Body Drama shows us that real women’s bodies don’t look like the airbrushed and over-trained ones we see in magazines and on movie screens. There are numerous pictures of exposed breasts and two entire pages devoted to close-up shots of vulvas. At first, I was startled by these images, and then I realized how authentic they were. Their body parts looked like mine—that is, imperfect and nothing like what the media has taught us to believe is the norm.
Instead of feeling alienated and insecure, the lingering affect of leafing through Cosmopolitan or a god-awful tabloid, I felt comforted and—most importantly—normal. If ever you need reassurance that what you see in the mirror is what’s right and what’s glamorized in society is abnormal, please pick up this book. If the pictures don’t hook you, topic titles like “My legs feel like chicken skin after I shave” and “I have acne on my butt and back” just might.
Most of us worry enough about the way we’re living our lives without rude people telling us we’re wrong—pigs, even—if we don’t adopt their way of thinking. Somehow, eating a hamburger once in a while seems a lot less pig-headed than anything these holier-than-thou dieting maniacs have said. (And this is coming from a vegetarian.) Don’t listen to their abuse cloaked in diet advice. If you really want to be told like it is, buy a copy of Body Drama and get a refreshing dose of reality. The self-esteem boost comes free with purchase.
Read last month’s Media Malcontent.
The Media Malcontent is a monthly column dedicated to celebrating the positives and pointing out the negatives when it comes to female representation in the media. If you have a question or suggestion for Vicki, please send it to her at vicki@realgirlsmedia.com.
