That wasn’t evolution; that was amnesia.
I always call myself an accidental advocate. I didn’t intend to stumble into a job that had me on the front lines of the fight for body acceptance, but here I am. And as I stand at the top looking down, I realize this is not a plus-size movement, but a woman’s movement. Strength and empowerment are not built on the backs of other women. The realness of a woman is not defined by her curves or lack thereof; real women are those who defend and empower all women, no matter what size their ass is. If we don’t say enough and stop the race to the beauty-standard finish line, the casualties and the resentment women have toward each other will grow.
In 2013, I closed CurvyGirlGuide.com in its current form, and relaunched it as an interactive community, welcoming to women of all sizes. There are meet-ups and events attended by the thousands of members who call the sisterhood home.
NOW WHAT
If you were to ask me what the goal of this book was, I would tell you that it was to validate every student loan check my dad still has to write each month. And to tell the story of a woman who didn’t have to lose weight to be great. To prove that those stories about chubby women who have it all aren’t exceptions or television shows starring America Ferrera, but real life.
Feeling good in your skin is 80 percent mental. All right, I don’t have the actual math on that, but 80 percent mental feels accurate, the other 20 percent being kick-ass shapewear and wine. The point is, you provide the narrative for how others perceive you. People treat me like a sexy and confident curvy woman because I act like a sexy and confident curvy woman; my behavior doesn’t give them any other options.
I walk around knowing I have the right to never feel ashamed or disgusted with my body, and if people have a problem with it, it’s on them.
“Hey, weirdo! Stop staring at my body. It’s creepy.”
AFTERWORD
THANK YOU FOR buying this book. I gained 30 pounds writing it following a diet I assume my literary heroes, Stephen King and Jane Austen, probably followed; boxes of 20-piece nuggets from McDonalds and Pepsi.
In the past, I would make excuses for that statement, blaming it on my period or Mercury in retrograde. But the truth is, eating my way through writing this book was one of the greatest experiences of my life.
And now it’s over and I’m supposed to say goodbye. But I’m painfully terrible at goodbyes. When I worked at the summer camp, we ended every week with an excessively sad slow song about lingering behind with our friends, and then a short humor skit put on by the camp director and her assistant wherein she coached the assistant on how to make a bandana disappear by stuffing it into his pocket, hitting it once with his hand, and then revealing that it had vanished. Only instead of bandana, the assistant thought she said banana. The girls all thought it was hilarious, and it didn’t go without eliciting a few jaded chuckles from the counselors gathered along the back row of the closing bonfire. This skit was done Thursday after Thursday for an entire summer, and I only saw it once.
I was so embarrassed by how distraught I got every week saying goodbye to the little girls in my care—uncontrollable crying, hiccups and snot—that I faked illnesses to get out of it. One week I had food poisoning that left me with an imaginary case of explosive diarrhea. Another week I’d had a heat-induced migraine. And once I’d used a safety pin to simulate a bee sting to the neck that required me to hang behind in the tent with an ice pack. I attacked my neck with a needle to get out of saying goodbye. I don’t know what kind of person that makes me, but I can tell you this parting anxiety that I experience also extends to celebrity divorces and canceled television shows. If you are ever curious about what kind of person starts petitions on Whitehouse.gov to revive the show Happy Endings, that person is me.
Anyways, as this book comes to a close, know that I had every intention of saying goodbye to you right now; however, I was just attacked by a hornet and I need medical attention, so I’ll just say see you later, thanks again, and I can’t wait to gain 30 more pounds writing my next book for you.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I WOULD LIKE to endlessly thank my husband, Andy, for letting me be an absent parent while crafting this masterpiece. As well as my beautiful children, Jude, Wyatt, and Gigi. You are the most magical parts of me.
Mom and Dad, I love you so much. Thanks for making my life weird enough to write about.
Thank you to my wolf pack: Allison Wilson, Nate Wilson, Sara Rieneckert, Mike Rieneckert, Autum Meglitsch who makes my hair flawless, Adam and Jodi Buckenmeyer, Meredith Soleau, and my oldest friend, Laura Doerfler. You are all stuck with me for life; the next round is on me.
Shauna Glenn and Alice Clayton, I would not be here without your guidance, support, and 3 A.M. phone calls. A rising tide raises all ships, thank you for lifting me up.
Kate McKean. You are more than just my agent, you are a dear friend. Thank you for teaching me how to actually write a book.
My brilliant editor, Carrie Thornton, at HarperCollins. Thank you for being fearless and patient with me throughout this process. And thank you so much for publishing this book.
Finally, thank you to my Curvy Girl Community. You are my sisters and I love you the most.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Photo by Andy Gibbons
BRITTANY GIBBONS WAS born a poor, fat child. Since then, she has become one of the most prominent body image advocates in the country. As the leader of the Curvy Girl Army, Brittany speaks to thousands via her Facebook group and her blog Brittanyherself.com.
She has been the subject of extensive media for her Ted Talk/striptease, for her 365 Days of Sex adventure with her beloved husband, Andy, and for having the sheer audacity to wear a bikini as a size 18 and putting the photo on the internet. She is the mother of three children and has been with her husband since they were teenagers. This book is her dream come true.
Discover great authors, exclusive offers, and more at hc.com.
CREDITS
Cover design by Mumtaz Mustafa
Cover photograph © Chelsey McGowan, McGowan Images
COPYRIGHT
Photograph on page 196 courtsey of Enoch Wu. All other photographs are courtesy of the author.
The names and identifying characteristics of most of the individuals throughout this book have been changed to protect their privacy.
FAT GIRL WALKING. Copyright © 2015 by Brittany Gibbons. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-234303-1
EPub Edition May 2015 ISBN 9780062343055
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