Imagine if you woke up one day and you were suddenly the most beautiful woman in town. In the mirror, your reflection hasn't change, but you slowly realize that the entire societal standard of beauty has been readjusted with your body as the new ideal.
For Ronnie Tremayne, a depressed and binge-eating size 28, the world shifts overnight into an alternate reality where bulges are beautiful and fat is fantastic. Ronnie has always wanted to design high-end fashions but has settled for working retail at Luscious Landing -- a plus size boutique that's now a huge success.
In a blur of cream sauce, weight-gain coaches, opulent buffets, and straining waistbands, Ronnie's formerly disapproving mother is suddenly her biggest supporter and dozens of similarly obese men are suddenly sending her flowers and wooing her with dinner, drinks and sex. In this reality where gigantic is gorgeous, all of her dreams in business and pleasure seem to be coming true, but as Ronnie gets busier and more popular, her appetite decreases. If she can't keep her weight up though, she'll risk her success in this new reality, because where plus-sizes are the ideal, the "skinnies" are viewed disparagingly as people who just can't control their eating enough to gain some weight. And in both realities, why does the affectionate men's clothing store owner next door seem oblivious to her body size, whether she's thin or fat, and whether fat or thin is in?
While this original concept is slightly unbelievable, the author uses the opportunity to make an excellent point about societal discrimination based on body type and size. As Ronnie and I both discovered the limitations of her new reality, I was surprised by some of the quirky twists that Ms. Waggener took in her transition between normality and ALTERNATE BEAUTY. The descriptions of fat rolls, flabby arms and loose skin after weight loss were disconcertingly realistic to this size-18 reader, but an escape into the world of "big is beautiful" was both fun and insightful. Not surprisingly, this enjoyable book's final message is one of acceptance and self-confidence for any body size or situation.
She couldnβt change the way the world looked at her, so she
changed the world....Ronnie Tremayne is a big girl with big
dreams: she wants to be a fashion designer. But as her
model-thin mother never fails to remind her, in fashion,
image is everythingβand Ronnie is a size 28. When she
learns that her job managing a plus-size boutique is in
jeopardy because her weight is βdisturbingβ to the
clientele, Ronnie loses control. After a late-night binge,
she dozes off wishing for a world where fat is beautiful.
When she awakens the next morningβ¦it is.
Now the ideal woman, Ronnie is thrust into the spotlight.
She attends the best parties. She has her motherβs
approval. Her boss invests in her clothing line. And the
men! But as her appetite for life grows, Ronnieβs
appetite for food shrinks. She soon becomes unrecognizableβ
inside and out. And while navigating the giddy highs and
miserable lows of this so-called perfect world, Ronnie
discovers what she should have known all along:
itβs not the size of your body that matters, but the size
of your heart.
Wise, witty, and compassionate, this stunning debut novel
speaks to anyone who has ever engaged in the battle of the
bulgeβor the exasperatingly elusive pursuit of perfection.
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