Locker Room Diaries: The Naked Truth about Women, Body Image, and Re-imagining the "Perfect" Body - Hardcover

Goldman, Leslie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0738210420 ISBN 13: 9780738210421

Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books, 2006

Synopsis

I wish my thighs were smaller. "If only I could lose ten pounds." A wake-up call for any woman who has engaged in the "if only" wishing game, Locker Room Diaries uses the unique lens of the locker room to reveal what, exactly, goes into "shaping" not just a woman's body but her body image. The locker room can be a wondrous retreat, a place to toss aside the worries of the day, but it is also where our flaws become most apparent-and where most of us can't help but wonder how we "measure up." Often dressed in no more than a towel, Leslie Goldman spent five years talking with women of all shapes and sizes about their body image, from taut twenty-somethings to heavyset seniors. Why is it, she asks, that almost no one seems satisfied with her physique? From compulsive workouts to daily dates with the scale, from bikini waxes to body fat measurements, American women are swept up in a constant quest for the "perfect" body. Thankfully, more than one woman reveals how she halted her cycle of self-loathing and learned to like her body as is. Blending expert opinion with wonderfully intimate, often laugh-outloud, confidences, Locker Room Diaries will inspire anyone who knows the highs of exercise to leave the lows of self-esteem behind-and, most especially, once and for all, to step off that scale!

About this title

About the Author

Leslie Goldman, M.P.H., is a health writer for the American Medical Association. She also writes for the Chicago Tribune, Health, Marie Claire, People, and Redbook. She lives in Chicago.

Review

"(Diaries) is...witty, yet deeply poignant...Goldman's treatment of female vanity will leave you rolling on the floor for more." -- Mama's Musings Book Review, 10/2/2006

"Locker Room Diaries gives heart and humor to body image in a way like-minded books have not before. -- Erin Shea, author of Tales from the Scale

"An unflinching look at how women perceive—and try to ‘shape’—their bodies." -- Chicago Magazine, June 2006

"Goldman holds the reader's attention with her empathy and humor...A good read. -- Club Life, 05/06/06

"Goldman’s writing style is breezy and humorous, which certainly adds to the reader’s pleasure." -- Boston Sunday Globe, 8/6/06

"In Locker Room Diaries, Leslie Goldman reminds you that the 'perfect' body is your body." -- Wendy Shanker, author of The Fat Girl's Guide to Life

"Interviews and stories will resonate with readers and provide inspiration for maintaining a positive self-image." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Leslie Goldman's fascinating study of body anxieties gets into our own heads and under our skins. In the best way." -- Wendy McClure, author of I'm Not the New Me

"[Diaries] will inspire anyone who knows the highs of exercise to leave the lows of self-esteem behind." -- Jewish Book World, Fall 2006

About this edition

• Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
• Publication date: 2006
• ISBN 10: 0738210420
• ISBN 13: 9780738210421
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 264