The Beauty Myth : How Images of Beauty Are Used Against Women

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Summary: Timeless and enlightening study of gender issues
Review: I picked this one up after her "Fire With Fire" piece, which boredom prevented me from finishing. I was so pleased that the exceedingly important material was more comprehensible in the case of this book. Sure it scares people - read the other reviews - but it is truthful, well-researched, and thought-provoking material that welcomes debate even after nine years. This FACT, as shown in the other reviewers emotional responses, is proof of the value of this book.

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Summary: a real eye-opener..
Review: the title is self-explanatory..a very impressive book.made me see myself in an entirely different light.one basic message-love yourself.thumbs up,ms wolf..great job.

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Summary: Strong and insightful
Review: Wolf writes in a strong clear no-nonsense manner on a subject shrouded in controversy. This book touches scars gone long unseen by the victims themselves, women. Women are victims of them selves, the question is why, and this is the meat Wolf is after. She presses through "surface agruments" with ease striking home with the Beauty Myth in a way that seems almost paranoid but oddly solid. If you ever wanted a new pair of eyes to see through, "The Beauty Myth" will supply and with passion to spare.

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Summary: Still controversial after nearly 10 years....
Review: Reading the other readers reviews, I am still in awe that this book, written 7 years ago, still gets folks into a rage, which it is supposed to do. One reviewer states that "we already know this stuff anyway.." written in Jan. of 1999. We know this 'stuff' because Wolfe pointed it out. Wolfe was raised during the 60's and 70's when bra banning was in and feminism was not yet a dirty word. This is the second time within nearly a decade that I have read the book....and if you can get past the beginning, it still has meaning. It remains required reading for women studies at many universities and is as controversial and enraging today as it was when first published. It will certainly go down in history as a 'feminist writing'. For that alone, it is worth spending the ten bucks and reading.

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Summary: HOW CAN BIOLOGY BE A MYTH?
Review: This book claims that girls and women are sold images of beauty that in the worst case cause 10's of thousands of deaths due to things like anorexia. Firstly, this is not true. The actual number is closer to one hundred. Secondly, the basic idea makes little sense since it blames others for the beauty myths women buy. Each of us are every day subject to salesman who would sell us everything conceivable until our last penny and then some was exhausted.But this doesn't happen.Even if it did it would say more about women than it would say about salesman. And, if women buy stuff Ms. Wolf doesn't like because they want to be as pretty as Ms. Wolf(she is georgous) why should she object anyway? Let her be ugly, or average, or at least hide her beauty, before she writes such a book! In fact women try to be beautiful to attract men. It is what biology intended. Men become doctors lift weights and do all sorts of silly and practical things to attract women too;again as biology intended. Since we can't overcome biology anymore than we can overcome,say, hunger why not seek harmony rather than conflict. Many books take a broader and more intelliectual look at beauty than Ms. Wolf's purely political tract. Try "The Descent of Woman" by Morgan or "The 91% Factor:Why Women Initiate 91% Of Divorce" for a non-partisan look at why biology really created beauty.

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Summary: A book to read very carefully
Review: Naomi Wolf is of course famous for being a very pretty affluent white woman who went to Yale and married a wealthy magazine publisher. And so I was surprised that this is often an intelligent and even thoughtful book, not at all as silly as you might think (even though Wolf is infamous for claiming that 150,000 women starve themselves to death every year in this country). Much more than Susan Faludi, another commentator on women's issues and famous for 'Backlash', Wolf looks at the ways this society makes women dislike their own bodies to the extent that they sometimes dislike themselves. I can't help but think that, after seeing Wolf throw her beautiful hair around and poke her bosom out at reporters, she was practically pinching herself with pleasure to have written a book on the 'beauty myth' which so many women have bought, but she's actually pretty intelligent too. Highly recommended.

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Summary: Good for Men, Too...
Review: The cover quote calls this a must-read for all women. I would include men in that, as well. Or, at least all men who care about gaining greater understanding of women. I found that Wolf gets a bit heavy-handed at times, especially toward the beginning of the book, but she more than makes up for it with compelling arguments and plenty of supporting evidence. She opened my eyes to the reality of the ubiquitous, yet almost invisible, beauty myth, and I have been able to see many more examples on my own since reading the book. I feel the urge to give a copy to every woman I see who appears on the verge of collapse from self-starvation, or who seems ashamed of her natural self, unable to face the world without a mask of makeup.

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Summary: This Book Is Really Kinda Cool
Review: I am always excited to read very different and original points of view, whether I agree or not, and this book is definitely one of them. Anyone who asks questions that have not been asked before and is willing to talk about things that make people nervous, angry, and scared have gained my respect. Does Naoimi Wolf have all the answers? No, and who cares? This is the kind of book that makes you think and consider. You do not have to adopt her veiwpoint to benefit from reading this fascinating and controversial book. Come up with your own conclusions! All the greatest books make you do that.

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Summary: Mirror, Mirror on the Wall...
Review: Sure we all look at the beautiful people and wish for five seconds that we could trade places with them. But only for five seconds.. because most of us know there is an incredibly high price to pay for that kind of beauty. Women who have tried to recreate it surgically pay the price everyday, some with their lives. In her captivating book "The Beauty Myth", Naomi describes in vivid detail how the beauty industry has made so many women slaves to the tyrant of the "beauty myth" and exposes this industry as few dare to do by telling the truth we all need to hear.

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Summary: Superb, Fabulous, Uplifting
Review: The Beauty Myth is the best book I've ever read. It gave me a new way to look at myself . . . a way that no one before has ever shown to me. It actually made me feel good about the individual I am, as well as appreciate the differences I see in other ppl. I've told all my friends to read this book because I want everyone to feel this good about themselves. Thank you Naomi Wolf!