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A review by reading_while_fat
Spoiler Alert by Olivia Dade
5.0
I have believed and said for years that representation matters. I understand that it is important to be able to see people who look like you doing things and experiencing things you never knew you could hope for, dream of, or believe for yourself.
But I don’t think I ever thought that applied to me, as white woman. I never really thought about what it meant for me or felt like to never see a FAT woman portrayed in romance. How badly that hurt and how subconsciously it confirmed in my head that I’m not desirable. I’m not loveable. I won’t find a happy ending.
Now I understand how powerful representation is.
I cried so many times reading this book because it helped me to see myself as someone who might just find that. Love. Desire. A partner. Something I have longed for forever and never felt. Never had.
I’ve often felt either completely ignored or fetishized as a fat woman. And when I look to books, movies, TV shows, women who look like me are only ever either a side-kick or the punchline of a fat-phobic joke. And I didn’t even realize what message that sent me for decades.
This book was so incredible for me to read as a fat woman.
But I hope thin people will read it too.
I often don’t feel like my humanity is seen by strangers, only my fatness. Not by my friends or many of you, gosh I am so grateful to be surrounded by people who see me as a person and don’t feel like my fatness is something to “worry about” or “fix”.
But I hope we can all do better at seeing fat people as people.
So I hope thin people will read this book & love it for what it is.
A beautiful love story.
But I don’t think I ever thought that applied to me, as white woman. I never really thought about what it meant for me or felt like to never see a FAT woman portrayed in romance. How badly that hurt and how subconsciously it confirmed in my head that I’m not desirable. I’m not loveable. I won’t find a happy ending.
Now I understand how powerful representation is.
I cried so many times reading this book because it helped me to see myself as someone who might just find that. Love. Desire. A partner. Something I have longed for forever and never felt. Never had.
I’ve often felt either completely ignored or fetishized as a fat woman. And when I look to books, movies, TV shows, women who look like me are only ever either a side-kick or the punchline of a fat-phobic joke. And I didn’t even realize what message that sent me for decades.
This book was so incredible for me to read as a fat woman.
But I hope thin people will read it too.
I often don’t feel like my humanity is seen by strangers, only my fatness. Not by my friends or many of you, gosh I am so grateful to be surrounded by people who see me as a person and don’t feel like my fatness is something to “worry about” or “fix”.
But I hope we can all do better at seeing fat people as people.
So I hope thin people will read this book & love it for what it is.
A beautiful love story.