Vaid’s Verdict: Sound advice for toning your trouble spots, eating well and dressing for your body type – if you’re still living in the 1980’s, don’t own a computer, and aren’t big on ‘self-esteem.’

Sometimes we all need a lesson in common sense. For instance, just because low rise jeans were in fashion didn’t mean that your butt crack was ever trendy. Are you one of the many women who still sport Uggs? Wear hot pants regardless of orange peel and dimples? Do most of us even know how to cover up unsightly arm wobble, sagging cleavages, stocky ankles or the cursed Buddha belly? Your Perfect Fit is here to do just that – advice on how to tone your body, eat right and give you more neuroses about your body than you ever thought possible.

I understand that this is a self-help book for people who want to ‘look their best.’ And there are certainly tips and tricks in here that help you to do just that…but at what cost? Chapter by chapter, the authors Paige Adams-Geller and Ashley Borden take apart the female body and suggest ways to improve what each appendage looks like. But is that healthy? To look at your body in terms of arms and ankles, buttocks and belly buttons? The authors, both of whom have struggled with serious eating disorders, claim the book is to make you feel comfortable in your jeans and (*groan*) in your ‘genes.’ First you figure out your body type and then find out what you should wear to compliment your assets. Except that when you dissect the human body into just parts, you don’t appreciate the whole. Apparently if I have thick thighs I shouldn’t wear skinny jeans…but if I have skinny ankles, I should wear skinny jeans tucked into boots. What happens if I have thick thighs AND skinny ankles? Time for the Moo Moo.

With each chapter comes a new appendage or offending muscle mass that you can learn to tone/strengthen so each will be worthy of seeing daylight. Finally there’s the SOS Food Plan to trim that tummy fat away – but is this ground breaking advice? Eat small meals often, drink lots of liquids, avoid greasy food and wear clothes that actually fit? Okay, I’m not suggesting any of us actually follow that but surely we all know it by now?

But here’s what really gets my goat (and I love my goats dearly so getting them makes me quite cross). Who thought that print media was the best format for this information? The workout routines look like they’ve been taken from Jane Fonda’s book back in the 1980’s…except Fonda actually sprung for real photographs. In today’s age of instant gratification and reverence to visual expression (think YouTube) why would you put all this information in the form of a book with tedious sketches and charts? Imagine if these workouts were available online in step by step video format, along with visual examples of different body types? The site could recommend shirts and jeans and skirts etc that suit you best, maybe even tell you which retailers carry sizes and styles that are most suited for your body type. Imagine the marketing potential people! Now *that* would be useful. Turn the SOS Food Plan into a community-styled blog where people can support each other through the no-cookie-days. Put the charts and other materials in a format that is reusable, i.e. digital (no pencils and erasers needed every week to keep track of your progress). The entire concept of a workout book seems dated and out of place in today’s world.

The final point I’ll make about Your Perfect Fit is that it doesn’t do much for your self-esteem. Even when the authors are trying to encourage you to ‘flaunt’ your assets, there’s a tone of self depreciating negativity that takes away from any body image pride you might have. I happen to be quite proud of my derrière but I certainly didn’t feel warm and fuzzy when the advice was:

If you think you have a well rounded booty do wear:

A-line or bell skirts: The looser fit of these skirts look great on your bootylicious bottom and you can downplay the junk in your trunk…

I said I *liked* my bottom…not that I’m self conscious of it and would like to cover it up. Would you refer to a part of your body that you liked as “junk in the trunk”? In today’s world of misleading and often fake images of beauty (you think Oprah looks that good without airbrushing?), the last thing women need is more neurotic self-esteem issues. Eat well, find an exercise that’s actually fun to do and wear what makes you happy. Anything else is just a waste of your time.

NB: In the General Fashion Advice section is listed “Please wear underwear when you wear short skirts. One false move, and you’re showing off more than your style.” Is there an epidemic of Britney Spears-copy-cat-commando-crazies that I don’t know about?

About the Authors:

Paige-Adams Geller, dubbed “the Queen of Jeans” by People, was a fit model for major designers before launching her own high end denim company, Paige Premium Denim. Ashley Borden is a NIKE Elite Trainer, L.I.S.T. Master Trainer and internationally renowned fitness and lifestyle consultant. She has worked with celebrity clients Christina Aguilera, Mandy Moore, Tori Spelling and Chaka Khan and many top professional athletes. Zibby Right is a contributor to Self, Shape, Modern Bride and other magazines.