Written by Camryn Garrett

With the rise of celebrities like Lizzo and shows like the recently departed Shrill on Hulu, fat positivity has remained in the news for the past few years on social media and in literature.

Fat positivity is an ongoing movement that works to eliminate the stigma surrounding fatness by pointing out the various ways that fat people are discriminated against by our society. This includes, but is not limited to, removing the negative connotations to the word “fat,” with the idea being that “fat” and “thin” are just words used to describe our bodies, and shouldn’t be seen as “bad” or “good.”

As a plus sized woman, I’ve been really excited about this turn across different genres and age categories, and wanted to share some of my favorites.

Weightless: Making Space for my Resilient Body and Soul by Evette Dionne

I read this book in almost one sitting. It’s not often that I see myself reflected so completely in someone else’s narrative, but I found it so gratifying to read about how fatphobia from Evette’s family, love interests, teachers, doctors, and society at large has impacted her life. Weightless is not only a relatable story of growing up as a plus sized Black girl, but proof of all of the ways fatphobia can have real, tangible effects on one’s life, one that feels like a cathartic chat with a friend.

How Moon Fuentes Fell in Love with the Universe by Raquel Vasquez Gilliand

I love every single thing about this book, but especially the way it displays body positivity. Moon’s mother is constantly comparing her to her older sister, who is more conventionally attractive than she is. As the story progresses, not only does she learn to love her body, but to love herself in general. It also helps that her love interest is a boy who loves to cook, loves to eat, and loves Moon’s body just the way it is.

Dear Sweet Pea by Julie Murphy

Julie Murphy has been leading the fat positivity campaign in young adult literature ever since the publication of her YA book Dumplin in 2015. Dear Sweet Pea, her middle grade debut, is no less fat positive. Patricia “Sweet Pea” DiMarco is fat and so is her dad, who recently moved out of the family home after her parents announced that they are divorcing. Sweet Pea has to deal with this new normal along with a new project, taking over the advice column of a local legend. Dear Sweet Pea covers a lot of ground, but is endlessly charming, and depicts fat characters as normal people who deserve to have interesting adventures.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli

I still remember reading an advanced copy of The Upside of Unrequited in my mom’s car at a supermarket parking lot while I was still in high school. I couldn’t pull myself away. I loved Becky Albertalli’s first novel, Simon Vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda, but I saw myself in this book in a way I wasn’t used to. Molly Peskin-Suso is a hopeless romantic with many crushes and no boyfriends. Despite the amount of fat positive literature we have now, romances between two fat characters is still rare, and I loved seeing a character who reflected my high school experience have a funny, messy romance with the nerdy Reid.

Weather Girl by Rachel Lynn Solomon

I’m a sucker for Rachel Lynn Solomon romances, but especially Weather Girl, which feels like a cross between the Netflix original movie Set it Up and a grown-up Parent Trap. The main character, Ari, isn’t fat, but her love interest, Russell, is. The book acknowledges the ways Russell feels insecure about being fat while his partner isn’t, while also addressing topics like how Ari might feel while dating someone who is bigger than her. But these conversations aren’t the center of the book. Russell is allowed to be a fully developed character without existing solely for the purpose of being fat. Also, the romance is very steamy.