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Mirror, Mirror Off The Wall: How I Learned To Love My Body By Not Looking At It For A Year (2013)

by Kjerstin Gruys(Favorite Author)

3.52 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0399160175 (ISBN13: 9780399160172)

languge

English

genre

Memoir & Autobiography

publisher

Avery

review 1: I got as far as page 132...I just couldn't take any more detail of the mundane. I never expected it to have so little research and so much detail about shopping and other boring stuff. It was far too chatty and needed a strong edit to lower the amount of meaningless detail and instead boost the research, facts, and larger implications of this experiment. I hate to abandon a book but I was miserable. I relate to the dilemma of being self critical about body image, but I don't relate to people who get so excited about shopping or fashion or following magazines for tips when counting down to a wedding. I've never even been in some of the stores she frequents. I got this book from an academic catalog and let's just say it was described far differently than it turned out to be.... more If I'd seen the word fashionista in the catalog I would have steered clear.
review 2: I honestly expected to hate this book. I was surprised by how much I didn't hate it. In the end, the book wasn't really my sort of thing, but I'm glad I read it anyway.Here's a few things I learned:1) What Justin Timberlake's song "Mirror" is actually talking about. No joke. Right before I started reading this book, I was complaining about calling his lady his mirror. WTF kind of romantic song/compliment is that? Apparently, a deep one. A person who you love and trust can show you the best in yourself and the best you can become. It's cheesy, but I like that there are people that give you a reflection of yourself and your potential.2) I'm a choice feminist. I didn't know that was a thing, but its cool.3) Literature reviews can be interesting. I didn't really care for large piles of research with an anecdotal aside as a book, but I did find many of the studies and theories Kjerstin presented to be fascinating.4) How insecurities and disorders from teenage life can stick with people for a long time, continuing to be a struggle even when (from the outside) they should have it together. 5) I'm lucky to have people in my life that would give me honest feedback, not empty compliments or empty criticisms. They would do so because they love me and want me to be happy. They know when I need a pick-me-up and when they need to tell me something tough before I embarrass myself.My main problem with the book was that I just didn't see a narrative. Sure, it followed her time without mirrors, but was just so research-heavy that it was hard to see the story. It felt more like a collection of lessons learned that make sense in the context of all this research.The book felt all over the place at times with what she was seeking, her goals, and what she learned. However, I actually find little fault with that because it was an honest description of what was going on with her. I think she only knew that she was struggling with how she felt about herself when she looked in the mirror and the pressures of a wedding only make it worse. She took mirrors out of the equation and let herself be guided by how she felt and tried to be guided by the people she trusted. She tried other things along the way, questioned her values and how she acted on them, and challenged herself from time to time.Yes, there were plenty of cheesy moments in this. But, based on who she is, what her challenges were, and the causes that were important to her, it made sense for her. Once I realized that this story was about what she needed to go through and not a good guide for someone else or a story in the traditional sense of a narrative, I could appreciate it.I thought the author was a great write with a good, conversational tone. It was easy to read, even with all the academic stuff. The content just made it easy to get distracted. I think I may have enjoyed this more as a blog. I'd love to read a story about Sherri (Sherry?) with only 5% of the academic stuff that was in this. She sounded so interesting and like she'd lived a lot of life. Maybe for Kjerstin's second book? less

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