Whitney Way Thore is a reality TV Star. Her life is chronicled in the TLC series My Big Fat Fabulous Life. Whitney, like many American women is not a size 2. She is far from it and not ashamed of her weight.
Earlier this year, she published a memoir entitled I Do It with the Lights On: And 10 More Discoveries on the Road to a Blissfully Shame-Free Life. Taking the reader through her life, Whitney chronicles what it is to be a big girl in a society where people of a certain size, especially women are often ostracized or mocked. She speaks openly of the pressure to be thin, the comments she has received about her weight, both good and bad and most importantly her journey to loving herself, regardless of her weight.
What I found compelling about her memoir was that I found myself relating to her. I am not heavy, but I understand what it is to struggle with self-esteem and the desire to fit in with the rest of the world. Another aspect of the book that appealed to me was that she addressed the fact that women (more often than men) are judged by their looks and women who are above a certain size, receive a certain kind of judgement.
Do I recommend it? While I found the book to be an excellent read and a reminder that many of us struggle with our self-esteem, I found several chapters to be a bit boring and a bit slow. The answer is maybe, leaning toward yes.
Writergurlny 