13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad

Young women judge, berate, and even loathe each other, becoming necessary competitors in a battle that doesn't benefit them beyond external approval. One of the more harrowing aspects of 13 Ways is how genuinely it highlights female cruelty as a byproduct of this obsessive journey to being thin. (One particularly off-putting sex act in the back of a cab gracefully underscores this idea.)

In fact, the male gaze makes a weighted appearance in almost every one of these vignettes – the reader keenly aware that although it is important that Lizzie is wanted, what she wants herself is irrelevant. As a skinnier friend does Lizzie's makeup and snaps some sexy pictures, we are hit with the critique that women are meant to see their worth by means of men's desire for them. By default, she longs for the attention of men, seeking them out online but afraid to send along a full body photo because of her weight. Growing up in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga, Lizzie (then Beth, then Elizabeth) feels stifled by the expectations put upon her and the limited opportunities given to her. Together these instalments form a real narrative achievement – a firm statement on how we dictate a woman's worth based simply on her dress size. Lizzie navigates the phases of her life – her relationships with lovers, partners, friends and family – all with her weight at front of mind. Told chronologically, over her stereotypically troubled teen years and then into her upright adulthood, we're privy to tiny snapshots of her day-to-day, artfully pieced together to sneakily drive home the book's larger social truths.

It uses a series of stand-alone stories to follow Lizzie through her ongoing struggle (and later success) in losing weight. Beautifully told, with a profoundly sensitive understanding of the subject matter, it's clear that all of the anticipation for this particular fiction debut was entirely warranted.ġ3 Ways is deceptively simple. It's also a very accurate portrayal of how hating the way you look affects your psyche over time, making for an uncomfortable and at times disturbing read. The book depicts what it's like to endure a mandated pursuit of thinness, unapologetically facing our toxic, body-image obsessed culture head-on. It wouldn't be far off to say that reading Mona Awad's 13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl is an emotional experience for anyone who looks in the mirror and doesn't like what they see.

13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl by Mona Awad