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Steph (468 KP) rated Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession with Appearance Hurts Girls and Women in Books

Jul 9, 2018  
BS
Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession with Appearance Hurts Girls and Women
Renee Engeln | 2017
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
I anticipated that this book, like most psychology books designed for the General Public, would involve summarizing a lot of research I already knew in the way that was interesting and possibly related to my life. What I didn't expect was Renee's voice and passion to reach through the pages and make me feel how beauty sickness has affected me and others on a deeper level. I was sickened by the negative way women talk about and view their own bodies. I related to the shame people felt about their body’s and the focus on appearance over health. I was inspired by the interventions that helped people improve their body image.

The book is told through a mixture of psychology research and stories told by real women. The mix of facts and anecdotes was perfect. You got the knowledge and science behind beauty sickness. But you also heard the voices of women tell their own tales in a very human and relatable way.

What is absolutely terrifying and shows how beauty sick our culture really is, is that while reading this book, I often felt like I should be engaging in the negative behaviors that were discussed. For example, hearing about how people use special software to edit their photos before posting on social media made me consider doing that before posting my next photos!

But this book also changed the way I think of myself and my body in a positive way. I thought I knew about the negative effects of the media on body image, especially as a psychologist myself. I was unprepared for how little I actually knew, especially when it came to misconceptions about our bodies and how we treat them. I read the chapter on shame and started crying, because I related to so much of it. I didn't realize that I was trying to motivate myself to lose weight by shaming myself into feeling bad about my weight and what I was eating until I read this book. Beauty Sick has changed the way I think about myself and given me new strategies for cultivating a positive self-image and loving my body.

I loved that the section on what we can do about beauty sickness was so extensive. It really opened my eyes to how I think about and treat my body as well as what I can do differently to improve my self-image. I've always hated exercising. I never realized that the reason I hated it was probably because I always thought the point was to lose weight. Exercising felt like a punishment to me- something I had to do so I could shave off a few pounds. I never thought about viewing through a "look what I can do!" lens or to think about what I might have fun doing instead of what I *should* be doing.

I read this book ravenously- staying up late to read just one more chapter and sneaking pages in at work to devour its content. I needed to hear both how beauty sick our culture is and what I can do about it. I think every woman would personally benefit from reading this book. I hope its message becomes widespread and that we can make positive changes in our culture to decrease beauty sickness. In the meantime, we can make changes in our own lives and in the lives of the women we love by reading this book and applying it to ourselves and the people we love.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Gluten for Punishment (A Baker's Treat, #1) in Books

Mar 9, 2018  
GF
Gluten for Punishment (A Baker's Treat, #1)
Nancy J. Parra | 2013
4
4.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Toni Holmes is opening a gluten free bakery in the small Kansas town where she grew up. She's expecting a little trouble from the local wheat farmers, but someone throws wheat filled balloons during the grand opening. Then a dead body is found outside her front door.

I liked Toni and the rest of the characters. However, I found the plot frustrating because events doubled for any real clues or twists. Poor editing left in several major mistakes as well. I won't be going further with this author.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2014/04/book-review-gluten-for-punishment-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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Mark @ Carstairs Considers (2357 KP) rated Hot, Shot, and Bothered (Lilly Hawkins, #2) in Books

Mar 9, 2018  
HS
Hot, Shot, and Bothered (Lilly Hawkins, #2)
Nora McFarland | 2011
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
TV news shooter Lilly Hawkins is filming the wildfire burning out of control near Bakersfield when a body is found in a lake. When it turns out to be someone she knows and she doesn't buy the story of how she died, Lilly sets out to find the killer. I missed the supporting cast from the first book, although I still enjoyed my time with Lilly. Decent mystery, too. My biggest issue was actually the fire - hit a little too close to home for me.

Read my full review at <a href="http://carstairsconsiders.blogspot.com/2013/07/book-review-hot-shot-and-bothered-by.html">Carstairs Considers</a>.
  
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Dean (6927 KP) rated Dead Silence (2007) in Movies

Jul 21, 2018  
Dead Silence (2007)
Dead Silence (2007)
2007 | Horror, Mystery
7
6.7 (19 Ratings)
Movie Rating Watch
A creepy horror film with a high production value and good cast. There might not be a high enough body count for some, or for it to be classed as a slasher anyway. However it does have a spooky atmosphere with the creepy dolls. Not the most original or scary film, but at least it tried something new and different, among the endless carbon copy horrors being released these days. I have to add for a horror film the photography is great, you really can tell the attention to detail in every shot, from the angle, framing, lighting and colours. You don't notice that in many horror films!