Bodies

Big Ideas/Small Books

By: Susie Orbach

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Paperback | 3 March 2009 | Edition Number 1

At a Glance

Paperback
224 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
17.15 x 12.07 x 1.91

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Esteemed Psychotherapist and writer Susie Orbach diagnoses the crisis in our relationship to our bodies and points the way toward a process of healing.

In the past several decades, a globalized media has overwhelmed us with images of an idealized, westernized body, and conditioned us to see any exception to that ideal as a problem. The body has become an object, a site of production and commerce in and of itself. Instead of our bodies making things, we now make our bodies. Susie Orbach reveals the true dimensions of the crisis, and points the way toward healing and acceptance.

Susie Orbach is the co-founder of the Women's Therapy Centre in London and New York. A former "Guardian" (U.K.) columnist, she was visiting professor for ten years at the London School of Economics. She is a consultant and co-originator of the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. The author of a number of books, including "On Eating," "The Impossibility of Sex," and the bestseller "Fat is a Feminist Issue," she lectures extensively worldwide.

Throughout the Western world, people have come to believe that general dissatisfaction can be relieved by some change in their bodies. Here Susie Orbach explains the origins of this condition, and examines its implications for all of us. Challenging the Freudian view that bodily disorders originate and progress in the mind, Orbach argues that we should look at self-mutilation, obesity, anorexia, and plastic surgery on their own terms, through a reading of the body itself. Incorporating the latest research from neuropsychology, as well as case studies from her own practice, she traces many of these fixations back to the relationship between mothers and babies, to anxieties that are transferred unconsciously, at a very deep level, between the two. Orbach reveals how vulnerable our bodies are, how susceptible to every kind of negative stimulus--from a nursing infant sensing a mother's discomfort to a grown man or woman feeling inadequate because of a model on a billboard. That vulnerability makes the stakes right now tremendously high.
In the past several decades, a globalized media has overwhelmed us with images of an idealized, westernized body, and conditioned us to see any exception to that ideal as a problem. The body has become an object, a site of production and commerce in and of itself. Instead of our bodies making things, we now make our bodies. Susie Orbach reveals the true dimensions of the crisis, and points the way toward healing and acceptance. "There was a time, believe it or not, when our bodies worked for us, instead of the other way around. In her new book, "Bodies," British author and psychologist Susie Orbach examines how science, culture and globalization have upended our relationships to our corporeal selves, turning us from master into slave. Good looks and peak fitness are no longer a happy biological gift, she argues, but a ceaseless pursuit. The idea: People around the world--men included--now treat their bodies as vanity projects: every pore, curve and feature is an opportunity for self-improvement. Instead of a tool for production, the body is a production in itself. In our culture, beauty is an ambition like any other metric of success, and body hatred is the West's silent export. The evidence: How much do you need? When Orbach penned her first book 31 years ago, the bestseller "Fat Is a Feminist Issue," bulimia and anorexia were barely on the radar. Now parents digitally enhance their kids' baby pictures, the cosmetic-surgery industry is growing by $1 billion a year, we can genetically screen our embryos, and scientists grow bioengineered organs in labs. The conclusion: As nips and tucks and tweaks become more acceptable, we may no longer treat the human body as a God-given accident of biology, but Orbach implores us to take some pleasure in our bodies as they are--to take them, she writes repeatedly, 'for granted.'"--Jesse Ellison, "Newsweek"

"There was a time, believe it or not, when our bodies worked for us, instead of the other way around. In her new book, "Bodies," British author and psychologist Susie Orbach examines how science, culture and globalization have upended our relationships to our corporeal selves, turning us from master into slave. Good looks and peak fitness are no longer a happy biological gift, she argues, but a ceaseless pursuit. The idea: People around the world--men included--now treat their bodies as vanity projects: every pore, curve and feature is an opportunity for self-improvement. Instead of a tool for production, the body is a production in itself. In our culture, beauty is an ambition like any other metric of success, and body hatred is the West's silent export. The evidence: How much do you need? When Orbach penned her first book 31 years ago, the bestseller "Fat Is a Feminist Issue," bulimia and anorexia were barely on the radar. Now parents digitally enhance their k

Industry Reviews

Praise for Susie Orbach:

"Ms. Orbach extends feminist analysis systematically, convincingly, and movingly to portray the anorectic struggle as a metaphor for our age."--"The New York Times Book Review"

"A much-needed antidote to the unsympathetic views often aroused by anorexia nervosa."--"The Times Literary Supplement "(London)

Praise for Susie Orbach:

"Virtually all feminist debate on body image and beauty imagery owes its existence to Susie Orbach's enduring formulation."--Naomi Wolf
"Susie Orbach's pioneering work isn't just the first to expose the links between sexual politics and female dieting; it remains the classic work on the subject."--Susan Faludi

"Ms. Orbach extends feminist analysis systematically, convincingly, and movingly to portray the anorectic struggle as a metaphor for our age."--"The New York Times Book Review "on "Hunger Strike "

"Orbach provides a rich, nuanced context for the present moment, looking through time and across cultures."--"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)

"A cogent, relevant look at the contemporary body in crisis."--"Kirkus Reviews"

"A smart and rich compendium of what is going on within and without our bodies today, its pages informed by Orbach's decades of clinical practice and research."--"The Times "(UK)

"A timely and powerful polemic . . . on the western obsession with achieving physical perfection."--"The Guardian" (UK)

"A timely entry in the current analysis of reality versus fiction that seems to be steadily encompassing all facets of American life."--"Booklist "

Praise for Susie Orbach:

"Orbach provides a rich, nuanced context for the present moment, looking through time and across cultures."--"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)

"A cogent, relevant look at the contemporary body in crisis."--"Kirkus Reviews"

"A smart and rich compendium of what is going on within and without our bodies today, its pages informed by Orbach's decades of clinical practice and research."--"The Times "(UK)

"A timely and powerful polemic . . . on the western obsession with achieving physical perfection."--"The Guardian" (UK)

"A timely entry in the current analysis of reality versus fiction that seems to be steadily encompassing all facets of American life."--"Booklist "

Praise for Susie Orbach:

"Virtually all feminist debate on body image and beauty imagery owes its existence to Susie Orbach's enduring formulation."--Naomi Wolf

"Susie Orbach's pioneering work isn't just the first to expose the links between sexual politics and female dieting; it remains the classic work on the subject."--Susan Faludi

"Ms. Orbach extends feminist analysis systematically, convincingly, and movingly to portray the anorectic struggle as a metaphor for our age."--"The New York Times Book Review "on "Hunger Strike "

"Orbach provides a rich, nuanced context for the present moment, looking through time and across cultures."--"Publishers Weekly" (starred review)

"A cogent, relevant look at the contemporary body in crisis."--"Kirkus Reviews"

"A smart and rich compendium of what is going on within and without our bodies today, its pages informed by Orbach's decades of clinical practice and research."--"The Times "(UK)

"A timely and powerful polemic . . . on the western obsession with achieving physical perfection."--"The Guardian" (UK)

"A timely entry in the current analysis of reality versus fiction that seems to be steadily encompassing all facets of American life."--"Booklist "

Praise for Susie Orbach:

"Ms. Orbach extends feminist analysis systematically, convincingly, and movingly to portray the anorectic struggle as a metaphor for our age."--"The New York Times Book Review "on "Hunger Strike "

Orbach provides a rich, nuanced context for the present moment, looking through time and across cultures. "Publishers Weekly (starred review)"

A cogent, relevant look at the contemporary body in crisis. "Kirkus Reviews"

A smart and rich compendium of what is going on within and without our bodies today, its pages informed by Orbach's decades of clinical practice and research. "The Times (UK)"

A timely and powerful polemic . . . on the western obsession with achieving physical perfection. "The Guardian (UK)"

A timely entry in the current analysis of reality versus fiction that seems to be steadily encompassing all facets of American life. "Booklist"

Virtually all feminist debate on body image and beauty imagery owes its existence to Susie Orbach's enduring formulation. "Naomi Wolf"

Susie Orbach's pioneering work isn't just the first to expose the links between sexual politics and female dieting; it remains the classic work on the subject. "Susan Faludi"

Ms. Orbach extends feminist analysis systematically, convincingly, and movingly to portray the anorectic struggle as a metaphor for our age. "The New York Times Book Review on Hunger Strike""

"Orbach provides a rich, nuanced context for the present moment, looking through time and across cultures." --Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A cogent, relevant look at the contemporary body in crisis." --Kirkus Reviews

"A smart and rich compendium of what is going on within and without our bodies today, its pages informed by Orbach's decades of clinical practice and research." --The Times (UK)

"A timely and powerful polemic . . . on the western obsession with achieving physical perfection." --The Guardian (UK)

"A timely entry in the current analysis of reality versus fiction that seems to be steadily encompassing all facets of American life." --Booklist

"Virtually all feminist debate on body image and beauty imagery owes its existence to Susie Orbach's enduring formulation." --Naomi Wolf

"Susie Orbach's pioneering work isn't just the first to expose the links between sexual politics and female dieting; it remains the classic work on the subject." --Susan Faludi

"Ms. Orbach extends feminist analysis systematically, convincingly, and movingly to portray the anorectic struggle as a metaphor for our age." --The New York Times Book Review on Hunger Strike

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