All my life, I’ve witnessed my mother’s struggles. My brother’s, too. Also my dad’s. And our neighbor Patty’s. On the one hand, society’s limited beauty standards are a pox on us all, but on the other hand, cortisol. My mother eats small portions and healthy meals, and she’s always been active—Jane Fonda’s workouts, Tae Bo, power walking, jogging, yoga, Pilates. None of which has proved useful in the battle against the invisible beasts—loneliness, isolation, condescension, self-doubt, fear, loathing, anxiety—who have the home-court advantage in a society that values competition and trumpets
...more
