Book Review of Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker

Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls by Jes Baker is part self help book, part introduction to the body acceptance movement, and part collection of essays from authors of varying perspectives on issues pertaining to being fat. Other contributors to the book are: Virgie Tovar, Sonya Renee Taylor, Andrew Whalen, Jen McLellan, Shanna Katz Kattari, Kimberly A. Peace, MSW, Sam Dylan Finch, Bruce Sturgell, and Chrystal Bougon. Jes Baker is the writer of the Militant Baker blog, and famously took Abercrombie & Fitch's CEO down a few pegs after he admitted to discriminating against fat people by posing all sexylike in one of their shirts (which wasn't supposed to fit her).

With chapter topics ranging from self care to fatshion, fat and health, body unacceptance throughout history, media representation of fat bodies, and mental health support, Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls is a well-rounded (pardon the pun) resource for anyone with a well-rounded physique. As a fat girl myself, I particularly appreciated the section on how to seek and attain good health care and work around the misconception that all health problems a fat girl may have are caused by her weight. I have also always appreciated the fact that Baker comes right out and uses the word "fat" repeatedly, unblinkingly, and without issue, because that's what I do! It isn't necessarily being down on yourself... sometimes if you're fat and you are at peace with it, you are simply able to say you're fat and move on with life! This attitude is refreshing, because, no matter what size you are, beating yourself up about your weight will get you nowhere.

Most of all, Baker's strength lies in the fact that she views all sources with a critical eye. From TV shows to magazines, from Instagram feeds to "friends," Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls reminds readers repeatedly that everyone has their own agenda, and only some people are actually out to help fat girls. The rest? They mostly just want to make money. So, from the publishers of her own book, who put an hourglass-shaped silhouette of a fat girl on the cover (which Baker points out and deconstructs) to retailers who sell "plus-sized clothes" that top out at size 16, Baker is ready to dissect the bullshit and give her readers the skinny on how to filter out unneeded negative influences from their fat lives. For some, this will be a challenge--retraining your brain doesn't happen overnight. But, it is still worlds better than allowing those who stand to make a buck from your insecurities control how you view yourself. This is a healthy tome full of good body acceptance information and peppered with diverse perspectives (trans, disabled, WoC, and more). If you're fat, you know someone who is and want to be more sensitive to their needs, or you just want to find out what the whole body acceptance movement is all about, Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls is definitely worth a read.