Am I thin enough yet?1996

Whether they are rich or poor, tall or short, liberal or conservative, most young American women have one thing in common - they want to be thin. And they are willing to go to extraordinary lengths to get that way, even to the point of starving themselves. Why are America's women so preoccupied with weight? What has caused record numbers of young women - even before they reach their teenage years - to suffer from anorexia and bulimia?

In Am I Thin Enough Yet?, Sharlene Hesse-Biber answers these questions and more, as she goes beyond traditional psychological explanations of eating disorders to level a powerful indictment against the social, political, and economic pressures women face in a weight-obsessed society.

Packed with first-hand, intimate portraits of young women from a wide...