Dr. Renee Engeln is a professor at Northwestern University, where she teaches about psychopathology, the psychology of women and gender, social psychology, and the psychology of human beauty. She is an award-winning professor, having amassed over a dozen teaching awards at both Loyola University and Northwestern. To all people really - a must read for personal development, cultural understanding and self compassion. Award-winning Northwestern University psychology professor Dr. Renee Engeln reveals how the cultural obsession with women's appearance is an epidemic that harms their ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Naomi Wolf, Peggy Orenstein, and Sheryl Sandberg. An award-winning Northwestern University psychology professor reveals how the cultural obsession with women's appearance is an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Naomi Wolf, Peggy Orenstein, and Sheryl Sandberg.

If we train young women to believe their most important asset is their appearance … It is no coincidence that when women say things men don't like, the response is often not a critique of their ideas, but a critique of their appear-ance. This is the logical outcome of seeing women as objects instead of as human beings.” Talk positively about what your body can do and talk with your kids about what their bodies can do. Reading this book made me excited to talk with my kids about things that we love that our bodies can do. I would like to say, "My body made you! My body allows me to cuddle with you guys, go on walks, laugh, read, swing, bake, and write. I like to do things that give me energy and that will help my body have energy and feel good for a long time so that I can keep doing things with our family. What do you like about your body?" An award-winning psychology professor reveals how the cultural obsession with women's appearance is an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Peggy Orenstein and Sheryl Sandberg.There's a lot of righteous indignation in here, and it gets pretty pretentious. Especially that bit at the end, where she's like "I mean I guess... some women... want to look pretty and they enjoy it... but THINK about it really THINK about it" really rubbed me the wrong way. Though it could just be because I am someone who likes to put effort into my appearance because I like it. We preach body confidence, but we live in a culture that doesn’t quite know what to do with a woman who actually likes the way she looks. It’s considered arrogant and even unfeminine. Think of the recent hit One Direction song that made the claim that a woman was beautiful precisely because she didn’t know she was beautiful. We need to question a culture that tells women they must be beautiful to be loved, but that they shouldn’t actually feel beautiful or we’ll find them conceited.”

I particularly admired Engeln’s criticism of the highly lauded Dove beauty campaign. She broke down exactly why the campaign is not empowering. I already agreed with Engeln, and her examination only reinforced that agreement. Dove has good intentions, but, as Engeln explained, the company is misguided and its campaign problematic. Also enlightening is her very needed argument against fat shaming as motivation to lose weight and the parts on the influence of parenting and self-objectification (especially pertinent). An award-winning Northwestern University psychology professor reveals how the culturalobsession with women's appearanceis an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Naomi Wolf, Peggy Orenstein, and Sheryl Sandberg. Recently I was with friends & plastic surgery came up— one said since everyone is doing it, it’s only a matter of time we do too, otherwise we’ll “fall behind.” Another agreed & said her job depends on it. While I vehemently disagreed, I sadly understood where their thinking came from— we do live in a world where beauty is currency & is often valued above most else. The thing is--Engeln had some good ideas, and I think her thesis as a whole is something that is worth looking in to. Also, CICO isn't going to not work because of your magical metabolism. You're eating less/more than you think, or you're a fidgeter, or you walk around a lot more, et cetera et cetera et cetera.

Customer reviews

An award-winning psychology professor reveals how the culturalobsession with women's appearanceis an epidemic that harms women's ability to get ahead and to live happy, meaningful lives, in this powerful, eye-opening work in the vein of Peggy Orenstein and Sheryl Sandberg. This was a great book. I listened to it on audiobook and every day I came home with things to talk about with my wife.

I have often said that there's a handbook for boys and a handbook for girls but it's unfair that the boys handbook doesn't say anything about girls while the girls handbook includes the boys handbook in its entirety. I know that's just my own silly idea, But what I enjoyed so much about this book is I feel like I really gain some insight into The pressure that women and girls face. I also gained insight into how the culture how of the world, USA particulary, can be so detrimental to women and girls. This toxic environment is sometimes self inflicted, Not always intentional and not always with malice but there is a hill to climb nonetheless.

Non ci vogliamo veramente far mancare nulla, come sempre siamo troppo avanti in materia di femminismo.