176 pg, paper, '04

This colorful book examines our cultural fascination with beauty and challenges the forces that determine what it means to be physically attractive. It is written for teens who are deluged with mass-marketed images and who feel constant pressure to fit in and measure up. Filled with photos, lists, fun facts, and reality checks from a veteran media literacy activist, this is a no nonsense guide to thinking critically about beauty culture.

CONTENTS:

1 – Once Upon a Time
2 – The Eye of the Beholder
3 – The Young and the Healthy
4 – Suffering is Optional
5 – Double Standard
6 – Beauty Power
7 – Opportunity or Knocks?
8 – Competition 24/7
9 – Flogging Fantasies
10 – A Day in The Life
11 – Beyond Image

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Shari Graydon, a veteran media literacy activist, has written chapters for textbooks, columns, for newspapers, programs for television, commentaries for radio, and speeches for politicians. She has taught media literacy at university and is a former president of the non-profit women's group, MediaWatch.

REVIEWS:

Written in a breezy, conversational style, the book looks at double standards for men and women and the resulting effects on careers and health. The author traces the concept throughout history and in various cultures, touching on corsets and foot-binding, plastic surgery, steroids, and cosmetics. Graydon exposes the fickle side of the beauty industry without unnecessary blaming. Each chapter ends with a list of "Image Reflections" to consider. Black-and-white photos and reproductions depict historically changing views. Thought-provoking cartoons open each chapter, and sidebars add punch with quotes and factoids. Extensive reference notes add to the book's research value, enhancing its broad appeal to teens dealing daily with their own place in the beauty culture. Helen Reynolds's "A Fashionable History ofCostume" series(Raintree) features bright color photos of changing artifacts.
— Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS