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You Have the Right to Remain Fat (Feminist Press)
A manifesto for the fat revolution.
Growing up as a fat girl, Virgie Tovar believed that her body was something to be fixed. But after two decades of dieting and constant guilt, she was over it—and gave herself the freedom to trust her own body again. Ever since, she’s been helping others to do the same.
Tovar is hungry for a world where bodies are valued equally, food is free from moral judgment, and you can jiggle through life with respect. In concise and candid language, she delves into unlearning fatphobia, dismantling sexist notions of fashion, and rejecting diet culture’s greatest lie: that fat people need to wait before beginning their best lives.
Praise for You Have the Right To Remain Fat
“The importance of Virgie Tovar’s perspective and identity cannot be understated. As we collectively deconstruct our society’s addiction to body negativity, Virgie’s words provide crucial guidance, clarity, and support for all those who champion universal body liberation.” —Jessamyn Stanley, author of Every Body Yoga
“Virgie Tovar is the radical voice we need, with a gift for expressing what so many women feel but cannot always articulate. In this bold new book, she eviscerates diet culture, proclaims the joyous possibilities of fat, and shows us that liberation is possible.” —Sarai Walker, author of Dietland
"Virgie Tovar is a vital voice in contemporary activism, media, and feminism. The joy she takes in her own body and life, combined with the righteous anger she expresses at an oppressive world is a truly radical act. Virgie is deeply thoughtful, but does not equivocate. She confronts bigotry, but does not engage with bullshit."—Kelsey Miller, author of Big Girl
“Virgie does the thing we need to see more of in political writing: she shares every bit of her humanity, right down to her feelings about her own nipple color, without missing a beat on sharp critiques of the systems that oppress her. Her clear descriptions of antifat-bias and the social construction that is “diet culture,” make it difficult to disagree with her main point: you are not the problem, society is the problem. The world desperately needs to be told this truth—this book will be required reading for my clients going forward.” —Isabel Foxen Duke, Coach and Creator of StopFightingFood.com
"Fierce, passionate, and poignant, Virgie Tovar has written a manifesto that will inspire you and ignite the revolution."—Linda Bacon, PhD, author of Health at Every Size
“You Have the Right to Remain Fat feels like spending a margarita-soaked day at the beach with your smartest friend. She shares juicy secrets and makes revolutionary ideas viscerally accessible. You’ll be left enlightened, inspired, happier, and possibly angrier than when you started. If you’ve ever thought you’d heard it all about fat liberation and body acceptance, Virgie Tovar has a few more light bulbs to switch on. Don’t miss this captivating, eye-opening, and hilarious book!”—Joy Nash, actress
Virgie Tovar is an author, activist, and one of the nation's leading experts and lecturers on fat discrimination and body image. She is the founder of Basecamp, started the hashtag campaign #LoseHateNot Weight, and edited the groundbreaking anthology Hot & Heavy: Fierce Fat Girls on Life, Love and Fashion. You Have the Right to Remain Fat is her first book.
Photo by Andria Lo
Sarai Walker is the author of the novel Dietland, which is now a series on the AMC network.
Photo by Marion Ettlinger
