I’m always looking for more body positive and self-love books, so when I saw blogger Paige Fieldsted post about how she had a new book coming out, I was so excited to read it.
I was even more excited once I saw what it was called: Confessions From Your Fat Friend. I’ve long identified myself in the past as the fat friend, so I knew I wanted to read this book once it came out.
Lo and behold, the day after her book was published, she reached out to me on Instagram to see if I wanted to review the book for my blog. Um, yes!
I dove into the book right away, and I really connected with her and her story from the very beginning. I felt like I was reading both her story about growing up fat and mine at the same time.
Each chapter was a different confession of hers, and they ranged from “It Makes Me Want To Cry When You Call Celebrities Fat” and “I Hated Being Pregnant” to “I Say No To Going Out To Avoid Being The Fat One” and “I Don’t Want You To Tell Me I’m Not Fat.” I can definitely relate to all of those feelings and many of the others she mentions in the book.
Growing up fat definitely isn’t easy, and I’m sure it’s only gotten harder now with social media and the ever-increasing pressure to be perfect. But I wish I’d had a book like Paige’s when I was younger to help me navigate through all the tough times of growing up fatter than all of your friends and getting bullied from others and even yourself about it.
She talks a lot about how she spent years looking for validation from outside sources, whether it was her friends or models in the media or potential boyfriends or anything in between. I can relate to that so damn hard.
It’s a tough truth, but a truth nonetheless, that you can’t truly believe that others can love you until you love yourself, or at least don’t hate yourself.
I could go on and on about how much I related to her story, because trust me I did, but you get the picture. Whether you’re fat now or you used to be fat or you know people who are fat, read this book by Paige Fieldsted.
I believe that no matter where you are in your self-love and/or body positive journey, you could benefit from reading this book if for no other reason than learning more about the power of vulnerability.
She really stepped out on a limb by talking about things either no one else or only a few people have ever known about her. I’m sure it’s scary as hell to be as vulnerable as she was, but I truly appreciated her taking that chance and writing this book the way she did.
I highly recommend this book to anyone, regardless of body weight and size. It’s a beautiful yet stark reminder that we’re not alone, no matter how it might feel sometimes.
If you’re interested in reading this book, check this out for a list of places you can get it.
Photos courtesy of Paige Fieldsted
