Great message, great book. Recommend! ( )

2.5 stars rounded down to 2.

Kjerstin Gruys doesn't actually go without mirrors for a year, but makes the decision, plans how to do this, practices doing her makeup & hair with out a mirror, etc for a couple of months before doing this. A post-anorexic feminist & scholar, she was working on her Ph.D. & planning her wedding during this time. Much of the book deals with how she labours over her torn desires between society's expectations of looks & being healthy at all sizes as well as her relationship with her family, etc. During this year she also kept a blog about this, and although it's not mentioned until the info after, she had a book deal in the works the entire time. She also shares an eye-opening point that she was medically diagnosed with anorexia & her body suffering while technically at a healthy BMI; I thought she should take a lesson from Jenny Runk (size 14 model who is healthy) , because health at any size includes those naturally lean as much as those naturally voluptuous.

I expected to like this book a great deal more than I did. While I understand the conflicts women face daily, I also have a minor in women's studies & like most women have grappled with the hating my body or the way parts of it are shaped issue, etc. I found myself disagreeing with many of her stances, especially her decision to disagree with what is now called "choice feminism" (ie that any choice a woman makes of her free will of how to live her life is a good one, whether it be to have a career outside the home or not, etc). Having studied the history of feminism very closely, I can't agree, but, more importantly, here is a woman who was trying to break free of the "prison" of societal expectations of beauty who believes it right to place women in a different "prison" of only one acceptable feminist ideal of how women should lead their lives (ie a woman who chooses to stay home & raise her family over a career outside the home). Not that she sees it as a prison, but if it's telling women that choosing to stay home & raise your children is the wrong choice, she's done just that. It makes me wonder if she'll feel the same if and when she has children. She might, of course.

While I understand the concept of "health at every size," I thought it ironic, since she was obviously not healthy while anorexic (one size) and while she accurately points out that you can be healthy and "overweight," she completely ignores the high health risk when weight soars out of control. Better to say "any size is good where we're healthy," and she's right that that varies a great deal. I also agree that we need to love ourselves regardless of our shape (who has a perfect shape who hasn't had surgery and/or been photo-shopped???) or healthy size.

That said, I did learn a great deal reading this, and she has obviously done a great deal of research in many areas. ( )

I truly enjoyed this book and everything it stands for, although I could never imagine living a year without mirrors myself the concept of it is inspiring. I recommend this book to friends all the time. I loved the writing style as well as the story this book gets 4 stars from me. ( )

As a graduate student in UCLA's sociology department, Kjerstin Gruys was well-versed in body issues especially since she struggled with an eating disorder herself. When Gruys began shopping for a wedding dress, it triggered something that caused her to embark upon living for a year without mirrors. She began blogging about the experience and eventually turned it into a book. Gruys's experiences in her year without mirrors made for an interesting read. I was pleasantly surprised that she discovered few noticed the difference in her pared down makeup routine (which makes me rethink my own bathroom counter), but the book really doesn't go beyond her experiences. Although the note at the beginning states this is not self-help, I expected a Ph.D. candidate to have some concluding statements. Instead Mirror, Mirror Off the Wall ends with Gruys noting how lovely she looks as she sees herself in a mirror for the first time in a year. ( )

Entertaining and somewhat education in parts, Kjerstin goes on a journey to discover herself by not looking in the mirror. It come across as part memoir, part research paper. An entertaining read, but I can't help but wish it delved further into the project. ( )