PLEASE UPDATE YOUR BOOKMARKS
You are currently viewing an old version of this website. The new version has additional content and can be found at a new location (www.isja.org.uk). This old version will be deleted at an appropriate time in the future.
Gender
A Woman's Place
by Naomi Wolf
- her commencement address at Scripps College - May 17, 1992
A short transcript of a speech in which Naomi Wolf gives
the audience of women "the commencement talk that was denied to me".
The Pool
by Margie
on About Face
A short, simple and powerful story by a 14 year old girl about realising
that "we had to live our lives to the fullest, and not kill ourselves by
constantly hating ourselves because of society".
Scale, Scale
by Julia Summers
on About Face
" Scale, scale, in the hall, who's the fairest of them all? Scale, scale,
whose dial goes round, did I gain another pound? "
From the Field Notes
by Irina Diyankova
on About Face
A short account of being bombarded by messages about weight "I feel furious
because I cannot escape these messages. They crawl into my mind when I
am tired and worn out, when I am half awake, when I am not ready to defend
myself."
Anorexia and I
by Nicole Schlesinger
on About Face
A powerful essay submitted to About Face by Nicole's mother after her death.
Chocolate Cake
by Katie Rainbow
on About Face
"I look at chocolate cake. and I see my friends who have to think too much
about it. And I see them as the most beautiful girls in the world. And
I don't know what to do"
The Emotional Immune System
and Why Weight Neutrality?
by Debora Burgard
on her extensive Body Positive web site.
These useful articles are representative of a much bigger body or writing on
this site (which suggests "Change Your Mind, Change Your Culture, and Let Your Body Be").
Fat, Thin and Power
by Judy Lightstone
on Psychotherapist.org
"We are taught in families, schools, on the streets... that a girl’s/woman’s
power can be primarily expressed in 3 ways: her physical appearance (especially
her heterosexual appeal, body shape and size), motherhood, and food.
"
Statement on Dying to be Thin
by Naomi Wolf
on Gifts of Speech - Women's Speeches from Across the World
A review of Naomi Wolf's book The Beauty Myth
by Laura Bryannan
This review provides some useful quotes from The Beauty Myth
The Porn Myth
by Naomi Wolf
on NewYorkMetro.com
"In the end, porn doesn’t whet men’s appetites—it turns them off the real
thing."
The Silent Treatment
by Naomi Wolf
on the New York Metro site.
The best introduction to this short article is a direct quote:
" Twenty years on, I am handing over a secret to its rightful owner. I... professor
Harold Bloom did something banal, human, and destructive: He put his hand on
a student’s inner thigh...he student was me, a 20-year-old senior at Yale "
Waiting to Sing
by Emily Habermehl
on About Face
"I justified my parents' hurtful insults by saying "they only say it because they care; they are just worried about me." I wonder to this day why they were so worried about the shape of my body, and
not the size of myself esteem or self worth. "
Pale Marigolds
by Claudia Parker
on About Face
"Dear Catalogue, I'm a lovely, wrinkled 62 year old white haired grandmother ...Until you do an about-face, and I find myself represented in your models,
I will NEVER, EVER buy anything from you."
Untitled essay
by 'Hannah'
on About Face
"While shopping for clothing this weekend, I noticed how many stores use the
word "woman" to designate their larger sizes."
Real Women Project (sculptures)
on the Real Women Project site
This page has photographs of the beautiful Real Women Project's sculptures
(of real women with real body shapes), with poetry. "They were commissioned
to provide real evidence of the real bodies of women in contrast to the
illusion of Barbie." "They are the same size as the popular doll. "
The Good Body
by Eve Ensler
on www.feminist.com
"In the midst of a war in Iraq, in a time of escalating global terrorism,
when civil liberties are disappearing as fast as the ozone layer, when
one out of three women in the world will be beaten or raped in her lifetime,
why write a play about my stomach?"
First Do No Harm
A guide for health professionals. I haven't had chance to read this, but an initial look is exciting and I suspect that it may be of interest to many. In the introduction the authors say:
"The information here is not a diet or weight loss plan. Instead, you will find alternatives to recommending diets and weight loss for clients. You may discover that the information presented is unlike what you have been taught. It is meant to provide you with a more balanced view of information available on weight-related issues and overall health. The facts and advice contained here may provoke intense emotions since they may contradict past learning and question the strong cultural ideals and judgements we have lived with for so long. "
The Mysterious Origins of Eating Disorders
by Dr. Alex Yellowlees
on www.swedauk.org
Quotes from the introduction to this article:
"Sooner or later, everyone who is touched by eating disorders asks the vital
question: just what causes these conditions to develop? It is the big question.
And it would seem reasonable to expect that science, psychiatry and medical
research would have the answers.
"
"I have come to the conclusion that the same issues that recur to block all potential
human development in society play their part here too."
"Issues such as ignorance, lack of education, misunderstanding, prejudice, fear,
the suppression of women, sexism, ageism and medical politics! "
A Personal Perspective/My Experiences
by Anna Paterson
on www.swedauk.org (and also www.annapaterson.com )
"I remember that when I was suffering from anorexia, I felt the need to
read other personal accounts which were honest, open and above all hopeful.
It is extremely important to understand the dangers and risks involved
with eating disorders but it is also VERY important to know that you CAN beat
them. "
Six articles from the book 'A Waist is a Terrible Thing to Mind'
To view these: click on any of the links I've provided - they all will take you to a page advertising
the book - look for the dots at the top right of the page and click the eighth
one from the left ("a circle of women'). I haven't read the book, but I'm a little discouraged by
the links page on this site - which in many cases takes you to standard 'womens' material (e.g. "Two-minute workouts for real results." and "lose 10lbs in 5 weeks")
'The Sabbath Meal' by Malkah Leah: Quote - "My mother died two weeks after
she told me about her lifelong eating disorder and struggles with her weight
and her
body and her incessant desire to be "thin and beautiful." I wasn’t present at the moment of her death, but I was told that at the end
she vomited profusely and then died."
'I Am Learning' by 'Judi': Quote - "I am also learning to take charge of—and
most importantly, to accept—myself"
'The Ice Cream Cone' by 'Laurie': Quote - "That was last year, when she was
10. Every Sunday after breakfast, Dad would weigh her. She dreaded Sunday
mornings,
because she never seemed to lose weight, and the look of disappointment on
her parents’ faces was difficult to bear."
'The Girdle, a Woman’s Best Friend' by 'Maxine': If you've read many of the
other articles listed on isja note that this article is the most different. Recommended.
'My Own True Voice' by 'Rosette': Quote - "Once upon a time
as a baby, I loved my body
but that was before..."
'Untitled' by 'Christy': Quote: "I know my parents only wanted me to be "happy" and they believed (and instilled in me the fact) that I could never be happy
or satisfied if I was overweight. What I wish they would have instilled in
me instead was the knowledge that people come in all shapes and sizes and that
physical appearance is not the only attribute about a person that is important.
Ordinary Ads, Everyday Images
by Catherine Redfern
on the f word site
"Catherine Redfern takes her camera out and about in London to analyse
the imagery shown in ordinary adverts. Do the representations of men and
women differ? And if so, how?"
Genderads.com
by Scott A. Lukas
This whole site is an analysis of gender images in advertising - a gallery
of images.
"Good places to look for more
The About Face site.
The Body Positive web site.
The Adios Barbie web site.
the f word web site (features by date page)
the links page on genderads.com
the links page on gender and advertising on the mcs site