ABSTRACT

In Pursuing Perfection, authors Margo Maine and Joe Kelly explore the emotional, social and cultural factors behind the ongoing epidemic of disordered eating and body image despair in adult women at midlife and beyond. Written from a biopsychosocial and feminist perspective, Pursuing Perfection describes the many issues women encounter as they navigate a rapidly changing culture that promotes unhealthy standards for beauty and appearance. This updated and expanded edition (originally published as The Body Myth: Adult Women and the Pressure to Be Perfect) is a unique guide for anyone seeking practical tools and strategies for adult women looking to establish health and body acceptance.

chapter |12 pages

Fact vs. Fiction

How Survival Shapes the Body

chapter |20 pages

So Why Do People Do It?

chapter |23 pages

How Family Shapes Us

chapter |17 pages

The New Extended Family

How Culture Shapes Us

chapter |22 pages

The Shape of Recovery

chapter |23 pages

Embracing Our Selves