Category: <span>General</span>

Book review… 1000wrds (or there abouts). written in a cram session. One sitting to read the book, one and .005 to write it. Had to include 400wrds + about a chapter/concept. Probably not the worlds greatest review but it is done.

I failed an Old Testament mini test today. That would have to be a first, come close before. Mind you they only count 3 of the 4 (or is it 4 of the 5?). I’ve passed the others… so not studying does show afterall, although I just made stupid obvious mistakes. Better do OK on the next one. Don’t mind really (kind of surprised that I don’t mind :P) might be because the subject is just plain boring.
stupid me 🙂 at least read the questions properly next time.

—————-BOOK REVIEW——————-

Cooke, K (1994). Real Gorgeous: The truth about body and beauty. St Leonards, NSW: Allen & Unwin

Introduction

Kaz Cooke’s Real Gorgeous confronts self-esteem through a humorous, relevant look at the world of beauty. Unlike the majority of unappealing, purely informational books on self-image, Kaz Cooke presents a method of action and not just theory. She gives practical advice where her experience as a columnist aids in exploring the media influenced world of beauty. Her book offers further resources and provides young women with a wealth of useful information.

Real Gorgeous

The author’s intention of, “We need the facts which will make us RELAX, not the overwrought opinions that send us fleeing to stupid diets, insane over exercising and mirror-misery.” (p.ix) sets out a pattern of breaking the mould of information influenced by advertising and presents a secular view of healthy body image to the secular world.

From topics on – ‘Body shape’, ‘What is normal’ and ‘You are not your buttocks’, chapters focus on the facts yet impart practical knowledge to the reader. Kaz Cooke provides insight into how our perceptions of ourselves are influenced by the media and culture and tackles eating disorders in a direct yet sensitive manner. Real Gorgeous defines what is ‘normal’ and what is considered normal, shows up the realities of the modeling industry, gives tips about the myths and lies of ‘lotions and potions’, and outlines advice on establishing greater understanding of yourself and doing daily battle with the ‘body police’.

You are not your buttocks

Chapter six, ‘You are not your buttocks’ draws together what has been presented through the entirety of the book and takes a closer look at self-image and self-esteem. The author identifies that, “For a long time women’s self-esteem has been tied to their feelings about physical appearance.” (p.201), although this is no new observation, the candid presentation of responses to surveys and short anecdotes in the margin of the text enforce the reality being presented. The curious use of quoting segments of graffiti found in Australian Universities regarding ‘self’ and individual reflections provides authenticity to the writing and the reader is easily able to associate. Despite the realism of the situation from a secular perspective and there is an apparent but unknowing adhesion to the Christian perspective of being, “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps 139:13-14).

In discussing the pressure to have bad body image, the author expresses her annoyance at advertisements, particularly those of the beauty industry and as she points out, “Thighs, hips and bums are not ‘stubborn’ any more than they are ‘confused’ or ‘happy. Body parts do not have personalities or feelings.” (p.203) Cooke dispels the attaining of a ‘perfect body’ as a myth and defines ‘body hatred’ as fashionable. There is immense truth in the author’s words and she has a clear perception of Australian/Western culture.

It was encouraging to find a book that considered the flipside of the ‘fat factor’ in a short segment on ‘being thin’. As the majority of books emphasise the issues that larger girls deal with. The problem of the questioning of femininity, presents again the dilemma of body shape. The author’s convinced position and contention of working with and being satisfied with what you have, does not contradict the biblical position on, “Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” (1 Sam 16:7) yet does nothing to emphasise the need to look inwardly.

“Body-image boosters” are provided with the author’s direction to, “Come back and read this section any time you feel bad about yourself.” (p.208). Proverbs 31:30-31 clearly defines beauty as fleeting and, “the woman who fears the Lord is to be praised”. Although coming from a secular position, and having neither the expectation nor requirement to focus on the spiritual/internal and despite effectively promoting tips for developing a healthy mental attitude to body image, the author completely fails to point out the actual triviality of external beauty.

The rest of Chapter Six addresses what the author calls, “the body police”, focusing on the judgments of others, the pressure upon girls and women’s physicality, their ‘figures’ and their faces. Kaz Cooke speaks about being, ‘trapped by the lies’. This greatly reflects the truth of, “man looking at the outward appearance” (1 Sam 16:7). However in combating those ‘lies’ the author presents a mental (and occasional spoken) method of giving the reader a list of comebacks to use when faced with a, ‘you’re fat’ (or similar) comment. This action although potentially helpful in principle, is questionable in its content and method. As Christians our worth needs to be found not in affirming our value in being comfortable in our body shape, but in understanding how God sees us for who we are. If we fully understand that we are created in His image, our worth will come from a deeper more secure source. Nevertheless, each method is about adapting a mental attitude and in this the author has hit on an effective means of beginning to address body-image issues.

Conclusion

Real Gorgeous has found a niche in the world of ‘self-image’ information. Accompanied by humorous cartoons and insights from ‘real women’, this book is easy to read, informative yet practical. Kaz Cooke’s intention of writing not just another book of theory but one about action appeals and is effective for its audience. Despite the need for Christians to find their initial worth in God and their ‘being comfortable with themselves’ as a byproduct, this is the presentation of truth from a secular author in a media choked society of lies and in that you cannot go far wrong.

It is interesting looking back over what I wrote yesterday… because I was still in a black hole of confusion after writing them, as if I slipped momentarily out of it and then unknowingly back.

Hebrews 12:2-3
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross… Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

on last night: Thank you for listening, for God’s wisdom through you. I needed to hear that.

God, your peace trancends understanding.

Help me to stop scrutinzing where each individual part fits into my big picture. I can’t begin to say that I even know what that picture is.
Script my life, take away this desire to try and do it all myself. Slow my overthinking, my compulsive analysing. Slow me down.

Thank you for this stretching. You’ve got me, let me stay in the security of knowing that you’ll only take me as fast as I can go. You are constant.
Holy God, you’re my savior, you’re my complete.

And yesterday’s topic comes up today. I should be starting to know you’ll do that God. Why don’t we expect these things? CL was a blur most of today, but Intro to C. Belief – that’s where things hit home… its usually the other way around.

Rowan read Eustaces dragon story from the Voyage of the Dawn Treader (CS Lewis). About the dragon scales been peeled away. His attempt to do taht own his own. We were looking at salvation and R drew a diagram that just made a heap of sense. At first it was just one U moving from creation>fall/birth to sin>exile>death>Jesus>life>salvation/forgiveness> etc… > new creation. Anyway, in further exploring sanctification the U became U with lots of smaller U’s. The small U’s being areas where we have maybe been through stuff before, but haven’t quite got a reality yet of what it means. It hit home taht this is what’s happening. My arrow is labelled ‘past’ although I dont really know why. However, this is part of santification, part of the process and for that I am thankful.
Funny how the obvious things haven’t been lately, and the smaller things so blatantly clear.

1 Cor 1:18 … we are continually being saved. As Eustaces dragon scales hurt when they were ripped from his body, it’s not a painless process. It needs to happen.

I am being saved
And my hope is in my creator who is working in me
To renew me over and over.
Tirelessly he walks with me through the valleys
And will be with me until his purpose for me is complete
And I am made full and fully known.
Even then he will always be,
My strength, my hope, my God.

God I’m stuck in this rut again. I get busy, stressed, my mind is working overtime trying to compensate. It’s so good God to see this stuff, to be shown heaps. Please, I need the environment for it to sink in.
This is life God. Its so rushed. What happened to be still and know God? Is seeing this awesome work part of taht? I wish God – and I want to know more o fyou. I’m being pulled sideways from both directions. I don’t understand! I don’t even know why I’m continually frustrated with myself.
I’m overstepping, overthinking. God I need more of you. Help me to stop. So much God, its as if I only get the slightest taste before I’m pressed an pulled to the next thing. It would be nice if more made sense. What doesn’t feel right? Take this hurry God, let your voice of truth speak into my life, help me to stop demanding results, plans, goald, you know what’s best for me. Make knowing that a firm reality in my life.

“O my strength, I sing praise to you; you O God are my fortress, my loving God.” Ps 59:17

‘still you hear me when I’m calling… you told me who I am. I am yours’ – Casting Crowns

Ah God, where is the hope when the frustration knocks boldly at the front door – why are the good things compressed into this tight place in my mind? When I sit to think the strugges express themselves inelequoently and flood my mind. Its a viscious cycle. Why does the frustratedness feel stronger than the peace, the joy – because that is there it just battles to show it’s face. Help me Lord to hold on tight to that joy, take captive my every thought. Help me not to get bogged down in attempting to sort out my own problmes, to complete task after tast, to slow the busy. I only need you.

forgive me God. You slipped to second place again. Keep first.

looking back… Romans 8:20-21, frustration is a good thing to push us forward.

God, has it taken four years? Is that why this is all coming up again? How much things have changed. I look back on the photos of when the Carters visited – I remember how chewed up I was inside. I can see it through my face. How confused I was. I wanted to shut out the world and was grasping desperately at the moment. What – how much did it show? How I want to go back and do some things differently.
Am I so fixated in the past still? I look at me now – how much more have you done.

I have that one thing to be thankful for – that he saw the potential no one else saw – somehow, and it gave me hope.

Would I still be the same old me otherwise?
So maybe you’re showing me again how to let things lie in their rightful place. To not force them to a backburner, or feel horrible thinking I have to forget. Those chapters of my life need to close. To be visible but not stirred. God, experience should be that shouldn’t it? The past, the past?

In hindsight, I guess leaving – You chose the right moment for me.
Why can I remember things like that so clearly – remember feeling?
I don’t know why I”m remembering all this stuff. What am I still holding on to?

Tradition girl, set in ways, holding too tightly, missing the now.

Fix me Lord, Piece me back together, a newer design not the same old same old.

Create in me a pure heart God and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

I understand.
I wish this wasn’t happening – is this a step towards complete?
What did I distort along the way?
Part of the road to better?
This is going back and cleaning the mess, dealing with it is what I’ve tried to do before, that and ignore it.
You want it.
Have it.
Your way is better.

“Father, I want to know Thee, but my coward heart fears to give up its toys. I cannot part with them without inward bleeding, and I do not try to hide from Thee the terror of the parting. I come trembling, but I do come. Please root from my heart all those things which I have cherished so long and which have become a very part of my living self, so that Thou mayest enter avid dwell there without a rival. Then shalt Thou make the place of Thy feet glorious. Then shall my heart have no need of the sun to shine in it, for Thyself wilt be the light of it, and there shall be no night there.”
-A. W Tozer (The Pursuit of Godliness)