You Have to Say I'M Pretty You

This book is the collaboration between the mother of a beautiful 17-year-old with an eating disorder and a New York psychotherapist who has worked with adolescents for over 25 years. The goal of the book is to help mothers help their daughters feel good about who they are, by helping them with their body image issues- everything from feeling fat to eating disorders to sex to depression. The better a mother understands her daughter and the more familiar she is with body image issues, the easier it becomes for her to protect her daughter from potential problems, solve existing ones, and exert a strong, positive influence on the bumpy passage from childhood to adulthood. Not to mention, get a good night's sleep occasionally. In Reviving Ophelia, Mary Pipher brilliantly laid out the issues and problems facing adolescent girls today. What she didn't do was go on from there to provide real suggestions or straightforward practical advice. As insightful as a case history or a story may be, it doesn't help a mother with her own daughter's problems. This is the book that starts up where Reviving Ophelia, leaves off. Body image issues are complex, mysterious, confusing, scary. Mothers of adolescent girls are looking for words, direction, guidance, and clarity. They want answers to the universal mother questions "But what do I do now?", "What can I say to her?", and "How can I help her with that?" Without oversimplifying issues, this book provides much needed information, insight, perspective, helpful reality checks, and pragmatic advice.