Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession with Appearance Hurts Girls and Women Paperback – 31 May 2018

I enjoyed this book very much - it addresses a subject at the forefront of many women's minds, namely the importance of how they look. Social, printed and visual media all contribute to making women 'beauty sick' - suffering because their lives are a constant struggle to look as good as the images they are bombarded with every day. I would argue though that looking and feeling good ARE important for making your mark on the world, and that paying attention to how you look need not detract from whatever else you do in life; the author argues against the kind of obsession that fuels eating disorders, but the book can read at times as though any attention to apprearance is a bad thing. But this book does have a very important message, especially for today's young girls.

One of the most brilliant and illuminating books you will find. I cannot recommend more highly. A fascinating insight into the effects of the ‘Beauty’ industry on girls and women and what this culture in which we live can do to us. I am a father of two daughters and one son and I want them all to read this! Has completely changed my outlook on life

Everyone should read this book.

Engeln brilliantly captures and unpacks the individual and shared relationship with beauty that women in our society face. In an age where beauty and perfection is fed to us at painfully extreme levels through social media and societal expectations, her writing is nothing short of crucial. Through data collections and conclusive analyses, she dissects the psychological effects of contemporary beauty standards and the level to which this standard is enforced. The strongest depictions take the form of interviews with women of all ages and from all demographics, who intimately explain their journeys with beauty ideas that are all shockingly relatable. From the way we interact with our friends, our mirrors, our phones, and our adolescence, Engeln's examples illustrate just how dangerous the obsession with beauty is on ourselves. Instead of opting for a completely hopeless tone, Engeln suggests attainable ways to navigate such a culture through examples of women and businesses that combat the high brain space that beauty occupies. From workout classes, to 'mirror conversations,' to physiological conversations, she balances scientific jargon with empowering suggestions to spell out just how we can attainably navigate this underrated and prevalent part of our society. The reader is left with a supportive sense of community, and the freeing feeling that comes from when we are told we should just move on.

Great and interesting read.

This book has changed my life. It is like a modern version of The Beauty Myth! Would recommend to girls and women of all ages

This book was recommended as a great read to find tangible solutions to the epidemic we have of beauty sickness in the world, especially for young women. To my dismay, around page 30ish women's struggles start getting compared to the struggles of transgender "women", and it goes on to jump to the conclusion that it is the reason for "Gender Inequality" - and on and on it goes. And to "prove" its points the book keeps saying the same things and giving testimony of poor young girls who are victims of this exact mentality!You want to fix beauty sickness (which is definitely real)? Stop reading this garbage and buying into the liberal mentality.

The book is cheaply made, and just boring