Old Issue, New Study, New Book

A new study finds that girls' self-image, namely, the extent to which they think they're popular, may affect their future weight. As reported on CNN.com, the study found that "[t]hose who believed they were unpopular gained more weight over a two-year period than girls who viewed themselves as more popular."

And meanwhiile, former Miss America swimsuit competition winner and Harvard women’s studies graduate Nancy Redd has come out with what sounds like a must-read for today's girls. It's a book called BODY DRAMA: Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers . As blogger and feminist media studies teacher Megan Pincus Kajitani notes in a recent review,

“Bottom line, what Nancy Redd says, and shows, girls and women in this book is, in a word, revolutionary. It’s not for the prim our faint-hearted, I warn you. Although I also think those are the ones who may need this book most. Nancy Redd leaves no taboo body topic undiscussed — or [un]photographed — in this book, unlike any I’ve ever seen. (Not at all shocking to this Vagina Monologues veteran, but I have no doubt this book will be burned in certain sectors, like many truth-telling tales before it.)"

Redd's message? Embrace your body. Respect yourself. Be healthy without striving for “perfect.” Sounds like many of us grown-up girls--myself included--need this book too.

(For more, check out the blog tour going on over at MotherTalk.)