Transformative Reads: Addressing Body Image/Fatphobia Through Bibliotherapy

Reading is magical. You can read something to transport you into another world, or keep you here at home. Regardless if you want fiction or nonfiction, there is something for everyone. But sometimes books give us an additional layer - a connection to an emotion that we are not sure we could have articulated ourselves, or provide us with support knowing we are not alone in our experience. They can also give us insight into experiences we are unable to have on our own. We can step into the shoes of someone with different privileges or abilities, or reframe how we perceive certain social constructs. 

In this Transformative Reads series, we introduce you to a list of books we rate for broaching different topics, highlighting key tropes, themes, and age ranges they’re suitable for. Each post will have an overarching theme, such as books addressing body image & fatphobia in this entry, though many of the books will contain multiple mental health or social justice concepts. Recommendations for interventions to use with each book shall be with the book description.

While I do my best to list things to be aware of with the different titles, please make your own informed decision about triggering content or age appropriateness. Options for this include but are not limited to: www.doesthedogdie.com and www.commonsensemedia.org, as well as social review platforms like Goodreads or Storygraph. Please note that this author is not sponsored/endorsed by any of the recommended platforms or titles.

Fiction

Young Adult Books (also known as YA - books for readers aged 14+)

Cupcake by Cookie O'Gorman

Cupcake is a contemporary YA that follows Ariel, a high school senior, who was nominated for homecoming queen. She starts to question whether she was nominated for real or as a prank, because she is plus-sized and not popular as far as she believes. She starts to get to know one of the homecoming king nominees, and as the book progresses she learns that she is a valued & loved member of the school community. She shows significant confidence in herself, even in the face of negativity regarding her weight. This book tackles the difficulty of being a teenager in a body that is not “ideal” with grace, all in a very YA manner, making it appropriate for the age range of kids who might need it most.

Possible interventions you can use with this book:

• Creating your own “Homecoming Court” where each member of the court represents a different trait that makes your client uniquely them, or traits that they would vote for in a Homecoming King/Queen, and connect it back to how those traits appear in themselves

• Write an acceptance speech for winning Homecoming King/Queen, thanking the parts of themselves that are loved and valued by the people in their life

• Making an outline of their body and writing in all of the traits that make them a unique person

• Put in the sandtray what they imagine Ariel felt like at different stages of the book, and explore if that would also be how they felt at those times

New Adult/Adult Books (For readers aged 18+)

On the Plus Side by Jenny L. Howe

On the Plus Side is a contemporary adult fiction/romance following Everly Winters, a plus-sized receptionist who is nominated for a reality tv show, “On the Plus Side” - think What Not To Wear and Queer Eye, specifically for plus-sized folks. Everly spends a large portion of the book trying to be invisible, hoping that someone will end up loving her & she can achieve her goals without having to be perceived. This book helps show that while your body is a beautiful canvas for your style, you do not have to hide just because you don’t look like a runway model. The cast is diverse, and has some great messaging regarding being true to yourself.

This book is adult and has adult content (language, sexual content).

Possible interventions to use with this book:

• Have the client create a description of all of the negative traits they think would be used to have themselves be nominated for this type of show, and then work through what it would mean to change these traits/reframe them to be positive representations of self.

• Print out outlines of clothing and client color in/draw what clothing they feel the most comfortable in vs what they feel the most “exposed” while wearing, and explore what aspects of those outfits create those feelings. This can also be done through creating a collage using Pinterest or magazine cutouts

• Write a letter to Everly about the traits in her that cause significant emotional reactivity in the client - explore if they are positive or negative reactions and which of these traits, if any, are also client traits

Non-Fiction

Both of the below non-fiction books provide a great backdrop for bibliotherapy and psychoeducation regarding eating disorders and the effects of social media on our ability to view ourselves in a healthy manner. 

Interventions that can tie into both non-fictions books include:

• Reviewing clients' relationship with social media and shows that expect the contestants to change to win (ex. “The Biggest Loser” & “America’s Next Top Model”) - inquiring what emotions and thoughts are most pressing when engaging in these activities

• Have the client write a letter to their “ideal” self and review what, if anything, they write about their physical appearance

• Have clients create a self-portrait of their ideal self out of magazine pictures and explore why they picked the pictures they did (i.e. did they pick the same color eyes and hair as they currently have or is there one that they wish they had and that is what they picked?)

You Are Not a Before Picture by Alex Light

You Are Not a Before Picture is a look into diet culture and the ramifications of these messages. Alex Light is a lifestyle influencer who previously struggled with eating disorders while working in the fashion industry. She has since moved on to writing & photographing fashion for magazines, and has seen the shift in diet culture throughout her time working in this realm. She wrote this book to help others who are experiencing the harmful effects of diet culture and how it manifests in different ways. 

Some of the topics covered in this book are the history of dieting, the racism/classism/sexism/etc. that is riddled throughout diet culture’s past, media’s impact on the beauty standard, the disparities between weight vs health, and how even things such as the body positivity movement can impact our ability to heal from food related trauma. She provides options for reframing some of these negative internalized messages and steps that we can take to help dismantle these systems.

 While she does focus significantly on the experience of females/female presenting individuals, she does discuss the ramifications of this for males/male presenting individuals as well, and addresses some of the overlapping concerns that arise when gender is brought into this conversation. Remember, as she says in the book, how you look is the least interesting thing about you.

Pixel Flesh: How Toxic Beauty Culture Harms Women by Ellen Atlanta

Pixel Flesh is a look into how beauty culture has shifted through the rise of social media and influencers, comparing the beauty standards pre-internet to the rapid shift post-instant access. Ellen Atlanta shares details surrounding her interviews with influencers like Kylie Jenner, her own experience with eating disorders, and the shifts she has seen in the way beauty culture has changed our ability to define our self-worth.

There are some graphic descriptions of eating disorders, death from eating disorders, and other medical procedures, such as abortion and childbirth. This book focuses on the experiences of women and female-presenting people, with many anecdotes interspersed with research that has been published. 

Pixel Flesh is a book filled with stories that are becoming more and more common as social media rises even more, giving validation to the experiences that are becoming widespread, though it does not provide solutions to the problem as much as other books in the same vein. 

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JoAnna Hubbard, LMHC, NCC works in both the mental health and legal realms, working as a law clerk, therapist, and psychometrist. She has studied psychology and sociology (BA), criminal law, mediation, and contracts (JD), and clinical mental health counseling (MA), dedicating the past decade and a half to learning about these systems and assisting with bridging the gaps in understanding between them. Through this work, she has found a love for incorporating her passions of gaming, books, and art to help people overcome the barriers they face in their day to day life. If she isn't working, you can find her performing, reading with her dog, or spending time with loved ones.