Book Review: "Skinny Bitch" by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin (AKA Tweedle Dee and Tweedle DUMB).

So... has anyone actually really read Skinny Bitch? It's horrifying- the way they put their readers down is unparalleled and sums up just how disordered and distorted our society's body image is.

(Note: As Peach Friedman wrote in her memoir "Diary of an Exercise Addict," did you know that only an estimated 2% of women worldwide find themselves beautiful? Two percent!)

If anything, the book is a semi-manual for how to pull the trigger on a full-blown eating disorder. I know this is not me just being sensitive (as I have been in and out of treatment for anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders for over a decade): there's a reason it only receives a meagre 3-star average rating (out of five stars) on Amazon, with 302 out of 1000 reader reviews being a telling one-star rating. Be sure to note, however: Most of the positive reviews just scream disordered thinking and behaviours...

Along those lines, do these self-proclaimed "writers" (an ex-model and former modeling agent, to boot!) really think being vegan is, like, a dieting thing? That's like the PETA billboard's claim that being vegetarian is a great way to lose weight! Uh, no, and if you are becoming vegetarian or vegan to lose weight, you're more than likely just using a euphemism for disordered eating.

And lastly, but certainly not least, the "misogynists" who wrote the book are nutritionists; that is, they are not dietitians. Nutritionists nearly always undergo far less education, experience, certification, internships, and training. How do I know this? My mother-in-law (scroll down to locate "Kathleen") is the chief clinical dietitian and assistant director of nutrition at the hospital here. Trust me, she will correct somebody if they say she's a nutritionist. "No, I went through far too many classes, internships, dietetic certifications, and so on, to be generally labeled as a 'nutritionist'," she often reminds people.

(Please also note this revealing statement: "In many countries only people who have specified educational credentials can call themselves 'dietitians' — the title is legally protected. The term 'nutritionist' is also widely used; however, the term nutritionist is not regulated as dietitian is. People may [as in, "might"- not in the permissive sense] call themselves nutritionists without the educational and professional requirements of registered dietitians.")

Just to drive the point home, I'll conclude by saying this: This book is insanely degrading. The "authors" are not professionals on the topic. They are crude, vulgar, and crass. This book does nothing for our 21st century society, except cause us to take 10 steps backwards, while we desperately need to be moving toward self-realisation and self-acceptance. I do not recommend this drivel to anyone who wants to live life to the fullest by learning intuitive eating, balanced physical activity, and in turn, gaining inner peace. Actually... scratch that. I don't recommend this crap to anyone, period.

(Just for the record: I literally ripped this book up to shreds while in treatment (2007-2008) for an eating disorder. Yes... yes, I did. Why? Because after the real dietitians showed me how to restore and maintain my weight in a healthy manner, based on their knowledge and extensive training, I realised Freedman and Barnouin have gone further than following their own "fad diet" and verbal abuse- they are dangerously promoting: exaggerations, self-deprecation, nutritionally unsound advice, and...let's be honest, themselves.)