Fat girls in books: A rant.
Let's chat, book friends.
Let's chat... about fat. (Okay, I may have been sitting on that one for like a half an hour, and am damn proud of it even though it's lame.)
Do you know how many fat girl romances there are out there, compared to actual fat girls out there?
The answer is NOT MANY, FOLKS.
Being a fat lady myself, I am always disheartened a) at the lack of representation in media of larger people in general and b) that when there is representation, so often it frankly sucks.
How many romances are there out there where the woman starts out as fat, and then goes through a transformation, and suddenly the dude sees her in a "new light"? And yes, often at the end of these, she goes back to eating a donut once a month and gains back a few pounds and the moral is "oh he loved her all along" but NO, that bitch did not love her when she was a size 22. That bitch didn't even SEE her when she was that size, and now that she has gone from a 9 to a 12, he's fine with it.
What I want - no, what I NEED - is the books where the lady is big from the start, and continues to be big through out the book, and - surprise! - she's still fat at the end of it. Here's the thing, guys. Fat people have perfectly fine romances every single day, and it hasn't got a god damn thing to do with their weight.
Yes, often our weight can make us feel unsexy, and in the case of us single people, there is the fear that because we are fat, we won't ever find the love we are meant for, but you know what? That's bullocks. I'm not saying don't take the factor of weight out of romance novels (although I would love to read one where the description of the lady was "she's got thunder thighs, a big ol' belly, fat arms, and a smile like whoah" and then that's it), but don't make every fat chick romance about the weight. We are every single one of us more than our weight, no matter if we are fat, skinny, or somewhere in between.
Don't worry guys, I am not going to dump that on you and then not give you a few GOOD book recs to sooth your frazzled soul.
Ready?
Fat lady romances.
Bet Me by Jennifer Cruise.
This book is FUCKING AMAZING. Jennifer Cruise is the author you want to go out for drinks with on a Friday night because her writing style is so fun and flirty and hilarious, and all of her characters seem very real and down to earth. (She has a fabulous blog, btw.)
It's a dislike-to-lovers premise about a woman who has dinner with a guy on a bet, and shenanigans ensue. If I remember correctly, there is a nice side romance in this one too.
My favorite thing about this book though was at one point they're getting horizontal on a dock, and Min (the main character) get's self conscious about her gigantic thighs as he's about to go down on her, and he gives ZERO FUCKS and it's great.
Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
My love for Meg Cabot knows no bounds. (Well, her adult contemp fiction.) I personally don't consider size 12 to be even remotely fat. It's normal. The heroine in this series, Heather Wells, starts at a size 12, and get's a big bigger as the series goes on. It's actually a mystery series, but there's a sexy landlord/semi-partner in detection involved in all of them. I had to curb my scoffing sometimes whenever Heather talked about oh how she couldn't fit into jeans, because I would KILL to fit into size 12 jeans, but I have to remember "fat" is different for everyone. The character of Heather Wells is so awesome! And positive! And does struggle with body issues, but more often than not is like "fuck you I'm fabulous" instead.
Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia Quinn
Yes, I do realize I talk about Julia Quinn in every other blog post because she is a QUEEN. This book features a "plump heroine" who is forced to wear unflattering outfits and thus looks like a tomato.
Can we talk about how much the word "plump" in a romance novel is dumb? What does that even mean? It's the word your awkward uncle uses to tell you you've gained 3 lbs over Thanksgiving. It's a "in love with my brother's best friend" books, and I actually only gave it 3 stars, it wasn't my favorite Bridgerton book, but it's still dipped in gold since Julia wrote it, and features a heroine who isn't rail thin and bird-like, which is an unfortunate trait among Regency romance heroines.
Thanks for listening, and PLEASE recommend more of your favorite fat romance heroines and heroes. I want to read all of them.
Let's chat... about fat. (Okay, I may have been sitting on that one for like a half an hour, and am damn proud of it even though it's lame.)
Do you know how many fat girl romances there are out there, compared to actual fat girls out there?
The answer is NOT MANY, FOLKS.
Being a fat lady myself, I am always disheartened a) at the lack of representation in media of larger people in general and b) that when there is representation, so often it frankly sucks.
How many romances are there out there where the woman starts out as fat, and then goes through a transformation, and suddenly the dude sees her in a "new light"? And yes, often at the end of these, she goes back to eating a donut once a month and gains back a few pounds and the moral is "oh he loved her all along" but NO, that bitch did not love her when she was a size 22. That bitch didn't even SEE her when she was that size, and now that she has gone from a 9 to a 12, he's fine with it.
What I want - no, what I NEED - is the books where the lady is big from the start, and continues to be big through out the book, and - surprise! - she's still fat at the end of it. Here's the thing, guys. Fat people have perfectly fine romances every single day, and it hasn't got a god damn thing to do with their weight.
Yes, often our weight can make us feel unsexy, and in the case of us single people, there is the fear that because we are fat, we won't ever find the love we are meant for, but you know what? That's bullocks. I'm not saying don't take the factor of weight out of romance novels (although I would love to read one where the description of the lady was "she's got thunder thighs, a big ol' belly, fat arms, and a smile like whoah" and then that's it), but don't make every fat chick romance about the weight. We are every single one of us more than our weight, no matter if we are fat, skinny, or somewhere in between.
Don't worry guys, I am not going to dump that on you and then not give you a few GOOD book recs to sooth your frazzled soul.
Ready?
Fat lady romances.
This book is FUCKING AMAZING. Jennifer Cruise is the author you want to go out for drinks with on a Friday night because her writing style is so fun and flirty and hilarious, and all of her characters seem very real and down to earth. (She has a fabulous blog, btw.)
It's a dislike-to-lovers premise about a woman who has dinner with a guy on a bet, and shenanigans ensue. If I remember correctly, there is a nice side romance in this one too.
My favorite thing about this book though was at one point they're getting horizontal on a dock, and Min (the main character) get's self conscious about her gigantic thighs as he's about to go down on her, and he gives ZERO FUCKS and it's great.Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
My love for Meg Cabot knows no bounds. (Well, her adult contemp fiction.) I personally don't consider size 12 to be even remotely fat. It's normal. The heroine in this series, Heather Wells, starts at a size 12, and get's a big bigger as the series goes on. It's actually a mystery series, but there's a sexy landlord/semi-partner in detection involved in all of them. I had to curb my scoffing sometimes whenever Heather talked about oh how she couldn't fit into jeans, because I would KILL to fit into size 12 jeans, but I have to remember "fat" is different for everyone. The character of Heather Wells is so awesome! And positive! And does struggle with body issues, but more often than not is like "fuck you I'm fabulous" instead.
Romancing Mr Bridgerton by Julia QuinnYes, I do realize I talk about Julia Quinn in every other blog post because she is a QUEEN. This book features a "plump heroine" who is forced to wear unflattering outfits and thus looks like a tomato.
Can we talk about how much the word "plump" in a romance novel is dumb? What does that even mean? It's the word your awkward uncle uses to tell you you've gained 3 lbs over Thanksgiving. It's a "in love with my brother's best friend" books, and I actually only gave it 3 stars, it wasn't my favorite Bridgerton book, but it's still dipped in gold since Julia wrote it, and features a heroine who isn't rail thin and bird-like, which is an unfortunate trait among Regency romance heroines.
Thanks for listening, and PLEASE recommend more of your favorite fat romance heroines and heroes. I want to read all of them.
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