Main description:

In Pursuing Perfection, authors Margo Maine and Joe Kelly explore the emotional, social and cultural factors behind the ongoing epidemic of disordered eating and body image despair in adult women at midlife and beyond. Written from a biopsychosocial and feminist perspective, Pursuing Perfection describes the many issues women encounter as they navigate a rapidly changing culture that promotes unhealthy standards for beauty and appearance. This updated and expanded edition (originally published as The Body Myth: Adult Women and the Pressure to Be Perfect) is a unique guide for anyone seeking practical tools and strategies for adult women looking to establish health and body acceptance.

Contents:

Acknowledgements. Introduction. 1 The Changing Shape of Womanhood. 2 Women's Bodies; Women's Lives. 3 Fact vs. Fiction: How Survival Shapes the Body. 4 The Shape of Eating Disorders. 5 So Why Do People Do It?. 6 How Family Shapes Us. 7 The New Extended Family: How Culture Shapes Us. 8 The Shape of Recovery. 9 Thinking and Coping in New Ways. 10 Embracing Our Selves. Appendix: Resources for Eating Disorders and Body Image Despair. Index.