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After a few years of lip service to body positivity, we’re back to an era of prizing thinness above all else—a policing of bodies that plays into right-wing and fascist policies, especially when it comes to the bodies of women, people of color, disabled people, queer people, and other marginalized groups.
But bodies aren’t a trend. We just have the one to live with our whole lives. And I didn’t fight this hard to make peace with my fat body to throw that away over what’s currently in style on social media.
One of the things that’s helped me to change how I think about my body is to change my media intake, from movies to books to social media accounts. Following fat-positive creators really rewired by brain. And reading romance books that see fat bodies as lovable and desirable feels healing.
So, here are a few fat-positive romance books that help fight back against a culture that demonizes fat people. August also happens to be Fat Liberation Month, so there’s no better time to pick these books up.
One important note: these books are fat-positive, but may include fatphobic scenes/lines. Please research more thorough content warnings if you don’t want even passing mentions of anti-fatness.
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Cubs & Campfires by Dylan Drakes
How adorable is this cover? Cubs & Campfires is the first book in the Sweet & Stocky romance series, so check out Bears & Bakeries for another high-heat, low-angst romance about fat men in love. This cozy summer romance follows Luca, a journalism graduate struggling to find work. In a terrible job interview, he pitches taking a vow of celibacy for the summer and writing about it—only to be shocked when they take him up on the offer. He isolates himself as a fire lookout in the mountains of Washington State, but when musician Artair camps nearby, he finds himself pulled between his desires for connection and his career.
My Best Friend’s Honeymoon by Meryl Wilsner
I finished this in one day, reading by the water. But I will tell you: there were some scenes I did not feel comfortable reading in public! This is a high spice romance. Elsie has been engaged to her college boyfriend for a year when she learns he’s planned their wedding and honeymoon, and it’s happening in a week. Surprise! That’s the wake-up call she needed to realize she never wanted this marriage, and now she’s off to that non-refundable Caribbean honeymoon with her best friend, Ginny. Ginny has been in love with her for more than a decade, and they make Elsie a deal to encourage her to speak up for herself more: for this week, Elsie can have anything she asks for. Ginny just wasn’t expecting Elsie to ask for them. I liked the matter-of-fact fat representation in this one. Ginny mentions things like a certain chair being torture for fat people or packing a seatbelt extender for the plane trip, but it doesn’t come up much. I loved reading a romance with a fat, nonbinary main character.
D’Vaughn and Kris Plan a Wedding by Chencia C. Higgins
As the title suggests, D’Vaughn and Kris are planning their wedding—but they’re not a couple. They’re on a reality TV show where they have to convince their friends and family that their relationship (and upcoming wedding) are real in order to win $100,000. Kris wants to use this TV opportunity to become a fitness influencer, while D’Vaughn is a closeted fat femme who is using it to come out to her mother. But you know what happens in fake dating romance novels… (Content warning: there is discussion of weight loss in Kris’s backstory.)
Recommended Reading by Paul Coccia
And now, a couple of YA romances. This one has such a cute cover. In this romcom inspired by Emma, Bobby has a plan to get the guy with a grand romantic gesture inspired by his favorite romance genre tropes. It goes completely off the rails, though, forcing him to retreat to spend the summer working at a quiet bookstore. It’s there he meets romance skeptic Luke, an “unfairly attractive” lifeguard. They seem to hit it off, but if grand romantic gestures aren’t the way to get his happily ever after, what is? (Content warning: Bobby has some moments of internalized fatphobia.)
I’ll Be the One by Lyla Lee
In this bi4bi M/F YA romcom, Skye Shin is determined to break into the world of K-pop, even if she keeps getting told fat girls can’t be stars. After nailing the audition, she is cast in a K-pop reality TV show, where the competition is cut-throat. To make things more difficult, she’s falling for the competition: Henry Cho. While Skye deals with fatphobia from the industry, she is confident and true to herself.
If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of the origins of fatphobia, check out Patricia Elzie-Tuttle’s review of Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia by Sabrina Strings, Ph.D.
