07 December 2007

Finally, another book

The Good Body by Eve Ensler (4.5/5)

A volume so slim and good, there's no excuse not to read it. If you liked The Vagina Monologues, you'll like this similarly structured book. If you found The Vagina Monologues off-putting or a little too... strong?, I bet you'll still like The Good Body.

Body image concerns are familiar to most everyone, even Eve Ensler. She writes:
It’s as if they’ve been given their own little country called their body, which they get to tyrannize, clean up, or control while they lose all sight of the world.

What I can’t believe is that someone like me, a radical feminist for nearly thirty years, could spend this much time thinking about my stomach. It has become my tormentor, my distractor; it’s my most serious committed relationship. It has protruded through my clothes, my confidence, and my ability to work. I’ve tried to sedate it, educate it, embrace it, and most of all, erase it.
The past few months, I've been a little obsessed with my own stomach. I was fine with it for a long time, even considered it sexy for a spell, and then some switch flipped; my slightly rounded stomach seemed wrong and it wouldn't be right until it was flat. Honestly, I haven't made much progress on that front with my sporadic workout habits and aversion to crunches. Still, every Sunday I measure my thighs and the chubbiest part of my stomach, a record of little change to feed the obsession.

I think it's time to cut back on the measuring and commit to exercising to increase my energy and strength, improve my sleep, and repel depression.

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