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Thin
Critically acclaimed for Girl Culture and Fast Forward, Lauren Greenfield continues her exploration of contemporary female culture with Thin, a groundbreaking book about eating disorders. Greenfield's photographs are paired with extensive interviews and journal entries from twenty girls and women who are suffering from various afflictions. We meet 15-year-old Brittany, who is convinced that being thin is the only way to gain acceptance among her peers; Alisa, a divorced mother of two whose hatred of her body is manifested in her relentless compulsion to purge; Shelly, who has been battling anorexia for six years and has had a feeding tube surgically implanted in her stomach; as well as many others. Alongside these personal stories are essays on the sociology and science of eating disorders by renowned researchers Joan Jacobs Brumberg, Dr. David Herzog, and Dr. Michael Strober. These intimate photographs, frank voices, and thoughtful discussions combine to make Thin not only the first book of its kind but also a portrait of profound understanding.
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 12, 2006
26 people are currently reading
8,000 people want to read
About the author
Lauren Greenfield
10books81followersLauren Greenfield is an American artist, documentary photographer, and documentary filmmaker. She has published three photographic monographs, directed four documentary films, exhibited in museums, and published in magazines and other publications.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
July 8, 2009
This book makes me so mad.
Renfrew is a horrible treatment center. I can't
even believe the people running that place are
professionals. Those poor girls that go there.
You can't blame them for getting worse after
they leave. They go their for help and don't get
it, and then become more hopeless. It is so sad there
are places out their like this- SO many of them!
I feel so blessed and fortunate to have gotten the
treatment I got- at one of the best treatment centers
in the world.
The professionals in this book don't have a clue what
they are doing. Grrrrr...
AND Lauren portrays eating disorders as if they are only
about losing weight, being skinny blah blah blah....THAT
IS ONLY THE TIP OF THE ICE BURG. And I dont' think the
professionals at the treatments center in this book even
realize that; that is why this book is such a problem.
It only feeds into the idea that ED's are all about food,
weight, vanity, etc. BUT THAT IS SO WRONG!!! If you are
looking to learn more about ED's from this book, you will
not learn the truth behind ED's.
AND you can not put a face (or body for that matter) on
an Eating Disorder! MANY people with ED's are at an
average, or even above average weight. Although some
people are emaciated, that is very often not the case.
Renfrew is a horrible treatment center. I can't
even believe the people running that place are
professionals. Those poor girls that go there.
You can't blame them for getting worse after
they leave. They go their for help and don't get
it, and then become more hopeless. It is so sad there
are places out their like this- SO many of them!
I feel so blessed and fortunate to have gotten the
treatment I got- at one of the best treatment centers
in the world.
The professionals in this book don't have a clue what
they are doing. Grrrrr...
AND Lauren portrays eating disorders as if they are only
about losing weight, being skinny blah blah blah....THAT
IS ONLY THE TIP OF THE ICE BURG. And I dont' think the
professionals at the treatments center in this book even
realize that; that is why this book is such a problem.
It only feeds into the idea that ED's are all about food,
weight, vanity, etc. BUT THAT IS SO WRONG!!! If you are
looking to learn more about ED's from this book, you will
not learn the truth behind ED's.
AND you can not put a face (or body for that matter) on
an Eating Disorder! MANY people with ED's are at an
average, or even above average weight. Although some
people are emaciated, that is very often not the case.
June 19, 2019
Update: People who get triggered because of my review let me try and break this down as simply as possible. There is healthy food. There is unhealthy food. That is a fact no matter how you try and dress it up. Peanuts may be considered healthy, but for others it is not.
Forcing people, who already have an unhealthy relationship with food, to eat junk food is wrong. Eating poison isn't healthy. I don't care who says you should do it; wether it's a dietician, nutritionist, or a doctor (phft). You're not going to change my mind about my review. You don't know my education on food/health/GMO's/additives, or even psychology, etc. If you disagree with my review, then write your own review, but please do not attack me personally. Your assumptions are just that.
To force people with eating disorders; with dismorphia, to eat junk food, is psychologically cruel and most likely physiologically harmful. Here's a bowl of sugar, eat up. What's the harm? These patients need to learn proper nutritious ways of eating. Forcing them to eat junk food is not learning to have a healthy relationship with food. And why are people triggered by my belly fat comment? That is very interesting. I'd like to tap into that psychology.
There is a healthy way of losing weight and there is a healthy way of gaining weight. Renfrew is NOT the healthy way.
_____________________
I don't agree with Renfrew's treatment. Wth would you force someone with an eating disorder to eat junk food? These girls and women need to learn proper ways of eating. And I understand why they don't allow exercise, but because they aren't allowed they get the fat belly and that isn't
Healthy. Eveything in moderation and it isn't being taught at renfrew. The stories of the girls are similar in many ways. I hope they all succeed in bettering their lives.
Let me just add, since there have been a few people who disagree with my opinion on this book. I do not, nor have I ever, had an eating disorder. However, I do believe that food can be medicine, just as I believe food can be poison. Yes! I believe there are good and bad foods. There's nothing you can say to me to change my opinion on this. And how it references to the Renfew's treatment of people who have eating disorders and a bad relationship with food, shouldn't be fed garbage to heal them; emotionally, psychologically, or physically. I stand by that one hundred percent.
Forcing people, who already have an unhealthy relationship with food, to eat junk food is wrong. Eating poison isn't healthy. I don't care who says you should do it; wether it's a dietician, nutritionist, or a doctor (phft). You're not going to change my mind about my review. You don't know my education on food/health/GMO's/additives, or even psychology, etc. If you disagree with my review, then write your own review, but please do not attack me personally. Your assumptions are just that.
To force people with eating disorders; with dismorphia, to eat junk food, is psychologically cruel and most likely physiologically harmful. Here's a bowl of sugar, eat up. What's the harm? These patients need to learn proper nutritious ways of eating. Forcing them to eat junk food is not learning to have a healthy relationship with food. And why are people triggered by my belly fat comment? That is very interesting. I'd like to tap into that psychology.
There is a healthy way of losing weight and there is a healthy way of gaining weight. Renfrew is NOT the healthy way.
_____________________
I don't agree with Renfrew's treatment. Wth would you force someone with an eating disorder to eat junk food? These girls and women need to learn proper ways of eating. And I understand why they don't allow exercise, but because they aren't allowed they get the fat belly and that isn't
Healthy. Eveything in moderation and it isn't being taught at renfrew. The stories of the girls are similar in many ways. I hope they all succeed in bettering their lives.
Let me just add, since there have been a few people who disagree with my opinion on this book. I do not, nor have I ever, had an eating disorder. However, I do believe that food can be medicine, just as I believe food can be poison. Yes! I believe there are good and bad foods. There's nothing you can say to me to change my opinion on this. And how it references to the Renfew's treatment of people who have eating disorders and a bad relationship with food, shouldn't be fed garbage to heal them; emotionally, psychologically, or physically. I stand by that one hundred percent.
November 26, 2015
Thin is a conflicting book for me. A photographic essay set at the Renfrew Centre and curated by Lauren Greenfield presents a series of trauma narratives intended to highlight how eating disorders do not discriminate. Much has been made of the access Greenfield was afforded to the lives of patients and the trust she earned. Excerpts from journals were selected, as were some collages - but it really should be noted these were carefully selected to present a specific narrative designed by Greenfield and therein lies the problem.
Although Greenfield is successful in presenting a range of people in race and age, the defining narrative plays into already established beliefs and stereotypes of eating disorders - it was about "fat". Also problematic is the inclusion of lowest weights, daily caloric intakes, weight loss methods, and extreme exercise programs. The access Greenfield was afforded to both patients and experts would have made her aware of the triggering nature of this information - especially when presented with visual representation of the people in question. Language and text married together forms a powerful narrative for those susceptible to disordered eating or already with an eating disorder. This book would knowingly exacerbate the competitive nature of the disease if the reader was already suffering.
It's hard for me to say who this book would benefit. For those of us in academia who have read memoirs, trauma narratives, and theory late into the night until we fell asleep - it offers nothing new other than images alongside the origin stories. Families and friends have already seen people they care about lie about food and suffer. Those of us who suffer have seen all of this and more in the annals of eating disorder communities all across the internet, in recovery groups, in hospital. Perhaps this book is aimed towards those who have had the luck to never encounter an eating disorder unless it was splashed across the cover of US Weekly, or the rumour of that girl in school. Although Greenfield states her intended audience, her intention doesn't seem to match the finished product.
If anything, Greenfield was successful in illustrating the difficulty in recovering. In following some of the patients, she is able to demonstrate how difficult recovery is outside of a hospital setting where one has to juggle the needs of real life, with the voice and influence of an eating disorder. The people in this book are chronic, and many have been struggling for several years. It also highlights inefficiencies and inequities of eating disorder treatment, yet offering solutions and posing questions falls outside the scope of this study.
Where Greenfield is most successful is in giving the Eating Disorder another platform to speak. Although Eating Disorders are secretive, they also crave attention. The more they are fed, the more powerful they are. Much has been made of the communal nature of ED's - especially in narratives such as "how to disappear completely", "Wasted", and "Empty". Thin depicts this flawlessly.
I would 100% not recommend this to any person who is in recovery; has an Eating Disorder; or, has a history of disordered eating practices. If you do and need to read this for research, please make your treatment team aware.
Although Greenfield is successful in presenting a range of people in race and age, the defining narrative plays into already established beliefs and stereotypes of eating disorders - it was about "fat". Also problematic is the inclusion of lowest weights, daily caloric intakes, weight loss methods, and extreme exercise programs. The access Greenfield was afforded to both patients and experts would have made her aware of the triggering nature of this information - especially when presented with visual representation of the people in question. Language and text married together forms a powerful narrative for those susceptible to disordered eating or already with an eating disorder. This book would knowingly exacerbate the competitive nature of the disease if the reader was already suffering.
It's hard for me to say who this book would benefit. For those of us in academia who have read memoirs, trauma narratives, and theory late into the night until we fell asleep - it offers nothing new other than images alongside the origin stories. Families and friends have already seen people they care about lie about food and suffer. Those of us who suffer have seen all of this and more in the annals of eating disorder communities all across the internet, in recovery groups, in hospital. Perhaps this book is aimed towards those who have had the luck to never encounter an eating disorder unless it was splashed across the cover of US Weekly, or the rumour of that girl in school. Although Greenfield states her intended audience, her intention doesn't seem to match the finished product.
If anything, Greenfield was successful in illustrating the difficulty in recovering. In following some of the patients, she is able to demonstrate how difficult recovery is outside of a hospital setting where one has to juggle the needs of real life, with the voice and influence of an eating disorder. The people in this book are chronic, and many have been struggling for several years. It also highlights inefficiencies and inequities of eating disorder treatment, yet offering solutions and posing questions falls outside the scope of this study.
Where Greenfield is most successful is in giving the Eating Disorder another platform to speak. Although Eating Disorders are secretive, they also crave attention. The more they are fed, the more powerful they are. Much has been made of the communal nature of ED's - especially in narratives such as "how to disappear completely", "Wasted", and "Empty". Thin depicts this flawlessly.
I would 100% not recommend this to any person who is in recovery; has an Eating Disorder; or, has a history of disordered eating practices. If you do and need to read this for research, please make your treatment team aware.
January 15, 2013
Really powerful and devastating book that explores Eating Disorders and the girls suffering from them. It follows four main girls, but also tells the stories of many, many other women being treated at Renfrew, an inpatient treatment centre for people with eating disorders. It's a tough book that doesn't gloss over any of the horrors of suffering from an eating disorder, but it has heart and really explains the mindset of someone suffering from an ED. The photographs were amazing and the personal stories powerful. I think the thing I found most upsetting was that so many of the women were forced to leave treatment before they were ready because insurance wouldn't cover their expenses, and the cost for treatment was around $1,200 a day (according the book). It breaks my heart, knowing that these women want and need the help but cannot get it because they can't afford it. It's tragic.
November 19, 2015
Grade: B
THIN is a photo essay coffee table book profiling twenty girls from are free Coral Gables, a world renowned eating disorder clinic. The teens and women profiled through photographs, interviews and journal entries tell their struggles with varying degrees of insight and in different stages of the recovery process. Four of the women, all who have relapsed also report after they've left treatment. Three doctors are also interviewed.
I first saw the 2004 HBO documentary THIN, and decided to check out the book. Photographer/writer Lauren Greenfield captured the essence of these women, and their eyes illustrated their pain more than their words. Interviewees can lie, writers can spin, but eyes are the mirrors of truth.
I wish the book, published in 2006, had update because I was curious as to how all the participants were doing a decade after their treatment.
THIN is a photo essay coffee table book profiling twenty girls from are free Coral Gables, a world renowned eating disorder clinic. The teens and women profiled through photographs, interviews and journal entries tell their struggles with varying degrees of insight and in different stages of the recovery process. Four of the women, all who have relapsed also report after they've left treatment. Three doctors are also interviewed.
I first saw the 2004 HBO documentary THIN, and decided to check out the book. Photographer/writer Lauren Greenfield captured the essence of these women, and their eyes illustrated their pain more than their words. Interviewees can lie, writers can spin, but eyes are the mirrors of truth.
I wish the book, published in 2006, had update because I was curious as to how all the participants were doing a decade after their treatment.
January 9, 2023
Heart-wrenching and eye-opening piece of journalism portraying the seriousness of EDs. I have seen the documentary that pairs with this book and I recommend both to those interested and mentally capable to handle the information.
October 1, 2024
okay some ppl hated this but i loved it. all i read were the different girls� stories and they were all very raw and real😭. hope all the girls r still doing good today and living the lives they dreamed of
March 2, 2022
⚠️ Trigger Warning - ED & MH talk ⚠️
So I have to preface this by saying that I understand this was published in the early 2000s and that our education as a whole about mental health and eating disorders has progressed significantly in the past decade or so. However, I’m still going into this review with my genuine thoughts and responses to Thin as someone who is living in 2022, not 2004.
Overall, I liked it. Hearing people’s various experiences with eating disorders and mental health, from a range of different ages and cultural backgrounds was really interesting (albeit also very sad - I truly hope the women and girls featured are doing better much these days). I appreciated that the sole focus was not only on anorexia nervosa, but also bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorders.
I found it really hard reading about women in their 40s, 50s & 60s who were still struggling with this illness and the toll that it took on them mentally and physically, as well as the affect it had on their families. I really felt for them; it’s hard to imagine being back in a treatment environment like that and feeling as if you were in high school again when you’re in your 50s. I think those stories were the most confronting to me.
Finding out how some of the patients were going after leaving Renfrew was pretty intriguing too (especially since I watched the documentary before reading the book). I discovered some stuff about Shelly, Polly, Brittany and Alisa that I wouldn’t have if I had only seen the film.
That aside, I do think the author could have toned down on the triggering content - some of the photos and all the talk around numbers (weight and calories in particular), just doesn’t seem necessary to me and only further perpetuates the misguided idea of ED’s being only about weight and food. I personally didn’t find myself affected by it (mostly because I can’t read lbs) but I think other people very easily could be.
I know a lot of this comes down to the time period it was created, but I also had a hard time with all the talk around ED’s only ever affecting women, which just isn’t the case at all. I get that this could’ve also been emphasised because the book takes place in a women’s treatment facility, so of course that’s going to be the main focus. But honestly, if there was anything I found triggering about the book, it was this. That’s probably partly due to me being trans and feeling totally invisible in this area, and I guess that’s also just what you get when you pick up a book written this long ago.
We’ve come a long way in our understanding of eating disorders as a society, and Thin has really highlighted that. However, we still have a long way to go too.
So I have to preface this by saying that I understand this was published in the early 2000s and that our education as a whole about mental health and eating disorders has progressed significantly in the past decade or so. However, I’m still going into this review with my genuine thoughts and responses to Thin as someone who is living in 2022, not 2004.
Overall, I liked it. Hearing people’s various experiences with eating disorders and mental health, from a range of different ages and cultural backgrounds was really interesting (albeit also very sad - I truly hope the women and girls featured are doing better much these days). I appreciated that the sole focus was not only on anorexia nervosa, but also bulimia nervosa and binge eating disorders.
I found it really hard reading about women in their 40s, 50s & 60s who were still struggling with this illness and the toll that it took on them mentally and physically, as well as the affect it had on their families. I really felt for them; it’s hard to imagine being back in a treatment environment like that and feeling as if you were in high school again when you’re in your 50s. I think those stories were the most confronting to me.
Finding out how some of the patients were going after leaving Renfrew was pretty intriguing too (especially since I watched the documentary before reading the book). I discovered some stuff about Shelly, Polly, Brittany and Alisa that I wouldn’t have if I had only seen the film.
That aside, I do think the author could have toned down on the triggering content - some of the photos and all the talk around numbers (weight and calories in particular), just doesn’t seem necessary to me and only further perpetuates the misguided idea of ED’s being only about weight and food. I personally didn’t find myself affected by it (mostly because I can’t read lbs) but I think other people very easily could be.
I know a lot of this comes down to the time period it was created, but I also had a hard time with all the talk around ED’s only ever affecting women, which just isn’t the case at all. I get that this could’ve also been emphasised because the book takes place in a women’s treatment facility, so of course that’s going to be the main focus. But honestly, if there was anything I found triggering about the book, it was this. That’s probably partly due to me being trans and feeling totally invisible in this area, and I guess that’s also just what you get when you pick up a book written this long ago.
We’ve come a long way in our understanding of eating disorders as a society, and Thin has really highlighted that. However, we still have a long way to go too.
April 28, 2009
I think that this book would really appeal to teenage girls, seeing as anorexia and body image are such common problems with this age group. The pictures are gripping and the way in which the story is told (through first person accounts of anorexic girls and their journal entries) is not only believable but also very powerful. The book is a quick read (I read it all in one evening) and I think it would also appeal to a reluctant reader; the images definitely help to break up the text.
The book address self-confidence, coming to terms with your own body image, and maturing. Many of the women in the book are anorexic because of abusive relationships or sexual encounters in their past. I think it takes someone with a strong stomach to deal with the content of the book, but that the message is powerful. So many young women today need to be told that they don't have to look like the stick figure women in popular media to be healthy and attractive.
The book is definitely credible. As I mentioned earlier, the entire story is told through journal entries, photos, and first person accounts of the ladies own battles with anorexia. While many of their thought processes are difficult to believe (anorexia is a mental disorder) it is impossible not to find their voices authentic.
I would promote this book to teenage girls (I don't know that boys would be very interested in it) by showing them a number of pictures. The images themselves are very gripping and I think that many might want to read the book for that reason alone. I think that this non-fiction account could also be linked to a similar fiction novel, like Laurie Halse Anderson's newly published Wintergirls.
4Q, 4P, S
The book address self-confidence, coming to terms with your own body image, and maturing. Many of the women in the book are anorexic because of abusive relationships or sexual encounters in their past. I think it takes someone with a strong stomach to deal with the content of the book, but that the message is powerful. So many young women today need to be told that they don't have to look like the stick figure women in popular media to be healthy and attractive.
The book is definitely credible. As I mentioned earlier, the entire story is told through journal entries, photos, and first person accounts of the ladies own battles with anorexia. While many of their thought processes are difficult to believe (anorexia is a mental disorder) it is impossible not to find their voices authentic.
I would promote this book to teenage girls (I don't know that boys would be very interested in it) by showing them a number of pictures. The images themselves are very gripping and I think that many might want to read the book for that reason alone. I think that this non-fiction account could also be linked to a similar fiction novel, like Laurie Halse Anderson's newly published Wintergirls.
4Q, 4P, S
August 7, 2022
Some people complained that this book is focused solely on women, but it does mention several times that this disease affects men too, and the sad fact is it affects disproportionately more women. I also understand it could be triggering for some people, but I read it as someone intrigued by abnormal psychology, and it's interesting to see the internal battles the disease causes. Be warned, though, it isn't exactly hopeful!
January 19, 2023
A companion book for the just as difficult to digest documentary. Unashamed, heartbreaking, fascinating, and everything in between. Lots of emotions are felt reading this.
Read
November 14, 2008The relationship between food, emotions, and women's bodies, my goodness. I didn't intend to be in the library for more than fifteen minutes but the cover of this book grabbed my attention and, soon enough, I was planted at a desk completely engrossed in the photos and stories. Some of the photos are quite disturbing but the nature of how anorexia and bulimia take control of one's mind and body is such a complicated and widespread matter that it merits such honest documentation. To make the experience even more excruciating is that I hadn't eaten lunch at that point so I was really hungry and yet to read about these girls who want to kill themselves over having five peanuts instead of their daily allotment of three peanuts was maddening. But reading through the stories, it becomes clear that it isn't really so much about food but love, security, control, family. This book was published in 2006 so I was left to wonder how these girls (and some older women as well) fared after they left Renfrew. Some cases definitely looked more promising than others but I hope they are all closer to being able to accept and enjoy the small pleasures in life such as butter on popcorn or, at least, even just popcorn, if not the love and security they obviously and desperately need.
June 10, 2008
this is the companion book to the HBO documentary with the same title. having just watched the doc again, i have to say, i like the book so much more. while it is a sort of "supplement" you get to see more into the lives of the girls than i felt you did in the film. there are excerpts from journals, lots of photos, and way more history and background to shelly, polly and britney, especially. (also alicia.) with the fact that polly passed away late last year, this book takes an even more poignant turn, and fills the holes i wish the film did - it lists agencies/hotlines to call/contact if you think you have an eating problem, or if someone you know does.
the book is more "responsible", if that makes sense. it doesn't sensationalize the illness, or glamorize any of it, which i appreciate. and it ends on a note of hope, which i felt the film lacked. (at least, it's cautiously hopefully.)
it's also presented in a large coffee table book-type fashion, which makes me wonder if i would ever put this out on my coffee table. still, it's very insightful, especially when combined with the film, but i think the book stands better alone than the film does.
the book is more "responsible", if that makes sense. it doesn't sensationalize the illness, or glamorize any of it, which i appreciate. and it ends on a note of hope, which i felt the film lacked. (at least, it's cautiously hopefully.)
it's also presented in a large coffee table book-type fashion, which makes me wonder if i would ever put this out on my coffee table. still, it's very insightful, especially when combined with the film, but i think the book stands better alone than the film does.
June 19, 2010
Lauren Greenfield is a wonderful photographer. She has a great clarity to her work, and a directness that I really like to look at. (At which I really like to look). I can't really judge that well because I've never had an eating disorder (just usual girl-body-image stuff), but I thought Thin (the documentary) was crazy compelling and and an honest look at the toughness of treating the illness.
The book is also crazy compelling. It would be good stand-alone, and it adds more to the stories than the film could get into, because it shows more of the patients from Renfrew, and a little more of the stories of the 4 main "characters" from the documentary. The psychological battle is so evident in the photographs and their words.
For me, it was a good companion read with Next to Nothing because it was really just documenting the girl's mental states and thoughts while that book was really a guide for the recovering person with an ED and his or her family/friends. So I could take what I read in that book and try to apply it to these real cases of recovery.
The book is also crazy compelling. It would be good stand-alone, and it adds more to the stories than the film could get into, because it shows more of the patients from Renfrew, and a little more of the stories of the 4 main "characters" from the documentary. The psychological battle is so evident in the photographs and their words.
For me, it was a good companion read with Next to Nothing because it was really just documenting the girl's mental states and thoughts while that book was really a guide for the recovering person with an ED and his or her family/friends. So I could take what I read in that book and try to apply it to these real cases of recovery.
November 22, 2021
Honest accounts from inpatients at an eating disorder clinic.
January 14, 2019
A year ago this book would have been heartbreaking and informative while distant and out of reach. Now, as I have a friend with an eating disorder that went to renfrew, the book offers a deeper look into the struggles that I have experienced second-hand. What better way to begin to understand mental illness than to be told about it by one who struggles with it?
Lauren Greenfield’s photographs show a rare look into a disorder that is misunderstood and marginalized in our culture. The candor and insight of the stories from the women in treatment alongside their raw, vulnerable journal entries allows the reader to see the recovery journey of one with ED.
If you are a support for a loved one with ED I recommend this book. Take deep breaths and cry if you need too, but the honesty in this book allowed me to further grasp how I can support my loved ones with ED.
Lauren Greenfield’s photographs show a rare look into a disorder that is misunderstood and marginalized in our culture. The candor and insight of the stories from the women in treatment alongside their raw, vulnerable journal entries allows the reader to see the recovery journey of one with ED.
If you are a support for a loved one with ED I recommend this book. Take deep breaths and cry if you need too, but the honesty in this book allowed me to further grasp how I can support my loved ones with ED.
May 21, 2010
This book is a trigger book. Don't even pick it up!!!
Eating disorders should not be a topic for photojournalism... does the general public really need to be "educated" on Eating Disorders IN THIS MANNER??? To the extent of seeing nearly naked ana girls starve, vomit, and show all the "secrets" of this deadly and destructive way of living? Maybe we should start holding classes at the local library with demonstrations of how to purge as well, or how to pretend to eat so nobody catches on, or which drugs are the most effective in appetite reduction... Seriously!!! This makes me so angry! This book serves no purpose, other than to be sensational to readers- and to be triggers to those already spiraling into the illness.
This book, and the associated documentary will do FAR MORE HARM to young girls and women that any good it will serve. If people want to know how to help a loved one or to be educated on the topic, there are plenty of books that clearly have such motives- but this book is damaging, and plays on the superficial emotional reaction from viewers and readers who are addicted to drama.... but these are REAL people- and thousands more are living like this- (and taking TIPS and ideas from crap like this!!)...
STAY AWAY from this book.... there's really no reason to read this, other than people wanting to indulge their need for sensational and scandalous stories and the sick need to feed off of other's tragedies.
Really... what is served by watching a single mother of two spiral towards death with her bulimia, or watching anorexic girls trade secrets and tips?
I hope the IRRESPONSIBLE idiots who produced this have their eyes opened at some point to the kind of damage they have done. This book is right up their with the people running websites PROMOTING eating disorders and offering one another support to stay sick... (This book is often discussed on several of these Pro-Ana/Mia sites, and some even feature pictures of these girls in their "thinspiration.")
Eating disorders should not be a topic for photojournalism... does the general public really need to be "educated" on Eating Disorders IN THIS MANNER??? To the extent of seeing nearly naked ana girls starve, vomit, and show all the "secrets" of this deadly and destructive way of living? Maybe we should start holding classes at the local library with demonstrations of how to purge as well, or how to pretend to eat so nobody catches on, or which drugs are the most effective in appetite reduction... Seriously!!! This makes me so angry! This book serves no purpose, other than to be sensational to readers- and to be triggers to those already spiraling into the illness.
This book, and the associated documentary will do FAR MORE HARM to young girls and women that any good it will serve. If people want to know how to help a loved one or to be educated on the topic, there are plenty of books that clearly have such motives- but this book is damaging, and plays on the superficial emotional reaction from viewers and readers who are addicted to drama.... but these are REAL people- and thousands more are living like this- (and taking TIPS and ideas from crap like this!!)...
STAY AWAY from this book.... there's really no reason to read this, other than people wanting to indulge their need for sensational and scandalous stories and the sick need to feed off of other's tragedies.
Really... what is served by watching a single mother of two spiral towards death with her bulimia, or watching anorexic girls trade secrets and tips?
I hope the IRRESPONSIBLE idiots who produced this have their eyes opened at some point to the kind of damage they have done. This book is right up their with the people running websites PROMOTING eating disorders and offering one another support to stay sick... (This book is often discussed on several of these Pro-Ana/Mia sites, and some even feature pictures of these girls in their "thinspiration.")
March 20, 2016
I personally found this book to be voyeuristic and unoriginal. Granted, as a photographer, I can appreciate Greenfield's ability to capture sound shots. As a human being, though, I find Thin to be distasteful in concept, or at the very least naïve. Before you jump to conclusions about what I mean by that (it's tempting, I know, I really do understand), allow me to explain exactly what I mean.
My problem is not a simple objection to graphic material. I believe as much as any other proponent of free press that truth is important, and that some things must be expressed in the raw. Take one glance through my shelves and you'll see that I read/view plenty of graphic material, ranging from illustrated forensic science texts to vivid memoirs of trauma and illness. I am all for the honest portrayal of eating disorder treatment experiences (generally speaking as well as for personal reasons).
But I'm sick of this stereotypically formatted story being told the same way again and again. It's a classic tabloid churn-out by now: The-Generic-Journalistic-Piece-About-Anorexia� featuring prominent images of emaciated upper-class white women weeping over plates of food or strapped to feeding tubes, staring wistfully into space. The writing of the patients was limited to fairly basic chronology, lists of symptoms and behaviors, and height-and-weight information that in my opinion served no purpose beyond shock value. Textual sections were honestly easy to skip altogether, situated as blocks of small font beside full-page color photographs.
I believe this work could have been far more meaningful, as well as far more responsible (toward the patients and toward the eating-disorder-affected population likely to consume Greenfield's work), if the journalistic focus were pointed away from the physical starving, scarred bodies and toward the human beings living inside them.
My problem is not a simple objection to graphic material. I believe as much as any other proponent of free press that truth is important, and that some things must be expressed in the raw. Take one glance through my shelves and you'll see that I read/view plenty of graphic material, ranging from illustrated forensic science texts to vivid memoirs of trauma and illness. I am all for the honest portrayal of eating disorder treatment experiences (generally speaking as well as for personal reasons).
But I'm sick of this stereotypically formatted story being told the same way again and again. It's a classic tabloid churn-out by now: The-Generic-Journalistic-Piece-About-Anorexia� featuring prominent images of emaciated upper-class white women weeping over plates of food or strapped to feeding tubes, staring wistfully into space. The writing of the patients was limited to fairly basic chronology, lists of symptoms and behaviors, and height-and-weight information that in my opinion served no purpose beyond shock value. Textual sections were honestly easy to skip altogether, situated as blocks of small font beside full-page color photographs.
I believe this work could have been far more meaningful, as well as far more responsible (toward the patients and toward the eating-disorder-affected population likely to consume Greenfield's work), if the journalistic focus were pointed away from the physical starving, scarred bodies and toward the human beings living inside them.
February 20, 2013
As many other reviewers said, the photography is this book is beautiful (although haunting might be a better word). Lauren Greenfield seems to have developed enough of a camaraderie with the girls and women in Renfrew to take fairly candid shots.
Of course, the book also reads like a warning against (and simultaneously propaganda for) Renfrew. You'll (be forced to)eat while not exerting yourself. You might pick up hints and tricks from mother women at the center. You may create some of your first close female friendships. You may wind up hating other patients at Renfrew because they trigger you. The possibilities are wide and extend well beyond those listed in this review.
This book, however, also acts as thinspiration (look at those girls, they're thinner than me) and provides hints and tricks itself. I remember, when this book came out, that was one of the major criticisms of the images and journal entries. That's a criticism I still want to hold, which is why this book receives 3 stars from me.
Of course, the book also reads like a warning against (and simultaneously propaganda for) Renfrew. You'll (be forced to)eat while not exerting yourself. You might pick up hints and tricks from mother women at the center. You may create some of your first close female friendships. You may wind up hating other patients at Renfrew because they trigger you. The possibilities are wide and extend well beyond those listed in this review.
This book, however, also acts as thinspiration (look at those girls, they're thinner than me) and provides hints and tricks itself. I remember, when this book came out, that was one of the major criticisms of the images and journal entries. That's a criticism I still want to hold, which is why this book receives 3 stars from me.
Read
September 4, 2023I don't feel right rating this, so I won't, but I did really like this � I almost want to say enjoy, but I feel like thats not the appropriate word to use here. So many of the testimonies highlighted here hit deep, I really resonated with so many of the women (Ata in particular springs to mind). There were some really profound things emerging from their stories and their lives, and the pictures themselves. Even almost two decades later following this publishing of this work, I think the womens' thoughts and feelings and words remian incredibly relevant as unfortunately the social landscape hasn't really changed much regarding EDs esp regarding misunderstandings of the disorders themselves.
On an important note, I have a very high tolerance for potentially " triggering " content so this honestly did not bother me at all (and aside from number talk I think this was approached pretty well) but I don't think I would recommend this to people who are more sensitive.
On an important note, I have a very high tolerance for potentially " triggering " content so this honestly did not bother me at all (and aside from number talk I think this was approached pretty well) but I don't think I would recommend this to people who are more sensitive.
August 10, 2021
A photo essay literally depicting the eating disorders of women, only women. some are teenagers, some young mothers, some even in their 40s and 50s. but always and only women. Threaded thru many of their stories is body dysmorphia, sexual abuse, control issues, anxiety and depression. I couldn't help but reflect it was a natural extension of her photo essay from 4 years earlier: Girl Culture. And it made me reflect on the cycling, seemingly contagious, self abuse that girls and women do to themselves as they try to figure out their place in the world: anorexia, bulimia, cutting, and now the newly emerging insistence that they are 'born in the wrong body'. Strangely, this latter affliction is embraced as a panacea; some magic solution to rid the depression, to erase the sexual abuse, to create the perfect body thru drugs and surgery.
September 17, 2010
The most triggering book I have ever read. I was up intil 4 in the morning last night reading and re-reading this book, flipping through the pages looking at the pictures, and planning how I was going to be just like these girls. Sick, isn't it?
I was frightened a bit by some of the older women. They seemed so pathetic. That could be my future, I guess, but I was less afraid of such a grim future than I was inspired by these beautiful, thin girls.
I really want to see the film now. If the book was so triggering, I can hardly imagine what the film must be like. I'm going to order it on amazon today.
I was frightened a bit by some of the older women. They seemed so pathetic. That could be my future, I guess, but I was less afraid of such a grim future than I was inspired by these beautiful, thin girls.
I really want to see the film now. If the book was so triggering, I can hardly imagine what the film must be like. I'm going to order it on amazon today.
October 3, 2009
Recommended for those who are interested in learning about eating disorders. This book does a good job of showing how EDs are really not about food at all, but about so many deeper psychological issues. The first-person blurbs are excellent samples of the distorted thinking that is usually present in EDs. Not recommended for those with an active ED, as the photos and statements could easily be triggering.
April 25, 2011
I was awfully intrigued, and somewhat excited about this book when I first picked it up. When I started reading THIN, my excitement disappeared and I was disturbed by each story. Some of these girls got better, some of them were readmitted to the clinic, and a few died. I certainly recommend this book to those curious about the subject and want to gain deeper insight to how these girls think. I also recommend watching the documentary, too.
August 3, 2010
Disturbing portrait of patients at Renfrew, a residential treatment center for women with eating disorders. Includes commentary from several experts in the field as well as personal first hand accounts of patients' experiences at the center. Unfortunately, few of these women seemed motivated to change and many suffered multiple relapses.
September 5, 2008
yikes! Anorexia is NOT art! Trigger, trigger, trigger. Don't pick this book up even to flip through it.
June 11, 2013
Gross and exploitative like the reality TV show it was based on.
December 19, 2022
This book is a photojournalism account of people who are receiving treatment for eating disorders. This book can be very triggering/graphic for people who are dealing with this issue. I would strongly suggest considering that before picking up this book (or watching the documentary on HBO). People find themselves struggling with eating disorders for a variety of reasons, and it is all tragic. This is about more than eating healthy foods. It is about healthy eating habits and a healthy relationship with food. I think the photographs in this book are very stark and haunting, but the message is important. Compassion is something we need more of, and that goes hand in hand with understanding, which we also need more of.
I have a serious issue with places like this, no matter if they are treatment facilities for addiction/mental illness or one of those facilities for problematic kids. They advertise these amazing state of the art facilities, with all of these amenities like they are five star hotel resorts in the Bahamas. It's a lie, unless it is a celebrity treatment center. There are more and more stories coming out about people who went to places like this and what they went through there, and I cannot imagine that a lot of this "treatment" is actually beneficial. The fact that it costs so much is a whole other issue. These places put me in mind of privately owned for profit prisons- the services are needed, but who is lining pockets with the costs?
At any rate, I think that the book is an important contribution to the understanding of eating disorders and the human body. Listening to the reasons and events that caused people to begin using unhealthy habits and coping tools can help them and others in the future. When we take time to learn about things we do not know about, it makes us better equipped to handle situations that we may confront in the future. For that reason alone, I appreciated this book.
I have a serious issue with places like this, no matter if they are treatment facilities for addiction/mental illness or one of those facilities for problematic kids. They advertise these amazing state of the art facilities, with all of these amenities like they are five star hotel resorts in the Bahamas. It's a lie, unless it is a celebrity treatment center. There are more and more stories coming out about people who went to places like this and what they went through there, and I cannot imagine that a lot of this "treatment" is actually beneficial. The fact that it costs so much is a whole other issue. These places put me in mind of privately owned for profit prisons- the services are needed, but who is lining pockets with the costs?
At any rate, I think that the book is an important contribution to the understanding of eating disorders and the human body. Listening to the reasons and events that caused people to begin using unhealthy habits and coping tools can help them and others in the future. When we take time to learn about things we do not know about, it makes us better equipped to handle situations that we may confront in the future. For that reason alone, I appreciated this book.
July 26, 2021
This accompanies the HBO documentary of the same name, which follows four women who are in an incredibly expensive residential facility to address their life-threatening eating disorders. I found the documentary engrossing, and when I found out there was a book, I thought it might give more details about the facility and the women.
But the book didn't really add much that wasn't in the documentary. There was very little about the residential facility; I was hoping for details about treatments, rules, and recovery rates, but there wasn't any of that. The women's stories were heart-wrenching but relatively short. I did like the fact that there were more stories included in the book than could be included in the film. I'm curious about why they would publish a book which was basically just a transcript of the film, but I'm sure they made some money off of people like me who thought the book would add something.
According to ŷ, three stars means I liked it but didn't love it. That seems appropriate. The rating is meant to reflect my experience of the book itself, not the very candid and personal stories that the women told. My heart goes out to those ladies and, although the book is 15 years old, I wish them all the best.
But the book didn't really add much that wasn't in the documentary. There was very little about the residential facility; I was hoping for details about treatments, rules, and recovery rates, but there wasn't any of that. The women's stories were heart-wrenching but relatively short. I did like the fact that there were more stories included in the book than could be included in the film. I'm curious about why they would publish a book which was basically just a transcript of the film, but I'm sure they made some money off of people like me who thought the book would add something.
According to ŷ, three stars means I liked it but didn't love it. That seems appropriate. The rating is meant to reflect my experience of the book itself, not the very candid and personal stories that the women told. My heart goes out to those ladies and, although the book is 15 years old, I wish them all the best.
July 19, 2023
One of the most honest and accurate depictions of eating disorders that I've seen or read, Greenfield seems to understand what many eating disorder professionals still don't: these disorders stem from much deeper issues than the "diet gone wrong" they are so frequently presented as. She acknowledges that in a diet-driven society, disordered behaviours are all too common; but through the stories of the patients it's stark how different that behaviour is from the relentless cycling in and out of treatment that many of these patients go through, and how truely life-destroying these disorders can be.
I will caution prospective readers that the book does not shy away from describing behaviours and numbers, so for some it may be best to steer clear.
I will caution prospective readers that the book does not shy away from describing behaviours and numbers, so for some it may be best to steer clear.
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