Self-Loathing for Beginners

by Lynn Phillips

Overview

Self-Loathing for Beginners is a wickedly funny take on our relentlessly upbeat self-improvement culture. Breaking ranks with the happiness police who have convinced us that self-loathing is just one more thing to hate about ourselves, author Lynn Phillips will show you, the beginning self-loather, how to self-loathe properly. By studying this book’s mini-essays, Q&As, mantras, and tips from self-loathing masters, you will learn the most effective ways to develop your self-loathing potential. Whether you are sabotaging your career, bungling a relationship, or cheating on the latest fad diet, Self-Loathing for Beginners is the essential primer on how best to despise yourself!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781595800299
Publisher:	Santa Monica Press
Publication date:	02/01/2008
Pages:	211
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.72(h) x 0.44(d)

About the Author

Lynn Phillips is a media tramp who writes and edits for film, television, print, and interactive media. She was a staff writer for the groundbreaking satirical nighttime soap opera, Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman, and has written for a wide array of publications, including Glamour, the Harvard Lampoon, the Realist, the Nation, Nerve, and Newsweek International.

Table of Contents

Introduction     9
The Basics     12
The Faq     13
Are You A Beginner?
How Much Self-Loathing Is Enough?
Self-Love-Friend or Foe?
Perpetual Motion Self-Loathing
The Free Pass
The Building Blocks of Self-Loathing     27
Self-Loathing's Seven Essential Questions (and Their Answers)
Self-Loathing's No-Brainer-The Body     37
Women First
Men Can Do it Too
More Women
Unisex Chapter Review
The Material World     57
Celebrity Culture     58
The Tabs
People Who Need People
Porn
Show Biz
The Fashionable Self-Loather     70
First Impressions
Fashion Minefield
Don'ts, Dos, and Dids
Food for Self-Loathing     82
Diets
Gorging
Purging
Foraging
Dining Out with Civilized People
Interactive Self-Loathing     94
Self-Loathing Sex!     95
Before
During
After
Hooking up
Love and Other Romantic Involvements     110
Fishing for Love
Getting Hooked on Love
Cutting Bait
The Self-Loather's Family Album     120
The Self-Loathing of Minors
Self-Loathing Quality Time for Adults
Self-Loathing and Marriage
Workplace Self-Loathing     134
Buckling Down
Horizontal Motion
Vertical Promotion
The Social Self-Loather     146
Act Locally
Act Globally
The Self-Loathing Elite     162
Self-Loathing Dabbles in the Arts     163
Fine Art
The Performing Arts-Theater, Dance, and Music
Dead Trees
The Spiritual Self-Loather     178
World Religion
The West
The East
All in Your Mind     190
Meta-Self-Loathing
Ancient Philosophy and Self-Loathing
Endgame     200
Old Age
Decline
Fall
Death
Appendix     207
Graduation     208
Acknowledgments     212
Author's Bio     213

Editorial Reviews

"A gleefully sardonic guide to self-condemnation and disapproval that offers up wisdom in bite-size morsels. . . . This smart, accessible title will entertain audiences from precocious high schoolers to retirees. A good choice for all public collections; academic libraries may also wish to consider."  —Library Journal

From the Publisher

Phillips, who has written for publications ranging from the Harvard Lampoon to Newsweek International, here presents-to quote the book's promotional material-"the essential primer on how best to despise yourself!" This assessment isn't far off: Phillips has written a gleefully sardonic guide to self-condemnation and disapproval that offers up wisdom in bite-size morsels. Short chapters are broken up with quizzes, "questions from the floor," tips, and inspiration boxes. Although the material isn't groundbreaking-Phillips mentions self-loathing through abuse of food, bad love relationships, or demeaning family dynamics-the deftness with which she ties it all together makes this a delightful read. The sections on meta-self-loathing and spiritual self-loathing add an unexpected bit of flavor as well. Phillips is a self-described media tramp, and, as such, many of her examples will best resonate with those who follow celebrity news. This smart, accessible title-good for sit-down comic reading and with outstanding sound-bite potential-will entertain audiences from precocious high schoolers to retirees. A good choice for all public collections; academic libraries may also wish to consider.
—Audrey Snowden

Library Journal