How Women’s Body Image is Plagued by “Beauty Sickness” and How to Maybe Heal w/ Dr. Renee Engeln

Our culture is OBSESSED with female bodies and their appearance making us all “beauty sick.” From constricting clothes to anti-aging skincare products, beauty culture eats up our precious time, money, and energy. This is an eye-opening and deeply-relatable discussion with Dr. Renee Engeln about “beauty sickness,” the disease that plagues so many women (to no fault of their own).

You will learn about…
– what the research shows about beauty culture and objectification of women
– the performative aspects of femininity
– the psychological effects of aging in a beauty-obsessed society
– how we can fight off beauty sickness both individually and collectively

Renee Engeln, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, is the author of Beauty Sick: How the Cultural Obsession with Appearance Hurts Girls and Women. Her lab (The Body and Media Lab, a.k.a. “BAM”) conducts research exploring issues surrounding women’s body images, with a particular emphasis on cultural practices that create or enforce the frequently contentious relationship women have with their bodies. The research, which has appeared in numerous academic journals, focuses on Objectification Theory, Fat Talk, and Idealized Media Images. She is regularly interviewed by the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, BBC, the Huffington Post, and other national media. Her TEDx talk has over 800,000 views on YouTube.

Remember: Though we won’t heal from beauty sickness overnight, we have the power to minimize how much we participate in it.

Get Dr. Renee’s book, Beauty Sick: https://amzn.to/4c67da9
Learn more about Dr. Renee’s Body and Media Lab: http://bodyandmedia.com
Watch Dr. Renee’s TEDx Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=63XsokRPV_Y

And if you enjoyed this episode, screenshot it and share it on social media! Make sure to tag @maryspodcast and @beauty_sick

Mentioned In This Episode…
Ep. 18, Mary’s first interview with Dr. Renee