Details

ISBN-10: 0679735291
ISBN-13: 9780679735298
Publisher: Vintage
Publish Date: 09/01/1998
Dimensions: 7.90" L, 5.20" W, 0.70" H

The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls

Paperback

Price: $18.00

Overview

Girls today are in crisis — and this book shows why. Drawing on a vast array of lively historical sources, unpublished diaries by adolescent girls, and photographs that conjure up memories of the past, “The Body Project” chronicles how growing up in a female body has changed over the past century and why that experience is more difficult today than ever before. Girls’ bodies have certainly changed — they mature much earlier — but at the same time traditional social supports for girls’ growth and development have collapsed. The media and popular culture exploit girls’ normal sensitivity to their changing bodies, and many girls grow up believing that ‘good looks’ — rather than ‘good works’ — represent the highest form of female perfection. With an eye for the humor in as well as the pain of female adolescence, Joan Jacobs Brumberg shows how American girls came to define themselves increasingly through their appearance, so that today the body has become their primary project.

Read More
Reviews
"Fascinating ... riveting ... Women and girls should read this fine book together." –The New York Times Book Review

"The Body Project is a very informative, interesting history of how girls were raised and perceived by themselves and others. Each chapter provides a concise chronology of events and mindsets of many different issues. The events throughout this century have provided girls with increased freedom and knowledge; however, it has also brought about more risky situations and possibly even more self-consciousness about their bodies and appearance. We, as school psychologists, play an important role in helping adolescent girls (and even preadolescent females) realize that their bodies are not the most important aspect of themselves. They should learn to be proud of their accomplishments, character, and intelligence, and that external beauty is not a reflection of who they are as human beings. This may not be an easy task, but we, along with the rest of society, need to take these small steps in order to attempt to make a difference. I would recommend this book to anyone who works with girls of any and all ages as it provides good insight into not only the past and present perceptions, but implications and recommendations for the future as well." –The School Psychologist: A Publication of the New York Association of School Psychologists

More Reviews

Details

ISBN-10: 0679735291
ISBN-13: 9780679735298
Publisher: Vintage
Publish Date: 09/01/1998
Dimensions: 7.90" L, 5.20" W, 0.70" H
Skip to content