Ugly as Sin: The Truth About How We Look and Finding Freedom from Self-Hatred

In an examination that is equal parts cultural study and memoir, Psychotherapist and bestselling author Raiten-D'Antonio (The Velveteen Principles for Women) explores the U word and its implications in a society obsessed with beauty and youth. Raiten-D'Antonio has encountered ugliness, or "ugliphobia" as she calls it, in her professional work and her classroom. "Bigotry based on appearance seems to be the last socially acceptable bastion of prejudice." The author provides an important historical context of the concept of beauty and makes easy reference to pop culture; she discusses its power by examining her own personal relationship to beauty, including painful experiences with her appearance and, ultimately, her choice to have plastic surgery. An appendix features posts from women who responded to her female-empowerment Facebook group, leaving no doubt as to the importance and reach of this issue. With body-image ranked near the top of concerns among women (and men) today, Raiten-D'Antonio's contention that "everyone is ugly" is not only true but empowering, making her message of acceptance, healing, and hope all the more necessary. (Sept.)