Lauren Greenfield

As well-designed and engaging as this book and documentary may be, it is completely lacking in insight as to the disorder portrayed and the treatment displayed.

Eating disorders are not about being "thin" nor is treatment about "thinness." This poetic treatment lacks commentary but takes a point of view regardless and it is tragically wrong.

Those looking for insight or information about eating disorders will not only be disappointed but actively misled. If you want to understand this mental show more illness seek evidence. The despair and horror of this portrayal is not accurate and not helpful. In fact, it probably does a great deal of harm to patients and their families who see this, not to mention those portrayed.

If ED could write a documentary to promote its aims of destroying the life of patients, to mislead the public, to discourage seeking treatment, and to nourish nothing but despair, this is it.

Yes, I feel that strongly about it. I don't know if the writer/documentarian understood they were being used, but in fact I believe she was, by ED. show less

The most triggering book I have ever read. I was up intil 4 in the morning last night reading and re-reading this book, flipping through the pages looking at the pictures, and planning how I was going to be just like these girls. Sick, isn't it?
I was frightened a bit by some of the older women. They seemed so pathetic. That could be my future, I guess, but I was less afraid of such a grim future than I was inspired by these beautiful, thin girls.
I really want to see the film now. If the show more book was so triggering, I can hardly imagine what the film must be like. I'm going to order it on amazon today. show less

The stunning photographs of young women, interspersed with a few celebrities, are juxtaposed with essays told in first person by some of the girls themselves. Commenting on topics ranging from exotic dancing to weight-loss camp, competitive swimming to a high-school dance, these ladies are alternately self-assured and searching, confident and struggling to figure out what it means to be a woman in today's society. The images are important for the glimpse they give into the real thoughts of show more these girls, and reading them one is reminded of her own childhood and the desperation and exhilaration that is felt from one moment to the next. My one very small complaint is that not all of the girls who have contributed essays are pictured. The ones who are in the photos next to their essays are the most compelling because you are seeing the outward face of the person who just shared her innermost thoughts with you.
Anyone interested in women's studies, photography, or sociology will find this a must-read. show less

I lugged a copy of this home from the library after reading a review in Current Affairs magazine. I planned to just glance through the book briefly, but ended up totally hooked. It’s alternately depressing and infuriating, but thoroughly fascinating.