Perfect Me: Beauty as an Ethical Ideal

Amazing.Has really helped with my Master's dissertation

Still in process of reading book

An essential read for anyone who wants to understand how beauty ideals affect (almost) every aspect of contemporary life.The book is clear and well-written. I personally enjoyed the analysis of how current beauty ideals are more dominant and global than beauty standards were in the past. I think that the notion of the “imagined self” or the “imagined perfect you” as defined by Heather Widdows is a particularly relevant notion to the discussion about beauty.

I cannot rate this book highly enough. It is a must read for everyone. I'd go as far as saying we need a simplified version for teenagers to read before they embark on using social media.

Some chapters burn with insight, while others drag. In her best chapter, she discusses the differences between sexual objectification vs beauty objectification, which is often overlooked. If you liked this, I would say definitely check out Susan Bordo.