Bitchin' Bodies: Young Women Talk About Body Dissatisfaction

by Terri L. Russ, Karin E. Lekan (Illustrator)

Bitchin' Bodies began as a series of individual and small group interviews with young college women in the United States. Over a seven-year research period, Terri used these conversations to create a compelling analysis of body shape discourse and the way it is experienced, shared, and reframed by young women in conversation. While most of us are aware of eating disorders, Terri's approach encompasses the everyday experiences of being dissatisfied with personal appearance, and the impact of these preoccupations on our interactions, goals, and participation in society. Divided into sections exploring personal, interpersonal, and cultural dimensions of body dissatisfaction, this book serves at once as a comfort for personal reading, a resource for young women and those working with them on these issues, and a compelling introduction to topics in feminism and communication studies. Karin Lekan's images complicate this text by creating a surreal world in which strangely empowered women move with a sense of reflection in relation to their bodies, which sometimes literally come apart in pieces. Her images appear throughout the book, creating an uncanny interpretation of the world Terri describes.

259 pages, Paperback

Published September 25, 2008

Reviews

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book when I was about 15 and reread it recently.
Although outdated in some aspects (to be expected) the conversation of how women's relationship to their bodies is heavily influenced by everything and everyone around them, especially in formative years, is still extremely prevalent.
There is little to no discussion of the LGBTQ+ community, but this version was published in 2008 and focuses heavily on the cis-female experience.
Great read, like a warm blanket when you're feeling down and need a little pick me up.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is one we helped make, it's a great resource for young women and teachers, counselors. Karin Lekan's drawings bring it into another realm, so it feels less like a text book and more like a slice of college life through a feminist art filter.

[Melanie Page · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked reading the girls' responses, but a lot of what the author wrote seemed to drag on in a way that assumes the reader knows absolutely nothing about body dissatisfaction. Maybe it wasn't a scholarly source like I thought?