My Belly

Why are women so ashamed of certain parts of their bodies? And why are our feelings about our midsections so hard to navigate? These are the questions that animate My Belly, an unflinching and funny portrait of one womans obsession with a seemingly innocent body part.Hilde Otsby is a critic, a thinker, and an acclaimed author. At the start of My Belly, she is on tour promoting her latest work about the culture and science of memory. As she poses for a photographer from the London Times, she silently worries about how her belly will look on the front page of the Arts section. Later, she realizes how ridiculous this is: shes being celebrated for an intellectual achievement, and yet all she can focus on is her appearance.How did a girl from an academic home, where intellect was always valued more than looks, find herself in this position? As she approaches her 45th birthday, Hilde discovers shes spent 30 years obsessing over her belly. If she had spent all that time writing books, she would have written the equivalent of Knaussgards My Struggle. All six volumes.How can we stop obsessing over our bodies and claim back our time? We can start by understanding who and what led us to this place. In My Belly, Hilde explores the original reason she began hating her body after being abused as a child. She examines the norms of popular culture and patriarchal attitudes towards her and other womens bodies. She delves into diets revealing that by the time most women reach her age, they have tried 61 diets and explores the prevalence of weight discrimination in our society.Drawing on philosophy, neurology, sociology, literature, and popular culture, as well as her own dark truths, Hilde offers an honest look at an obsession that seems to have plagued women for centuries. Readers will come away with laughter, anger, tears, and a new perspective on their own unique struggles.

If my hatred of my belly was a person, she would be old enough to have completed a lengthy education and given me grandchildren.

An unflinching and feminist portrait of one woman’s obsession with her belly and the cultural and social norms that feed that obsession––for readers of Nora Ephron’s classic memoir I Feel Bad About My Neck.

“Hilde Ostby says she's never entered a room without thinking about her belly. She can't stand it. … So [she] decided to really examine why she spent most of her adult life hating how she looked.”—NPR Weekend Edition

Hilde Ostby is an acclaimed cultural critic and successful writer living in Norway. At the start ofMy Belly, she is on tour in London, promoting her latest book about the culture and science of memory. As she poses for a photograph for theLondon Times, she silently worries about how her belly will look on the front page of the Arts section. Later, she realizes how ridiculous this is: she’s being celebrated for an intellectual achievement, and yet all she can focus on is her belly.

How did a girl from an academic home, where intellect came before looks, find herself in this position? As Hilde approaches her 45th birthday, she calculates that she’s spent 30 years obsessing over her belly. If she had spent that time writing books instead, she would have written the equivalent of Knaussgard’sMy Struggle. All six volumes.

How can we stop obsessing over our bodies and claim back our time? We can start by understanding who and what led us to this place. InMy Belly, Hilde explores the original reason she began hating her body: at fifteen, she was sexually abused. She also examines patriarchal attitudes towards women’s bodies, and delves into diets, revealing that by the time most women reach her age, they have tried 61 diets.

Drawing on philosophy, neurology, sociology, literature, and popular culture, as well as her own dark truths, Hilde offers an honest look at an obsession that seems to have plagued women for centuries. Readers will come away with laughter, anger, tears, and a new perspective on their own unique struggles.

Step One—Identify the Problem
Step Two—Know Your Enemy, Learn About What You Hate
Step Three—Stop Buying Clothes for a Future Me
Step Four—Stop Dieting
Step Five—Give the Gorilla a Name
Step Six—Stress Less
Step Seven—I Become Free, One Breath at a Time