I recently had the chance to read Good Luck With That by Kristen Higgins before it hits the shelves in August. It's the story of 3 girls who meet at "fat camp" and remain lifelong friends. Now adults, one of them passes away due to her weight. Her final wish is for her two friends to complete the list of goals they wrote up at camp all those years ago. Going outside of their comfort zones, they work through how their lifelong struggle with weight has affected their lives. Both having two different types of family dynamics, it was interesting and encouraging to see these women find their own paths to happiness.
On a similar note, I have not read Dietland by Sarai Walker (yet), but I am enjoying the show by the same name on AMC. I was immediately immersed in these characters. The season finale was last night, so if you haven't watched it yet it is now bingeable (no pun intended)! The series started off revolving around weight/beauty standards but then at the end the main focus, I felt, was around the #metoo movement as Plum herself gets assaulted. Here is a summary below:
Plum Kettle does her best not to be noticed, because when you'’re fat, to be noticed is to be judged. Or mocked. Or worse. With her job answering fan mail for a popular teen girls’ magazine, she is biding her time until her weight-loss surgery. Only then can her true life as a thin person finally begin.
But when Plum notices she’s being followed by a mysterious woman in colorful tights and combat boots, she finds herself falling down a rabbit hole into the world of Calliope House, a community of women who live life on their own terms. Reluctant but intrigued, Plum agrees to a series of challenges that force her to deal with the real costs of becoming “beautiful.” At the same time, a dangerous guerrilla group begins to terrorize a world that mistreats women, and as Plum grapples with her personal struggles, she becomes entangled in a sinister plot. The consequences are explosive.
Part coming-of-age story, part revenge fantasy, Dietland is a bold, original, and funny debut novel that takes on the beauty industry, gender inequality, and our weight-loss obsession from the inside out— and with fists flying.
But when Plum notices she’s being followed by a mysterious woman in colorful tights and combat boots, she finds herself falling down a rabbit hole into the world of Calliope House, a community of women who live life on their own terms. Reluctant but intrigued, Plum agrees to a series of challenges that force her to deal with the real costs of becoming “beautiful.” At the same time, a dangerous guerrilla group begins to terrorize a world that mistreats women, and as Plum grapples with her personal struggles, she becomes entangled in a sinister plot. The consequences are explosive.
Part coming-of-age story, part revenge fantasy, Dietland is a bold, original, and funny debut novel that takes on the beauty industry, gender inequality, and our weight-loss obsession from the inside out— and with fists flying.
On yet another similar note, I watched the movie I Feel Pretty this weekend. Similar to Dietland, Amy Shumer's character works "behind the scenes" at a popular fashion magazine (supporting the website in the basement to be exact). She envies all of the size zeros at headquarters and in her spin class. During one spin class in particular, she falls and hits her head. When she comes to, she "sees" herself as one of these size zeros even though nothing has changed. She starts taking risks and going after what she wants with her new found confidence. Everyone in her life already knows and loves her for who she is, and is confused by her new personality. She has another mishap and realizes her looks never changed. Distraught at first, she soon realizes how amazing she has always been and always will be.
These books, show, and movie have brought up a lot of thoughts for me so I thought I would share them as I am sure we can all relate. Not just about weight loss but also about society's expectations of beauty. My blog consists of 95% fashion, meaning, pictures of me in clothes. Is it because I enjoy posting pictures of myself? No. But I love sharing my shopping experiences and I know personally I would rather see clothes on a real person. I don't edit my photos to make myself look better, but, you can bet your bottom dollar I know how to stand or angle my face so that I "look skinnier". And even in doing that there are many photos I am not happy with but post anyway for the sake of getting something published (and for keeping it real)! I am currently the heaviest I have ever been, and some might scoff at that statement. In comparing Amy's underwear clad body to mine in her movie, we pretty much look alike! I know Amy is a comedian, and making fun of herself is something she does, but she is basically putting out the message that how she looks is fat and unattractive. I remember she caught some flack for this when the movie first came out. I, personally, think Amy is gorgeous - but does the rest of society not think so? If that is the case, then is the same thought about me?
I guess what I am trying to get at with all of this rambling is, I hate feeling like this. Ever since having baby #2, I haven't felt "like myself". It's a combination of a lot of things, but my body is playing a huge part in it. And honestly, it's not about what size I wear or what I look like (otherwise, I probably still wouldn't be blogging).... It's not about selling off beloved pieces of clothing that I painstakingly collected for years because it no longer fits...... it's also about pain. Pain I have not had previously. Fatigue. Moodiness. Skin problems. Worrying about my long term health. And the small sampling of entertainment I have recapped here further reinforces the issue of weight. Does entertainment like this help or hurt body image? The most important take away for me is that body image is being portrayed in interesting and thought provoking ways. And I love that women are banding together more than ever to conquer many, many, many issues! Jennifer Lives!
