Amazon.com: Kaz Cooke knew women needed a book that cut through the confusing and cruel messages about body image, beauty, eating disorders, diets, and cosmetic surgery. "Mostly, we needed a book that wasn't trying to sell us anything except self-confidence and the truth," says Cooke. "I couldn't find one so I had to write one." Written in the spirit of life, liberty, and the pursuit of body acceptance, Cooke playfully challenges some of the most oppressive misogynists of the 20th century: the beauty, fashion, and diet industries. Simultaneously funny and reassuring, Cooke boldly asserts her opinions and research on push-up bras (they dig and hurt), cellulite (it's a cosmetic company-induced condition, not a medical condition), and fashion models ("some of the most insecure, tortured souls around"). The cartoon illustrations offer comic and compassionate accents to this poignant discussion.
Funny and great book! I read this book then purchased it as gifts for several friends. Its written by an Australian author who uses amusing and straight forward language to illustrate how media and other influences impact our self esteems and how to begin to deal with it. This book is well-written and is a great book for people who want to have a realistic and balanced perspective on their bodies.
The truth... Great book about women, self-esteem, & the research that has been done about mass media's impact. The pop culture references are a little dated but the message is still outstanding.
Guide to self-soothing "Road to Hell is paved with good intentions" - that's an exact characteristic of this book. Busting the unrealistic self-image sold to (or stuffed into) us by media and corporations is a great intention. But the book runs to the opposite extreme. Its main message repeated over and over is "Whatever you are - that's normal. Don't do anything, trust you body in its candy cravings and food selection and be happy, even if you ARE looking like a space-porker." Excuse me, but our modern environment, food quality and living habits are far, far away from being normal. And to restore the balance, to get close to a slight resemblance of normal the huge work needs to be done, including strict restraining yourself from over-eating over-processed over-refined food and getting a lot and lot of exercise. Suggested 15-20 minutes three times a week is laughable, you might as well call pushing button on your TV remote an exercising...
Give Yourself a Break From Your Own Negativity Who is Kaz Cooke and why haven't I heard of her? Cooke is another creative artist from down under. The Australian writer, cartoonist, filmmaker and columnist has a slew of works to her name. She is the creator of Hermoine, the Modern Girl, a colourful caricature who's also featured between the pages of Real Gorgeous.
Real Gorgeous is about body shapes, body parts, exercise, plastic surgery, fashion, dieting, advertising, modelling, eating disorders, responding to the body police and so much more. Yes, it's a women's book but it is often directed toward girls too. It touches on so many topics relating to the body and beauty; providing some research, some quotes and some of the authors own opinions. Each chapter has suggestions for further reading.
Real Gorgeous isn't a fat book but a body image book. Anyone is sure to find at least one of the anecdotes in the shadow boxes, placed throughout each chapter, to relate to. If there's one thing, this book shows it's that body image issues are more of a global issue than just within our group of friends. Canadians, Australians, and Americans are all dealing with similar issues regarding body image. Body image issues are also not delegated to one body type. Fat people don't have the monopoly on bad body image.
It acknowledges the impact of family, friends, media and self perception on body image. Cooke exposes the fashion and diet industry for what they are... People "trying to sell you something." She is quick to point out all the money we spend needlessly and what we're really getting for it. A real eye opener.
Cooke summarizes a lot of points from others work to back up what she's saying. Not a page goes by without a quote from someone else. Many relevant quotes from Penelope Goward appear. There are quite a few anonymous quotes like, "a New York make-up artist says..." which I found irritating and at times caused me to question their validity.
Sometimes it seems Cooke is checking to see if the reader is paying attention and will stick in nonsense comments, like during a listing of healthy eating she added, "Don't stick popcorn up your nose." Silly but unexpected and funny none the less.
There's an excellent section called Body Image Boosters the reader can return to again and again for ideas on how to give yourself a break from your own negativity. One of my favourite sections is what to say to the "Body Police". You know those people who never really have anything nice to say to you or who offer a compliment with a negative tag on the end.
Real Gorgeous is an informative, light read with many sections for the stop and start reader. It provides an alternative look at the body and beauty from a personal perspective and that of others. An excellent book to have around.
Review Originally Posted at http://largeandlovely.bellaonline.com
Laughter is the best medicine Real Gorgeous is a well-rounded myth-buster about various aspects of the beauty and diet industries. The cartoons are crazy and humorous, the writing easy and witty. While definitely geared toward adolescents and young adults, the information isn't exclusively helpful to that age range. Recommended for any girls entering puberty or your Cosmo-obsessed friends who buy every new moisturizer & wrinkle-cream on the market. Actually, recommended to everyone just for the one cartoon about the devil and food.
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