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For decades, teen girls have devoured books like "Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret" in which angsty heroines navigate periods and puberty. While body-image issues were occasionally covered (often in the form of "Why don't I have breasts?" or "When did my breasts get so big?"), few books for teens truly explored puberty from a plus-size perspective. Until recently, that is. Since the beginning of last year, publishers have released at least two dozen novels targeted at plus-size teens.
One of the books, "Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have," actually centers on an overweight male character who joins the football team. Another, "All About Vee," tells the story of a 217-pound aspiring actress who moves to Hollywood and ends up with the hunk without losing weight or losing sight of herself.
Read on to find out why some people have a problem with the genre.
(For the record, though, the girl on the cover of "All About Vee" looks like she had most of her 217 pounds Photoshopped out. Just sayin'.) Heroines Happy the Way They Are
Unlike many chick flicks, where the lovable, but ungainly heroine is transformed into a hottie in a prom gown, most of these books with big-boned narrators don't end with a dramatic makeover or significant weight loss.
One of the big objections to these books and the fat-acceptance movement is that it supposedly encourages people to follow an unhealthy lifestyle, rather than losing the extra pounds. Some doctors worry that "big is beautiful" mantras undermine the need to maintain a healthy weight (the debate has even reached the White House).
Happy Ending
Sure, some might voice similar concerns about "big is beautiful" books. But frankly, anyone who's survived middle and high school knows that it ain't pretty. And anything (within reason) that helps teens cope with the roller coaster of emotions is a good thing in our book.
What do you think?
More from the web:
Plus-Size Pinups Prove that Big Is Beautiful (Asylum)
Diet Soda and 4 More Over-Hyped Health Scares (Cracked)
Wife Makes Cheating Hubby Confess Publicly (Lemondrop) 
Comments:
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Saturday 29 August
By Becca
First of all, I look very much like the girl on the cover, and I weigh that much if not more. You don't have to look fat to weigh a lot.
Second, it is very nice to have protagonists with a body image similar to my own.
But my final comment is that I think it's rediculous how we have to focus on body size all the time? Why does it have to be such a huge concern what the character looks like? If it has a lot to do with the plot, that's one thing. But I'm getting tired of it being a big deal, and having nothing to do with the story itself.
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Saturday 29 August
By Angie
People write books all the time. There is one about a hunchback, a wooden boy, a liar whose nose grows with every lie. Surely this character is exceptable as she can be as real as anyone. This society is going in a very bad direction when we question if a character in a book of fiction is ok!
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Saturday 29 August
By Frog
Where to start.. going to keep this short. Also, it wont let me change my name as I am logging on with an AOL account, its justin.
Yes, its good to be happy and definatly would go a long way to getting to a healthy weight, but I don't believe anyone should promote not doing a thing at all to change it.
There are other examples of unhealthy behavior out there such as drug addicts, alchoholics, smokers etc and I'm sure theres people out there trying to either bash or convince them to change too. Some people have their pet peeves about certain problems, humanity is far from perfect.
Also, another issue I have with this, I have no problem with fat [no, im not politically correct] people nor do I bash them, but I also don't want to hear from people that its wrong to not date them and its whats inside that counts. Theres no way I'd marry someone just becuase they are attractive, they have to be a good person too, but I don't think its wrong either to want someone who is attractive when you have been saving yourself for marriage and not on any random fling getting all the pretty women you want and not worrying about their personality.
All through schooling I struggled to even reach 100 pounds [I only reached it after I got out of high school] at 5'6". After I joined the army and being in for two years Ive managed to reach 118 and I'm still working on my goal of 130-140 by working out [although I dont really eat healthy, my age right now can keep up with it being 20]. I get crap all the time about being small, I'm tired of it and I'm doing something to change it, I dont need a bunch of books telling me its okay, holding my hand and painting a pretty picture with rainbows at the end of the story.
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Sunday 30 August
By Carter
What are we debating here? Whether it ok to allow the opposite look of malnourished or anorexic? I have seen many many pictures of supposed models that could actually have been used for public service announcements for poor nutrition. True, one extreme is no better than the other, but whether we like it or not, this country and this world is full of many different shapes, colors and sizes. I personally would rather see them all. I have grown weary of the generic gaunt look.
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Saturday 29 August
By Gloria-Gaye
As a parent - I am raising my daughter to be healthy but not skinny but we have to admit there are heavy children out there & they NEED CLOTHES (nice clothes) until they reach a nice healthy weight. Not everyone will be skinny. At least they are eating health - I will not worry about the weight. Not everyone can be & will be skinny. Again, I am sick of how people take the facts & twist them to their sides - just like the health care issues. Let's get to the facts! Stop hating each other. We have become a soceity of hating. It is a shame.
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Saturday 29 August
By clanmartinusa
Its a lot better than those nasty anorexic morons you normally see.
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Saturday 29 August
By Rosina Mulrooney
People of all sizes have health issues to face. Certainly I feel better when I'm thinner, and for me, that'd be under 250. My ideal goal would be 180, the wieght I was when I can see in pictures I looked great. I'm 5'5" and now 62. HOWEVER, concerns over the health of others makes a nice cover for bigotry and excuse for bullying, especially in youth culture. The books you describe will hopefully put things in a healthier mental perspective for all parties, including males who nealy faint when a woman with a big rear chances to bend over for something she dropped. Get out of the closet men. Stop apologizing to peer pressure and find your joy. Rosina, one who knows....
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Saturday 29 August
By ellenangel1@aol.com
My son has a stocky build sort of like he played football in high school now at 31 he developed type 2 diabetes. I too have gained 30 lbs had a heart attack, always fatigued and I sweat even when I do the littlest of chores. There is normal build, overweight, obese and morbidly obese. I fall into the obese category and am now living a healthy life style to fall into the overweight category.
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Saturday 29 August
By chrissie
i am a size 2 and i think that women come in all different sizes wtf is wrong with u people????
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Saturday 29 August
By james
i thinkits great, for too long teens have been told if they wiegh more than 30 lbs their fat and unnatractive.
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Saturday 29 August
By Kristina
I don't see why somebody would have a problem with a book about a teenaged girl at 217 lbs? If you take the statistics and adverage them out, majority of today's teenaged girl youth is about that size or larger. There is nothing wrong with being proud of yourself and reading stories knowing that there is good in anything you work to accomplish. I, myself am not a size 2 and I get tired of reading stories about skinny girls weighing 95lbs.I hate seeing photoshopped pictures of girls in the magazines because it's not healthy. Why does our society want to make the future feel so "unpretty?" Today's entertainment industry targets girls and makes them feel as if skinny is pretty. It makes teen-girls espeically feel like they have to take up some disorder to make themselves fit in. I, myself was at one point 105lbs. I looked ill and had absoultly no curves. I desired so bad to be skinny between the ages of 17-20. I would skip meals, sometimes going a full day without eating anything. I felt as if I fit in that way. But when doing this, my social life turned off. I wouldn't go out with my friends because when they were out, they'd go to resturants and eat. I didn't want to be rude and not eat. So why not just stay home? I became tired all the time. I wouldn't get up in the mornings for class because all I wanted to do was sleep. I had no energy to do anything. Finally. after sitting down with my best friend who herself is a larger girl, she did help me through it. I am on the right path and I have gained weight within the last 3 years. I'm probably the heaviest I've been since childhood. I feel normal now and finally have curves! I have a socail life too with an amazing fiance who loves me for me, not for what I look like. What I'm trying to say is books, movies, TV shows, and entertainers devoted to girls who are larger than your adverage runway model is eye opening and life saving. Perhaps now there will be less teenaged deaths among girls due to eating disorders. If people would stop judging and acting like idiots around larger people, guys or girls, then the word will get out that it's okay to be whatever size you are. People will feel more comfortable in their own skin and confiedent. To those of you who point fingers, snicker and act ingornant to those of us a little more curvy then you...remember confidence is sexy and when you do that you're showing a true lack in your own confidence. My last thoughts to everyone......remember only our God has the power to judge! It's never an easy job.
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Saturday 29 August
By Dottie
I realize that this is smaller percentage, but I hate the fact that fat is ALWAYS equated with overeating and having poor eating habits. Some people simply struggle with weight. My mother, the healthiest and most active person I know, has stuggled all her life. She could take out most marathon runners with her stamina, and people always assumed she was fat because of poor food choices. This was not the case, and it is ridiculous to dismiss the fact that there are biological links to being overweight, and perhaps even a gene. We so willingly accept that every other physical characteristic is the result of our gene pool, but not fat. That person needs to "push away from the table." It's the last acceptable discrimination.
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Saturday 29 August
By Sean
This is not good at all. The books protagonist is over 200 lbs? That encourages people that it's OK to be overweight when it's clearly unhealthy. This is not a good message to send to teenagers.
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Saturday 29 August
By Neener
To many people being overweight is the same as being a leper. If you're fat being a social pariah doesn't stop in high school. At the place I work often there are people who act as if they can catch it like it's a disease. No one can wiggle their nose and lose a hundred pounds. The point of the story to me is that just because you're fat doesn't mean you're unlovable and disgusting. People need to be more accepting. If you're fat you're not going to get the best of anything because society assumes immediately that you're stupid, lazy and disgusting. Most people do not believe we of the larger persuasion are entitled to a happy life, so no wonder the arrogant sods can't grasp that a girl could be happy with herself in her own, fat skin.
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Saturday 29 August
By Meredith
This is NOT unhealthy...this will not encourage teenage girls to become overweight, but instead will teach them to appreciate and love their bodies regardless of what size they are or how much they weigh. As someone who is slightly overweight (5'5'' and 175 lbs), I can appreciate that these role models are reinforcing a positive body image. Being SLIGHTLY overweight is NOT unhealthy...in fact, it is healthier to be 10 pounds overweight than to be 10 pounds underweight. As long as girls know how to eat healthily, and maintain their health, their weight does not matter.
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Saturday 29 August
By Nikki
Some one who is skiny does not mean thier are healthy. If that person is skiny but smokes, drinks, and has a eating disored.. what is healthy about that! We live in a society that believes that skin is beautiful and heavy is not. As long as your are healthy medical wise.... it does not matter the size of your cloth... This model looks perfectly healthy, not skiny not too big.. so what is the problem....
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Saturday 29 August
By Lauren
who ever wrote this was clearly never fat before....i am a 16- year - old plus size teenager and it's hard when u have fat genes on both sides of the family, but it doesnt make it impossible for me to lose weight...i am perfectly happy with who i am and im not easily influenced by my peers...but most teenagers are, WHO SAYS that an overweight girl cant end up with the man of her dreams, there actually might be some decent people out there who would accept someone for who they are rather than what they look like...im not saying that overweight people shouldnt try to lose weight....everyone should deserve to live a long healthy life....but u cant force someone to do something that they dont want to do and everyone should be happy with who they are based on size, gender or whatever and screw anyone who says otherwise......
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Saturday 29 August
By Jeanne
Well, I haven't read teen novels in about ten years, but even then I didn't go for the romancy sort or the "I've got to be this sort of way" sort either. But honestly, back then I wasn't overweight either. Not all overweight people are that way through overeating. And I think it's good to help accept people who are overweight for the sake of those like me who've got there through no fault of their own. I suffered cancer and chemotherapy at 18 years old. The chemo destroyed my body and my hormones. I never had a weight problem in my life before that, nor did I ever have a cavity. Now, I've got holes in my teeth always needing patched up, the worst was almost 40 cavities having to be split up into two visits, and my hormones are shot to hell and I've gained weight due to too much testosterone and low T3 and T4 levels and god knows what else.
I like to see acceptance of overweight people because you never know what they've suffered or been through that wound them up overweight.
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Sunday 30 August
By Jolie
Some people can voice their discontent and worry and doctors ca say what they may regarding the big is beautiful idea but lets face it, some peoples contextures and mostlyhereditary traits make it just close to impossible for them to reach an "ideal weight/height ratio" and for these people it must be very hurtful to learn that society would just not accept them the way they are because they represent "unhealthiness" ...Please, how ridiculous can human beings and their minds be? Certainly genes and traits come into play here as well, stupid is as stupid is born.
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Saturday 29 August
By anibeth
Sorry, but being fat is not fabulous due to proven health risks involved. This woman is setting herself up as a bad example for many of those who are trying to lose weight and to keep it off. Not to mention her being a diabetic, she is going to learn the hard way with the type of choices she is making for herself. Her age is another risk she is taking for herself. There are proven studies that show carrying more weight than the body was meant to handle is not only bad for the arteries, it is bad for the heart, bad for the brain, worse for the joints and has proven to increase asthma risk. The earlier concept that plumpness is pretty is also proven to be deceptive because not much had been known about one being plump or pretty, but obesity has proven to be a more extreme form of plumpness. Human beings were originally made to be active, not inactive, not fat but slim, prim and fit.
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