Reading List

Image References

Barbie: Four Decades of Fashion, Fantasy, and Fun
Tosa, Marco
New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc.
1997

Gardner's Art through the Ages
(Venus of Willendorf)
Gardner, Helen
U.S.: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich Inc.
1991

Kate: the Kate Moss book
Tilberis, Liz
New York: Universe Publishing
1995

The references to the above images in this web site are made under the fair use provisions of U.S. copyright law, which protect the reproduction of a work "for purposes such as criticism, comment, new reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research."

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Recommended Reading

Bordo, Susan. Unbearable Weight: Feminism, Western Culture, and the Body. Berkeley and Los Angles: University of California Press, 1993. "The absence of women from history reveals that women, like flesh, disappear, generation after generation... Bordo's calm and steady analysis of this history and its implications opens the way to a radical reformulation, which she stops just short of stating: to bring the body and women from the margin into the central arenas of Western culture would transform its stabilizing mind/body dualism, and thesis the task of feminism." - Carol Gilligan, London Review of Book
Review: A well researched postmodern study of how our culture has defined women's bodies. A great text for anyone interested in Women's Studies.

Ebersole, Lucinda and Peabody, Richard. Mondo Barbie: An Anthology of Fiction and Poetry. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1993. Barbie is a problem for many... A deep problem. Barbie is an American icon: the product of an adult's fantasy of a girl-child's toy. Or is Barbie the adult's toy and the child's fantasy? What happens when the adult fantasy collides with the child's fantasy? Sparks fly, as you will see from these stories and poems - some from Barbie's point of view, some about Barbie's impact on specific characters - by A.M. Holmes, Sandra Cisneros, Alice McDermott, David Trinidad, Marge Piercy, Rebecca Brown, Philip Levine, and twenty-six other writers, all warped by Barbie at a tender age. All that misplaced Barbie angst of your youth, all the childhood conditioning, is revealed at last in Mondo Barbie.
Review: A fun read. The pages of this book are pink! - enough said.

Edut, Ophira . Adios, Barbie. Seattle: Seal Press, 1998. (Introduction by Rebecca Walker) In fresh and incisive essays, twenty-eight young women expand the national dialogue about body image to include race, ethnicity, sexuality and power-issues that, while often overlooked, are intimately linked to how women feel about their bodies... A groundbreaking anthology, Adios, Barbie collects stories filled with honesty and humor by women who have chosen to ignore, subvert or redefine the dominant beauty standard in order to feel at home in their bodies.
Review: Its great to read about other women's struggles with body image and how they've broken away from society's hold and reclaimed their own bodies.

Goodman, Charisse. The Invisible Woman: Confronting Weight Prejudice in America. Carlsbad: Gurze Books, 1995.
Review: Goodman deconstructs the subtle and blatant ways that weight prejudice is presented in this country. She includes research as well as her own experiences to illustrate her points. This book convinced me to end my vicious cycle of dieting!

Halprin, Sara. "Look at My Ugly Face!":Myths and Musings on Beauty and Other Perilous Obsessions with Women's Appearance. New York: Penguin Books, 1995. Lyrically written and full of stories concerning women of all ages, cultures, and ethnicities, "Look at My Ugly Face!" examines myths of appearance that have been passed down through centuries of patriarchy. Exploring links between appearance, identity, and power, Sara Halprin shows how women can enter a complex and creative interplay between roles of beauty and ugliness, each imbued with its own magical powers.
Review: I'm still working on this one. I love learning about ancient female figures and myths like the story of Inanna, a Sumerian Goddess who celebrated her own sexuality.

Phillips, Katherine, PH .D. The Broken Mirror: Understanding and Treating Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Oxford University Press.
Review: I haven't read this one yet, but as the leading researcher on BDD, I'm sure Dr. Phillips offers a comprehensive and thorough explanation.

Pipher, Mary, PH .D. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. New York: Ballentine Books, 1995. Why are more American adolescent girls prey to depression, eating disorders, addictions, and suicide attempts than ever before? According to Dr. Mary Pipher, a clinical psychologist who has treated girls for more than twenty years, we live in a look-obsessed, media-saturated, "girl-poisoning" culture.
Review: With its many case studies, this book is very insightful into the very real issues young girls deal with every day. If you are the parent of a preteen or teen girl, READ THIS BOOK! Your daughters need your support understanding, and reinforcement.

Wolf, Naomi. Beauty Myth. New York: Bantam Publishers, 1992.
Review: Can you believe I haven't read this one yet, the most sited book on the topic of female beauty standards and their effect on women's self esteem! I'll get right on it. If you haven't read it, join me, and let me know what you think.