The Gist: Hello! I hope you're ready to discuss the conclusion of Skinny Bitch. The rest of the book consisted of two more chapters, a recommended reading section, and the index. Plus, there was a little note from both Freedman and Barnouin that I hope you guys caught. In "FYI," there are short blurbs with last thoughts from the two authors, including onions, buying organic, and not always following a perfect diet. In the final chapter, "Use Your Head," they ask you to just think about what you eat, and most likely you will make the right decision. They also talk about the title of the book, and to not take it literally. They stress the importance of being positive in life.The Discussion: I look forward to this final discussion on Skinny Bitch! Here are two questions to get you started:
1. As mentioned above, Freedman and Barnouin mention the importance of staying positive in your life in the final chapter. How do you maintain a positive attitude?
2. When Skinny Bitch was published, there were some arguments, especially in the feminist movement, against the book, saying that it focuses on being skinny way too much, and that the constant put-downs do not help matters. Salon.com delves into this issue further. I know that we have kind of discussed this in the first week when I asked about your thoughts on the tone of the book, but how do you feel about these arguments? Is it important to you to be skinny? Does skinny equal healthy in your opinion?
The Assignment: We will be reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair for the month of September! Please be ready to talk about chapters 1 to 5 for our discussion on September 7.
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
I find it curious that they mention staying positive and yet through out the book they use language that completely demoralizes the reader, making him/her feel bad or "stupid" for the way they may have been living up until this point, or guilty if they don't follow all their guidelines moving forward.
ReplyDeleteThey lost after the first paragraph of their book with the statement "Skinny = healthy". I was skinny once upon a time- once upon a time when I was terribly sick with Crohn's Disease and could no longer go to work. I now jokingly refer to myself as "The Chubby Nutritionist at 5'1" and 128 pounds.
Skinny does not equal healthy and eating processed soy foods is not better for our health or our environment.
I agree with Meghan. Reading "skinny=healthy" really bothered me. Being too skinny can equate with a slew of other adverse health effects. Meghan's anecdote reminds me of that scene in Romy and Michele's High School Reunion when one tells the other "mono was the best diet ever." It was written in the screenplay to demonstrate how ridiculous the two women could be, but just like a re-watch of Clueless proved to me; things we used to think of as ridiculous have now become kind of commonplace.
ReplyDeleteI think it also perpetuates the stereotype that vegans are all too-thin, too-pale and generally an unseemly group of people. I am 5'4 and 135lbs and I sometimes get a reaction of shock to find that an average sized person with healthy skin and hair could be vegan. They also are shocked to know that I participate in CrossFit. I don't appreciate the honoring of this false generalization that to be vegan you have to be grossly thin, pale and weak.
Again agreeing with Meghan, eating a great deal of processed foods that happen to be vegan is not going to automatically equate to health benefits. I doubt eating nothing but meat analogs and Oreos is going to do you any good.
To keep a positive attitude I belong to CrossFit, as mentioned previously, which has a great community of support for one another. Keeping active and being around positive people helps me to keep positive. As far as the book goes, I do agree with Megan also on the contradicting ideas of positivity.
1. For me yoga is a big part of my life, not just the postures but studying and trying to live a yogic lifestyle. Those teachings have helped keep me positive.
ReplyDelete2. The tone of the book did not bother me at all. In fact I laughed throughout the whole thing. I found that the authors spoke like I would if I was joking around with my closest friend. And that is how I took it. I didn't feel like their was contradicting positivity. But I can see how some people may take it that way. I think they wanted to get people attention with their tone and language, and make people laugh a bit. When at the end they stated that they didn't think being skinny was the most important thing (or something to that affect). It just confirmed my belief that these girls were trying to talk to you as they would their buddies and I'm sure it was part marketing strategy to have them swear and use distastful wording. I do have to agree with other posters that I don't believe being thin always = being healthy. Overall I really enjoyed the book.
Hi everyone,
ReplyDeleteThese are some great thoughts! I really wanted to bring up this issue, because there was a lot of debate about how the book was written. Personally, I'm torn—my feminist side does not like the tone of the book, but I also can see it as a friend talking to me, as Stardust mentioned.
I look forward to more discussion on this topic!
~VN Book Club Hostess Lyndsay Orwig
I stay positive with yoga too and living a yogic lifestyle. We are all earthlings and when you realize that you have so much more respect for yourself and for the world around you therefore making you happy.
ReplyDeleteI found this book at a Barnes and Noble one night and the "Skinny Bitch" title caught my eye. At the time I was an over-consuming omnivore who was completely ignorant about animal abuse and living healthy. I literally stood there and read it cover to cover and never even looked at an animal product again, both for my health and the animals. I guess this was a "gateway" vegan book for me because since then I have educated myself on animal rights issues, environmental issues, as well as my health. It really is a great intro book and sort of an intervention to those who are not vegan and not healthy and aren't aware. Yes, it is harsh but that is what non-vegans need, and I believed it to be tongue in cheek. I wasn't offended but honestly disgusted at myself. I was reborn last September and am not a very different person overall, and I have Rory and Kim to thank for that! So maybe I'm biased but I have a special part in my heart for this book and I think every non-vegan should read it because its a great intro book.
I think reading already being vegan is a very different experience however, and I can see how it could be offensive if taken too seriously.
Susan says: This book changed my life. After I read about what the authors wrote about factory farms, I went veg and then slowly vegan and never looked back. I think the tone of the book helped get the point across to me. It is no BS, straight-foward, take it like it is and honest. Personally, my tone would be the same talking with a close girlfriend, and that's why I like this book so much.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book because its what has allowed me to open the "vegan discussion" with my friends. They know about Skinny Bitch, and a few who have read it understand that being vegan isn't as daunting as they thought. I also think the best way to stay positive is to do what you enjoy. I love to exercise. I'm addicted to pole dancing classes, running, horseback riding, and the list goes on and on. What ever it is that you enjoy doing and doesn't feel like you're being tortured is what you should try to do every day.
ReplyDeleteI loved this book! It was so funny and I liked the tone because it really makes you pay attention to what is being said.
ReplyDelete