"The Day Before Waterlily Arrived" by Jaclyn Moriarty was the weirdest short story I've ever read. This is a story about a girl named Kirsten and a boy named Markus who were in a class at school together. They got a substitute/ counselor type women who came into their class and taught them about body image. She did it in the worst way though. She used a method where she told everyone that she knew that everyone hated "at least one thing about" themselves. Why would an adult say this to children without even knowing them. Mrs. Waterlily was the name of the woman, and one day at the beginning of class she brought in a sandbox/ kiddie wading pool that was filled with strange bath toys that looked kind of gross. She picked out different toys and explained how each one related to a child. One example of what she said was, "Ming, your face is flat and squat- you're a leech!" (109). How odd is this? This is not how to teach children about body image. So then after Mrs. Waterlily left the class for good, Markus decided to give people good objects that enhanced their confidence instead of decreasing it. I don't think that people should learn about body image by knowing that everyone hates something about themselves, I think it helps when people talk positively in addition to pointing out something negative that they need to work on.
"HELLO my name is" by Carolyn Mackler is about an author who wrote the book, "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things" and is well known in the reading community. Someone came up to her at a business party and was shocked to see that she was not fat, like the main character in the story she wrote. Carolyn thinks, "I'm always a little flushed because it feels like this person is complimenting me for not being fat," (120). I like the way she puts this because it shows that when people are able to say the word fat, it usually means the person they are talking to isn't actually fat. That would be too rude. But apparently, Carolyn s very offended by this. Carolyn explains to the woman that Virginia, the main character in her book, is very similar to her (Carolyn). Virginia's weight was a metaphor for all the ways we feel insecure, don't measure up, don't fit in, don't think we're as deserving as other people. I think this is a respectable way of explaining things to someone because it's true... We all have insecurities and problems and just because someone is fat that doesn't mean someone else doesn't have the same insecurities that another person has. I was caught off-guard when Carolyn said she was not fat, because I did expect someone who wrote a book about a fat girl to be fat themselves, I was pleasantly surprised to read that that was not so. We have to be careful of our assumptions and judgments.
"The Mating Habits of Whales" by Barry Lyga was about a boy named Devon (a big guy) who started dating a fat girl named Marjarie at summer camp. Devon's friends told him that Marjarie was too fat for him, and they made fun of him all the time for that. People would say that these two were mating whales. Devon had enough of it and started ignoring Marjarie. Then two years later, when they went back to school that year, Marjarie had lost a lot of weight and would not speak to Devon. Devon worked his hardest to be thin (which he accomplished) and begged her to take him back. She got upset because he did not realize that his weight was not the problem she had with him, it was his attitude and how he treated her. In the end of the story he finally realized what he needed to change about himself. This was a really well constructed story, in the form of a comic book, because I learned a lot through the character's emotions and body language.
"It Is Good" by Sara Zarr was about a young fat girl growing up. She had a traumatic time at a doctor's office who pointed out that she ate everything in sight and would never get a boyfriend. That would be terrifying!! Her problematic home-life didn't help anything either. As she grew up she had "forfeited her rights to basic respect and decency from herself or others," (139). This is really sad, that someone would get to this point. Shelley Winters and God came to her rescue though. She was watching a movie and saw a heroic fat woman save people in a sinking ship accident. She also joined a support group online that talked about food issues and she got convinced by a group of other women to train for a 5K run while she was nearly 200 pounds. She gained all the confidence she needed by being able to push herself and run a 5K at her weight. In the next 7 years she had lost 50 pounds and was very content with herself. Yes, she relapsed sometimes, but who doesn't? She wanted to tell that doctor that she saw many years ago that shame is counterproductive and a temporary motivator and that love is a better healer than shame or fear. This was one of my favorite stories because it was inspiring as well as happy to end with for this section.
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