The Religion of Thinness: Satisfying the Spiritual Hungers Behind Women's Obsession with Food and Weight

By Michelle M. Lelwica

Book Overview

With so many women approaching their diets, body image, and pursuit of a slender figure with slavish devotion, The Religion of Thinness is a timely addition to the discussion of our cultural obsession with weight loss. At the heart of this obsession is the belief that in order to be happy, one must be slim, and the attendant myths, rituals, images, and moral codes can leave some women with severe emotional damage. Idealized images in the media inspire devotees of this "religion" to experience guilt for behaviors that are biologically normal and necessary, and Lelwica offers two ways to combat this dangerous cultural message. Advising readers to look hard at the societal cues that cause them to obsess about their weight, and to remain mindful about their actions and needs, this book will not only help stop the cycle of guilt and shame associated with food, it will help readers to grow and accept their bodies as they are.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0936077557
• ISBN13: 9780936077550
• Release Date: December 2009
• Publisher: Gurze Books
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 1.18 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.9"
• Age Range: 16 years and up

Customer Reviews

Highest Recommendation

This is a provocative book that ultimately helps women understand, how dieting fills a spiritual void in women's lives: 1. Provides an "ultimate" purpose. 2. Provides a set of myths to believe. 3. Offers rituals to organize daily living 4. Creates a set of moral rules (of which to eat by). 5. Creates a bonding between women. The author provides several ways to practice being at peace with your body, including many helpful mindfulness techniques. She also describes the importance of media literacy, to see through the hype of what is really being sold to women. As a health practitioner, and co-author of Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works, I highly recommend this book to my patients--because it offers a novel and compassionate view, on how and why the pursuit of thinness is so seductive.