Appearance Obsession: Learning to Love the Way You Look

by Joni E. Johnston

Physical attractiveness is only a distant relative to self-esteem, yet our opinion of ourselves and others may be based on the way we look. Trying to measure up to the impossible standards of the media makes us insecure and can lead to depression and other serious health problems. It can even damage our relationships. Here psychologist Joni E. Johnston shows us how we become self-conscious about our looks from an early age and develop an adversarial relationship with our bodies. This well-researched book offers crucial help to men, women, and teenagers, showing how to develop and maintain positive self-esteem, social esteem, and healthy body image.

232 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1994

About the author

Dr. Joni Johnston is a clinical/forensic psychologist, private investigator and crime writer who got hooked on true crime at age fourteen, while reading Helter Skelter on a family vacation. She has spent her career inside prisons, forensic hospitals and criminal courts and has worked with offenders and victims.

She especially enjoys communicating with the general public about crime and writes a blog for Psychology Today called the Human Equation. She also hosts a youtube channel called Unmasking a Murderer. She has been interviewed on numerous media outlets including 48 Hours, 20/20, and several Investigative Discovery shows.

Reviews

[Sarah Rigg · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book early in my journey to fat positivity and health at every size. It's not perfectly aligned with HAES but does deconstruct a lot of the social messages around body image and promotes more of an "intuitive eating" approach to nutrition. I still recommend this book to folks who are struggling with body image but aren't 100 percent on board with HAES.