Momasphere Events and Bump are presenting a great reading and discussion in Park Slope for women of all ages that examines body image and motherhood! Whether you want to become pregnant for the first time, you're currently pregnant, 4 months out of pregnancy or 10 years out of pregnancy, the book deals with body image and fitness issues that last a lifetime. Beauty activists Claire Mysko and Magali Amadei surveyed more than 400 women, including those who are considering starting a family, moms-to-be, and mothers. They offer a much-needed forewarning on what to expect from your changing body, exposing the myths, challenges, and insecurities you’ll face throughout pregnancy and beyond—and what to do about them. With startling confessions of women’s unspoken fears and advice on how to remedy them, this essential compendium of girl-friendly advice will help champion any woman to feel her best about her body, herself, and her role as a mom.
Date: Thursday, October 29, 2009
Time: 7-9 pm
Place: The Old Stone House
336 3rd St (bet. 4th & 5th Ave), Brooklyn, NY 11215
Price: Tickets are $10 online & $15 at the door
Space is limited so please RSVP by purchasing tickets online HERE. Tickets are available for sale at the door for $15.00 on a first-come-first-served basis. Cash only to purchase tickets at the door.
Panel Discussion and Book Reading: Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat? The Essential Guide to Loving Your Body Before and After Baby (co-authored by Claire Mysko and Magali Amadei) is the first guide to help women deal with the body changes of pregnancy and motherhood, providing valuable advice on how to pass along healthy attitudes about food and weight to our children. Publishers Weekly says, “[t]he concepts and solidarity offered here should prove valuable for millions of American women.
After the reading, a panel discussion that probes body image issues related to motherhood will follow. Topics that will be covered include self-esteem, sexuality, fitness and health as they relate to our changing bodies as mothers.
Body Image and Motherhood Reading and Discussion Includes the Following Panelists:
Claire Mysko and Magali Amadei co-authered Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat? The Essential Guide to Loving Your Body Before and After Baby. In it they surveyed more than 400 women, including those who are considering starting a family, moms-to-be, and mothers. They offer a much-needed forewarning on what to expect from your changing body, exposing the myths, challenges, and insecurities you’ll face throughout. Claire writes books, blogs, leads workshops, and consults with companies and organizations that want to reach girls and women with empowering messages. She has served as the director of the American Anorexia Bulimia Association, the Executive Editor of SmartGirl, and the Assistant Director of Communications for Girls Inc. She is also the co-founder of Inside Beauty, an outreach program dedicated to promoting healthy body image. Claire received her M.A. in Gender Studies from The New School for Social Research.
Meredith Lopez is a stay-at-home writer and mother. She is one of the main mom bloggers on The Huffington Post. Her short stories and creative non-fiction have been published in Heart By Heart: Mothers and Daughters Listening to Each Other, The Dovetail Journal for Interfaith Families, Morbid Outlook, and The Rose & Thorn e-Zine. In 1999 she graduated from NYU with a degree in Dramatic Literature, Cinema Studies and Theatre History, with an emphasis on American film studies. She is also a veteran of several office day jobs, where she learned to multi-task, be proactive, have synergy, and think outside the box, all qualities that now come in handy as a mom. Meredith was born and raised in Miami, and now lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn, NY with her husband and their son, the Juban Princeling.
Claire Cavanah is a mother, Co-Founder of Babeland and the co-author of Sex Toys 101. She has a bachelor's degree from Brown University. After attending an alternative high school in Vermont, Claire enrolled at Brown University. Brown's thriving feminist community offered Claire a new way to think about the world and led directly to her current career. Her studies were focused in both the "Gender Studies and Modern Culture" and the "Media" departments. She was also an active member of the campus Women's Center. After college, Claire moved to Seattle to begin work in the publishing field. During that time she also worked as a researcher, charting the second wave of feminism for a documentary film. It was shortly after this, that Claire joined with Rachel Venning and founded Babeland (originally known as Toys in Babeland).
Barbara Kass, LCSW, is a psychotherapist in private practice in Manhattan and Brooklyn. She has a specialty working with new mothers, women in transition, and couples dealing with the changes that parenthood brings. She has worked extensively with women on issues of body image and has led numerous workshops on motherhood and mothering. Barbara is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Hunter College School of Social Work and has a Post Masters Certificate in Advanced Clinical Practice in Social Work from NYU. Barbara is an adjunct faculty member of the New York University School of Social Work, has taught at Columbia University School of Social Work, and continues to provide training and supervision for social workers and psychotherapists.
