Fat! So?: Because You Don't Have to Apologize for Your Size

Let's see. The author tells her story as a healthy, active fat woman. A person doesn't believe her and instead decides that she's all sorts of horrible things. Then he wraps up by accusing the author of reinforcing all of these negative stereotypes? Huh?Don't believe the inevitable backlash from people who do not want a different voice to be heard on fat issues. This is a fantastic book. Its a fun, easy read while also doing a lot of educating along the way. If people find her positions so threatening as to launch into these kind of cruel unfounded personal attacks to discredit her, you know the book is worth reading. This is a provactive book, no doubt, and you should experience her story for yourself. Not from people who are outraged that she's telling her story at all.

From the moment I started reading her book, I loved FAT!SO? Marilyn Wann both educates the readers on fat prejudice and fat myths, and gives them a good laugh at the same time. Whenever I feel the need for an esteem boost, I read portions of Wann's book. Some people have felt that her humor somehow trivializes people's experience with fat prejudice. That was not her intention. Her intention was to give the readers a reason to feel good about themselves and to give them an uplift. I've read interviews with Marily Wann, and believe me, she has felt the sting (more like the stab) of fat prejudice as much as other fat people. Wann also cites studies that show how other natural differences in humans, such as men's height and left-handed people, have demonstrated higher percentages of health problems--and the same health problems--attributed to fat. But did the researchers of these studies say that being a short man or being left-handed was the cause of their health problems? No, they attributed it to cultural prejudice (Western societies have traditionally looked down on short men, as men are expected to be tall, or at least taller than women, and left-handers receive prejudice due to old superstitious beliefs that being left-handed somehow makes the person evil or unlucky). If you can read this book and still feel that fat people "choose" to be fat, and/or deserve to receive prejudice because of being fat, I suggest reading Dr. Edell's book, EAT, DRINK, AND BE MERRY, Laura Fraser's book, LOSING IT: AMERICA'S OBSESSION WITH WEIGHT AND THE INDUSTRY THAT FEEDS ON IT, and W. Charisse Goodman's book, THE INVISIBLE WOMAN: CONFRONTING WEIGHT PREJUDICE IN AMERICA. Dr. Edell and his staff have for years searched for and continues to sift through current research and recommend the best, most valid amongst it (no, I'm, afraid not all medical research is high-quality). Fraser, a journalist, conducted an in-depth study on the origins of America's desire for thinness, the diet industry, and obesity research and how the researchers are connected to the diet industry, thereby having their research affected by the industry. Goodman (I wrote a review on her book as well) details the discourse of weight prejudice in America and successfully illustrates the similarities between Anti-Semitism and weight prejudice (Goodman is Jewish).However, after reading these books as well, you STILL insist that fat people deserve prejudice, "choose" to be fat and should lose weight at all costs, then you're just a plain bigot who needs a scapegoat.Back to Marilyn's book, EVERYONE, fat or thin, who has esteem issues with their body should read it. It's a definite uplifter, with a complete bibliography, and personal accounts from contributors to the book. It also has a piece written by Wann's personal trainer.

Marilyn Wann is my new hero! This book taught me so much about fatphobia, and how I was looking at myself in the mirror. It is factual. It will make you cry. It will make you laugh hysterically. It gives you flabulous tips on how to fight fatphobia. It just plain rocks! I love this book more than you can imagine. I'm giving it as Christmas gifts to all my fat-fanny friends.

In the course of the mere two days it took me to read it, this amazing, empowering book helped me to realize that I need to stop feeling like a "defective" human being for being fat. Marilyn Wann uses humor and style to help nurture a sense of self-esteem much greater than anything you'd get from dropping twenty pounds... she reminds her readers that it's okay -- even encouraged! -- for them to love themselves exactly as they are. I strongly recommend this book to anyone with a weight issue, whether you weigh 135 or 335. Marilyn, you rule!