Brittany Gibbons, “Fat Girl Walking: Sex, Food, Love, and Being Comfortable in Your Skin…Every Inch of It”
Known as blogger Brittany Herself, Brittany Gibbons’ memoir, “Fat Girl Walking: Sex, Food, Love, and Being Comfortable in Your Skin…Every Inch of It” is an unapologetic, hilarious account of her successful plus-size life. She opens her memoir by explaining why she is fat, “…the answer I’d like to give to people who ask me that question is that God made us all different, and she made some people round-shaped, like me, and some people asshole-shaped, like you…”(p.5). It’s that kind of honesty that sets her apart from other writers and makes this memoir a must read for anyone who’s ever felt a tiny bit insecure about their bodies. As she explains, “the reality is that we’re not all miserable unfulfilled losers, and we don’t all have to be skinny…being overweight isn’t always a fun life choice. It’s not enjoyable to go to the Gap with your friends and only be able to buy scarves…it’s not empowering to walk into a restaurant worried that you might not fit comfortably into the booth…” (p.164). Yet she manages to find comfort in the fact that, “…people are allowed to say whatever they want to [her] about [her] weight, but it’s entirely up to [her] how much power [she] let[s] those words have over [her]. [She’s] not obligated or required to accept negative commentary about [her] looks. [She’s] not less confident or honest for ignoring that it’s there. [She’s] just confident enough to know it’s not true” (p.224).