Yulia Lapina "Body, Food, Sex, and Anxiety - What Concerns the Modern Woman"

I continue to talk about the books I like and those I didn't like, which turned out to be worthless.

"The Body, Food, Sex, and Anxiety" - a work by a clinical psychologist from Moscow, published in 2018. The author has extensive experience dealing with eating behavior disorders. In September 2017, at the invitation of the Association of Doctors and Psychologists "Eating Behavior Disorders: Therapy and Prevention," Yulia Lapina came to Kyiv. She conducted a training seminar for us titled "Features of Therapeutic Relationships in the Therapy of Eating Behavior Disorders. Transference, Countertransference. Work Strategies." Everyone liked her as a professional and a pleasant, commendable person.

In the introduction, the author informs that the discussion will revolve around the boundaries of anxieties, women's issues adapted to life in the post-Soviet space. In this section, Yulia emphasizes that her task is to help readers "find answers to some questions and provoke dozens of others, as this is how we discover the new." In the subsequent sections, she discusses the connection between the body and anxieties, the body as a social elevator, using numerous anonymized real quotes from online resources and women's forums.

Why is it important to read this book? First and foremost, because it is a quality analysis of misconceptions about the body and nutrition with plenty of useful references. Yulia Lapina explains clearly why restrictive eating behavior fits well with people, how it correlates with systems of fasting, religious prohibitions, and sins. Indeed, in today's world, the "sinner" is essentially the one who eats after 6 PM and "befriends" sweets.

Who might not like the book? Those who do not share the principle "My body - my business" and conform to trendy standards; those who teach others how to live and how their bodies should look. It will definitely not appeal to readers who hoped to lose weight through psychology.

What can you actually find in the book? An interesting excursion into the history of fashion on feminine shapes, an analysis of the reasons for the rejection of people with excess weight (fatphobia), the essence of double messages, and the placebo effect in the beauty industry. In short, there will be another, constructive and well-founded perspective on the anxieties relevant to women, with a summary that choice is always present.

Do I recommend this book to my clients? Absolutely, as it helps consciously make one’s choices.