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ANN ARBOR, Michigan, October 20, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – It was during a period of personal conversion that she refers to as her “extreme makeover” that successful TV and radio journalist Teresa Tomeo did some soul-searching and found that she had been sold a huge “bill of goods.”

“Tomeo knows from experience that the self-image of American women is being distorted by pop culture,” reads the description of Tomeo’s new book, “Extreme Makover.” “With its emphasis on youth, physical beauty, and sexuality, the secular media is encouraging women – and girls – to see themselves primarily as sex objects.”

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“I bought into these lies for a long time,” Tomeo told LifeSiteNews in an interview. “I wanted to share what I have learned with other women and blow the lid off of many of the tales that have been told about these issues.”

Extreme Makeover, which was released October 7 by Ignatius Press and currently sits at Number 3 on Amazon’s list of bestselling books in the “Roman Catholicism” category, addresses a host of issues that affect women, including abortion and contraception. In the book, Tomeo offers encouragement and affirmation “for any woman who seeks the true foundation of her dignity.”

The book, “pulls together the latest research on social behavior and trends in order to demonstrate that women are harming themselves and their chances for true happiness by adopting the thoroughly modern, sexually liberated lifestyle portrayed in magazines and movies,” according to its description.

Tomeo’s research, much of which comes from secular organizations or agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control, the World Health Organization, and the Guttmacher Institute, is compelling.

“I try to use information from secular outlets because it is much more persuasive with those who may not have a strong faith or any faith at all, and I also believe this is a great way to show how God’s plan is revealed in the natural law,” Tomeo said.

Tomeo emphasizes how once people go outside of God’s plan, everything falls apart. If people stop and connect the dots, she says, they will see that abortion and contraception are part of “this ugly giant octopus” draining the life out of the world.

“If we look at just the numbers of abortions since Roe vs. Wade, we know that we are missing at least 53 million people, many of whom could by now be contributing to society, so of course this has a direct impact on our economy and social security system,” she said.

Tomeo offers uplifting testimonies of many women, herself included, who had total changes of heart on the abortion and contraception issues. Her readers will recognize Janet Morana from Priests for Life and Silent No More, as well as Astrid Bennett Gutierrez, director of Los Angeles Pregnancy Services.

“I want this to be a real ‘thumbs up’ for those of us in the (pro-life) movement who sometimes feel alone,” Tomeo said. “We get weary. We feel overwhelmed. But we’re not alone, and we are growing in numbers.”