Body Outlaws: Rewriting the Rules of Beauty and Body Image

Description

Pick up a magazine, turn on the TV, and you'll find few women who haven't been fried, dyed, plucked, or tucked. In short, you'll see no body outlaws. The writers in this groundbreaking anthology reveal a world where bodies come in all their many-splendored shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. In doing so, they expand the national dialogue on body image to include race, ethnicity, sexuality, and powerissues that, while often overlooked, are intimately linked to how women feel about their bodies. Body Outlaws offers stories by those who have chosen to ignore, subvert, or redefine the dominant beauty standard in order to feel at home in their bodies. In a culture where plastic surgery has become nearly as routine as a root canal, this expanded and updated edition of fresh and incisive commentary challenges the media's standard notions of beauty with honesty and humor. Included are several new essays outlining the latest trends in the beauty industry such as botox, plastic surgery, and exercise bulimia, as well as a fascinating analysis of how men are affected by these same rigors, a thorough resource section, and a curriculum guide. "

Ophira Edut is a writer, designer, and entrepreneur. She has been featured in numerous anthologies and magazines, including Ms., the New York Times, and Entertainment Weekly. She lectures at colleges and conferences nationwide about body image and the media. Edut lives in New York City.

"[Body Outlaws] is impressive both in its scope and its perceptive, inquisitive writing. Hats off to Edut for collecting a truly multi-ethnic, multi-racial, multi-everything ensemble."