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The Body Project:  An Intimate History of American Girls
The Body Project An Intimate History of American Girls
Author: Joan Jacobs Brumberg
A hundred years ago, women were lacing themselves into corsets and teaching their daughters to do the same. The ideal of the day, however, was inner beauty: a focus on good deeds and a pure heart. Today American women have more social choices and personal freedom than ever before. But fifty-three percent of our girls are dissatisfied with their ...  more »
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ISBN-13: 9780679735298
ISBN-10: 0679735291
Publication Date: 9/1/1998
Pages: 336
Rating:
  • Currently 4/5 Stars.
 54

4 stars, based on 54 ratings
Publisher: Vintage
Book Type: Paperback
Other Versions: Hardcover
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

ange1ash avatar reviewed The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls on + 10 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 5
This book was a very interesting read for me. I felt that it was a good choice to read as the mother of a young girl.

Some of the history of how females were treated in relation with how they view thier bodies and thier functions, as well as thier sexuality really resonated in me.

Some of the most interesting parts of it included diaries of young girls over a long time. The author had managed to find diarys of American girls from the early part of the century on. I also found it facinating how ingorant the medical community was about females until surprizingly recently in history. It draws attention to things that were and are taboo for hardly any reason at all, as well.

I would recommend this book as a way to reflect on yourself if you are a woman, as a way to improve your mothering of a daughter if you are a mother of a daughter, and if you are a man (and can stand reading about periods and what not....) it takes a look inside a world unknown.
reviewed The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls on + 224 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Compassionate, insightful and gracefully written, this book explores the gains and losses adolescent girls have inherited since they shed the corset and the ideal of virginity for a new world of sexual freedom and consumerism - a world in which the body is their primary project.
reviewed The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls on + 6 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
Great commentary on the interaction of culture and self-perception.
reviewed The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls on + 11 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
In depth and accurate insight into American female body image and the culture that created and surrounds it. Loved it, but wrote several research papers on it, so I can't bear to pick it up again.
booklit avatar reviewed The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls on + 473 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
An important book for women to read. Insightful.
Read All 5 Book Reviews of "The Body Project An Intimate History of American Girls"


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