as well as medical and corporate appropriation of subjects that were traditionally the domain of elder females is a constant vein throughout the 20th century. Another important theme in her book is the fact that girls now develop physically much earlier than before yet their mental development has not kept pace with their bodies. Although a girl may menstruate at the age of twelve, she does not have the maturity level to consider sex responsibly, nor does she know how to process burgeoning sexual desires. This gap in the physical/emotional development coincides with a new era of sexual freedom never before seen in history. Brumberg makes the point that the number of teenage mothers in the United States is a direct result of society’s neglect towards their daughters and that we need to begin instilling a code of sexual ethics in our youth. This, of course, is very interesting to me who has two prepubescent daughters. How to navigate them safely through this pop culture steeped in sexual references is no easy task I assure you, especially when you still feel like you are in the grip of these messages yourself. Concerning body image, Brumberg has several interesting points, the main one being that instead of outer control of our bodies in the guise of corsets, etc., we have internalised these controls for smaller waistlines, more sculpted abs and bigger breasts by dieting, and exercising. So although we can boast more freedom in terms of choices and opportunities today, young girls (and most women I know, including, I am ashamed to admit, myself) equate their self worth with the size of their waist and how they look in a slinky black dress. And this is why it is good to read this. On my quest to lose these last fifteen pounds (which may never happen) I am in danger of losing my Perspective. Initially I began to lose weight mainly because I wanted to be an example for my children. You know, show them healthy, moderate eating and exercise habits. Along the way, this laudable excuse morphed into a negative obsession with my body and has played havoc with my self esteem. After having read The Body Project, I am reminded of my original goal and would like to tack on a new one : try my hardest to make my kids know that they are more than the sum of their parts. I guess I should start by remembering this myself. ( )

good ( )

http://kdegelau.blogspot.com/2007/07/... ( )

Informative and interesting. A short read for interested parties. The discussion of how immigration to the US, cultural interaction and desire to assimilate influenced the American female pysche is of particular intrerest. Well researched. ( )

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 young woman, "Don't do that." If it's possible, it's better to show them how alternative paths can produce more fulfilling and better outcomes in the short term and the long run. This is because young 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. Dove's campaigns such as "Fight crows feet . . . on your elbows and your legs" are creating yet another additional Body Project 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 single 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 highly recommend young women at least scan this book and read the parts they may find of interest. Hopefully, young women will thereafter 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. ( )

Simply a social history of teenage girls in America, and how their "body projects" have changed through the years. It raises many questions - not the least of which is how I can teach my long-awaited daughter to respect/enjoy her body yet shield her from the harsh judgments of the media and her peers. She writes about menstruation, skin, weight, dress, sexuality -- and all the changes, freedoms and dangers we've seen. Girls have gone from being over-protected and told little to knowing too much with no protection; from being close to Mother and learning from her to independence of parental rules and learning from friends and the media.
All in all, she paints a bleak picture and I agree with much of it (having been through adolescence myself). It leaves me asking, how do we change this? She offers an idea of course, but (like Neil Postman's postulated solutions) it's unlikely to be tried.
(Review written in 1999) ( )