Hot & Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls On Life, Love & Fashion came out earlier this year and continues to receive a plethora of positive press from within the fat community. If you haven't already got a copy, I urge you to rush to Amazon or your local bookstore. It's worth it, I promise!
Edited by Virgie Tovar and published by Seal Press, Hot & Heavy features incredible writers/fat activists, including Tasha Fierce, Kitty Stryker, April Flores (pictured on the cover) & lots more listed here.
Here are 5 reasons why you should read this anthology today:
1 The stories are genuine, authentic and raw. Written by real fat women with a variety of experiences, from illness to dieting to dancing and learning to love their bodies, every chapter is unique and engaging.
2 Virgie's piece, "Pecan Pie, Sex & Other Revolutionary Things" is my favourite, possibly because I relate to much of it and adore Virgie's writing style, but every chapter spoke to me in some way. I think you'll feel the same.
3 The book advocates "shedding shame instead of shedding pounds" [page 51]. We are more than our size or shape, our gender or sex, our skin colour or background. This is a powerful message.
4 The epilogue is full of inspiring, actionable ideas for fierce fat girls who want to love their bodies. A perfect way to end an incredible book
5 Explore the "About the Contributors" section at the back for even more fatspiration, including links to fat positive websites run by the contributors. Consider it hours of extra reading for free.
A copy of Hot & Heavy was provided to me by Seal Press in exchange for this blog post. This in no way affects my opinion of the book.