Readergirlz Vow
August 6th, 2008 (06:18 pm)
Current Mood: full
Current Song: The Next Ten Minutes from The Last Five Years
Current Mood: full
Current Song: The Next Ten Minutes from The Last Five Years
In March, many of us took the readergirlz vow, which you see above - a way to further encourage people to read, reflect, and reach out! Have you been reading all of the spotlighted books? Have you been inspired to get active in your school or your community? Do you check out the community service programs we talk about and support? Tell us about at the readergirlz forum, in this thread!
If you are new to the readergirlz forum - or if you usually lurk, meaning that you read the discussions but haven't posted - don't be shy! Introduce yourself. Share your thoughts on this month's book and theme, body image.
Here's a list of books we've spotlighted in the past six months:
March 2008 - Just Listen by Sarah Dessen
April 2008 - Shark Girl by Kelly Bingham
May 2008 - Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
June 2008 - Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson
July 2008 - Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
August 2008 - The Violet series by Melissa Walker
To learn more about these books, read the back issues of readergirlz:
http://www.readergirlz.com/archive.html
To download the vow, posters, icons, and other goodies, visit the downloads page:
http://www.readergirlz.com/downloads.html
~ postergirlz Little Willow
Okay, lurking and shyness aside (all who know me are laughing their heads off right now...) I work (professionally) as an educator and speaker on issues of body image and self-esteem so I'm all about this topic.
There is honestly too much to talk about in this forum...although I have debated about musing upon it at length on my own blog...simply because there's just so much to discuss: cultural expectations, familial pressures, friends' opinions, worries about being attractive/likable/thin enough/good enough or just plain "enough" when weighed against unrealistic expectations or air-brushed media messages.
There's the "chicken parts" way young women are depicted on magazine and book covers, the loss of torsos and lengthened limbs in advertising and modeled products, and the almost overwhelming message that if you "Just Do This" to your body, then you will be happier/more popular/smarter/better. This is not to say I'm all about obesity and a sedentary lifestyle, but I'm all for throwing out home scales, clothing labels and Supersize portions.
But don't ask me. Jean Kilbourne and About-Face.org say it better than I could right here, but it is something to note that I'm not lurking. ;-)
My name is Dawn Metcalf and my debut novel, SKIN & BONES, will be out spring/summer of 2010. Despite the title, this isn't a book about body image, it's a dark paranormal superheroine thriller; however, the MC *is* overweight and I like her like that.
And a rec' for your list: Carolyn Mackler's "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things." When I met the author at a conference signing, she was happy to boast that her MC is overweight, struggles with it, but still gets the guy in the end without becoming skinny.