About Face: Women Write About What They See When They Look in the Mirror

by Anne Burt (Editor ), Christina Baker Kline (Editor )

Distinctive and unique, facial appearance is hugely important in every encounter we will ever have. From the concept of beauty to the social ill of discrimination, the importance of the face in our interpersonal interactions is certainly known. But have you ever thought about the role your face plays in your day-to-day life, or the way your face may have determined the outcome of an incident from your past?

In About Face, twenty-five writers tackle this question, each using the same simple framework of an opening paragraph that objectively considers what they see when they look in the mirror. Each writer then details an experience that transpired, in one way or another, because of the face they live a feature that belies a woman's heritage, a scar that serves as a daily reminder of a childhood tragedy, an unwanted change due to sun exposure or smoking or drinking.

Since we live our entire lives behind our faces, About Face presents a to consider exploring our experiences from a vantage point we simply don't have access to. This collection uncovers surprising outcomes and truly unique observations about internal experiences as witnessed from the writers' external points of view.

Genres: Nonfiction

279 pages, Paperback

Published May 27, 2008

Reviews

[Kat · Rating 2 out of 5]

This gets two stars because there are about two good essays in the whole book, which has a lovely premise but terrible follow-through. The feminist editors talk about the radical act of speaking honestly about appearance, which made me think that the essays would be philosophical and analytical. I assumed that many would be on the pressures of impossible and often racist beauty standards. But for every well-written, thoughtful essay on all the factors that affect appearance and all the ways in which our appearance affects others, there would be another one that made me want to throw the book away. Literally several of the stories could be renamed, "Why I'm Glad I'm So Pretty!" One actually declares that she is beautiful - for a feminist (with analysis only that competing appearance-wise only sucks when you lose) and another story about "suddenly becoming pretty" after a nose job (with analysis that the downside is it being harder to lose your looks when you're older, despite that she says she will offer her daughter one). Did the editors even read these essays before throwing them in?

[Lani · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh. I need to remember that books of essays mean a lot of weak with a couple of 'huh' thought-provokers, and a couple I can relate to.

I struggle with my interactions with mirrors, I hate them, but I also see sides of myself in a mirror that never seems to be captured in photos. I was curious about other women's "reflections" and how my own feelings compared.

Unfortunately I felt like a lot of the book was pretty people crying about being pretty, or aging after they were pretty. I know that I personally struggle with acknowledging both the privilege and the consequences of beauty, and I can't relate to the problems that pretty girls have. I can conceptually understand the issues, but I can never muster up much sympathy for them. Based on my own hangups, some of the essays annoyed me rather than eliciting the reactions I think they were aiming for.

At any rate, the book tries to offer a wide range of perspectives, though I felt like it got repetitive by the end of the book. It's an interesting idea, but I didn't find any essays to be stellar or compelling, though of course there were highlights.

[Sandra Fahrlender · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the many different styles of writing, I always enjoy a collaboration of short stories and it was a nice way to see other women's points of view on beauty. There were about 3 essays that I could totally relate to, then there were others that I saw a new understanding on what they saw in themselves. It made me think about beauty and what our society sees as BEAUTIFUL! It changes from age to age, phases in life and how other's perceive us. I would recommend to emerging girls that are heading into becoming a women.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read over eight months. Engaging essays with nice variety, but few stood out in particular.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really great book. I would have to say that part of the joy of this collection of essays was the feeling of sitting around a campfire/kitchen table/cup of tea with girlfriends, swapping stories of growing up and our innermost thoughts of ourselves. Each woman's story echoed at least one sentiment I have felt at some point or another in my life. Some funny, some sad, etc...Each worthy of reading.

I resisted setting it down each time, until it came close to the end...Then I found myself reading only one or 1.5 stories per day to draw it out! Must have been a good one...

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this collection of essays on women and their relationships with their physical selves - it's interesting to read about how other womens' perceptions of their looks color their lives and their interactions with others.

[nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

i like kathryn harrison's essay.

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

great concept. but the book ended up being nothing particularly special compared to other similar anthologies.

[Cary]

Cath Greenman book, rec?