During my final semester of college, I took a class called "Learning About Adolescence Through Literature." In our studies, we read YA novels that related to a topic for the week, then discussed them and wrote a reflection on how the novel we read related to educational articles and our discussions. Our final project was to choose a topic of interest and present it to the class with at least two YA novels relating to it. I chose fashion and the media, and this is how I came across Kelly deVos' "Fat Girl on a Plane." I have been vigorously chipping away at it since the beginning of January. Although it is marketed at young adults, this was one of the most impactful and invigorating books I've read and I couldn't put it down.
Synopsis Cookie Vonn has grown up in the world of fashion. Her deadbeat mother is a model, her grandma taught her how to sew, and she wanted nothing more than to go to Parsons in NYC to study fashion and design. The book opens with Cookie trying to board a plane, but the staff declares her "too fat" to fly and refuses to let her on without buying a second seat. The chapters alternate between her being "Skinny" (fully on NutriNation) and "Fat" (Before/at the beginning of NutriNation), often showing parallels or foils to each other. Why I'm mentioning this book: I'm probably biased when it comes to my love for Fat Girl on a Plane since it takes place in Arizona (and I'm feeling "homesick"), but I genuinely think it's a fantastic read for someone going through the weight-loss process. Cookie is a fiery character whose confidence made me want to be more powerful. The words and thoughts deVos gives her are so real when it comes to dealing with weight loss and opinions from the outside world that it makes you chuckle but also think about how crazy the process actually is. (One of my favorite early lines is: "Here's why people are fat. Losing weight is hard. Really f*cking hard. Two peanut butter cups equal forty-five minutes on the treadmill. So enjoy. And start running you a** off." (27)) Realness! I actually became disappointed when I'd stop reading and realize that there was no actual Cookie Vonn walking the face of this earth. If you're interested in the worlds of fashion and/or fitness, and want something to read that you can relate to, this is definitely a book you should pick up. While it showcases numerous important life lessons that I'm sure a lot of us have either encountered already or need a *gentle* reminder about, this is a book that will definitely motivate you! Here's what I took away from this book: 1) It's okay to be wrong or to not know what to do next. 2) Keep the people that know you the best and love you the most in your corner. 3) There's still an insane amount of progress the fashion industry needs to make when it comes to size representation and marketing can be evil. 4) Eat a damn bagel (or whatever you like) once in a while because you're worth it. 5) Nobody has any right to make you feel less than the badass you are. I hope you have a happy and healthy week ahead of you! ~E
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