Her assertions that diets don’t work, and that learning one’s own hunger and fullness cues and eliminating the good/bad food dichotomy are better alternatives are absolutely true. was the thin extreme) and reacts with horror to her highest size of 14. But in the epilogue of the book, she repeatedly makes reference to her fatness during recovery at her top weight of 168 lbs, refers to gaining that much weight as “the other end of the same situation” (as if being 168 lbs. The fatphobia inherent in the narrative seems reasonable to her story, if disturbing, at first, given her obsession with thinness and her belief that it’s necessary for her career. I’m glad Portia de Rossi went public with her eating disorder to remove stigma and give insight into the pressures of Hollywood and the tragedy of having to hide one’s sexual orientation because of fears of the public’s reaction.īut Portia de Rossi fell short of what could have been an inspirational “you’re perfect the way you are” message. The book is likely to be very triggering to anyone recovering from an eating disorder, as she is extremely candid about her daily activities and obsessive habits. I found the writing to be honest and straightforward, if not completely polished. In fact, I was mostly with this book until the epilogue.

In talking to a few others who have read the book and reading reviews on Goodreads, I found that some people were put off by the writing style and lack of polish. Portia de Rossi (best known from her role as Nelle Porter on Ally McBeal, as well as a couple of movie roles, and of course for being the famous wife of Ellen DeGeneres, recently released a memoir chronicling her battle with anorexia entitled Unbearable Lightness: A story of loss and gain. In the Blog Missing the point: Portia de Rossi’s Unbearable Lightness

Unbearable lightness portia