Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall
How I Learned to Love My Body by Not Looking at It for a Year
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4.3 • 12 Ratings
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- $5.99
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- $5.99
Publisher Description
A scholar and bride-to-be spends a year without mirrors to get a better view of what really matters
When Kjerstin Gruys became engaged, she was thrilled—until it was time to shop for a wedding dress. Having overcome an eating disorder years before, Gruys found herself struggling to maintain a positive self-image; so she decided to refocus her attention. Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall charts Gruys’s awakening as she vows to give up mirrors and other reflective surfaces, relying on friends and her fiancé to help her gauge both her appearance and outlook on life. The result? A renewed focus on what truly matters, regardless of smeared makeup or messy hair. With humorous and poignant scenes from Gruys’ life, Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall sparks important conversations about body image and reclaiming the power to define beauty.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this brave and inspiring work, Gruys challenges long-held cultural cues about female beauty. After recovering from an eating disorder, the author set out to show guided by her volunteer work at About Face, a San Francisco nonprofit organization, and her pursuit of a Ph.D. in sociology at U.C.L.A. that true beauty is anything but skin deep. She vowed to not look in a mirror or any reflective surface for a year, and to document how this decision affected the way she related to her fianc and to the world at large, writing a blog about the experience to keep herself accountable. Gruys's project is especially admirable given that her wedding occurred during the year in question (and weddings have been known to make even the most humble woman become image-obsessed). Gruys admits to her all-too-human insecurities and describes her sometimes-difficult effort to live life without defining herself through beauty. Her story encourages others to do the same. This book should be required reading for those women who struggle with body-image issues and even those who don't.
Customer Reviews
An entertaining read for all
I was doubtful that a memoir of this young woman's experiment of not looking at a mirror for a year would be a captivating read, but after my wife showed me an interesting post on her blog, I realized Kjerstin Gruys could really write and had something of importance to say. I thought the book would be worth a try, and I wasn't disappointed. Gruys' thoughtful writing made me laugh and also made me realize how hard it must be for girls/women to develop a healthy body image with the media bombarding them (all of us, really) with distorted messages on what constitutes beauty. The use of scholarly sources was utilized well in this entertaining and eye-opening story to add factual information that is sometimes surprising. As a father I want to be sure my teenage daughter reads this book!