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.

Lauren Greenfield's work is held in many museum collections and appears regularly in the New York Times Magazine, the New Yorker, Harper's Bazaar, and Time. American Photo named her one of the 25 most influential photographers today. She lives in Venice, California.

Joan Jacobs Brumberg is a professor at Cornell University, where she has been teaching history, human development, and women's studies for over 20 years. She lives in Ithaca, New York.