Body Diversity in Queer YA

The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding

Growing up, I loved reading, but I don’t remember reading about a character like me. I found myself having to choose between my marginalizations, black and fat (I didn’t know I was bisexual then). When I watched television, things were a little better because if a black girl wasn’t the main character, at least she was the best friend or had another supporting role. I could say the same for fat characters, always the sidekick or comic relief but never the protagonist. But as I grew older, that started not to be enough for me. I wanted to read about a black girl going on her own adventure, not just being the sidekick or comic relief on someone else’s journey.

Furthermore, the narrative surrounding fat protagonists was almost always related to their weight. I remember how much my life mimicked that narrative. I hated my body. I thought if I lost the weight things would get better. I was on an endless emotional roller coaster—most days I hated my body, but some days I didn’t. Honestly, I can’t remember the exact moment when I stopped hating my body and began embracing it.

Speaking as a former fat teen, now a fat adult, I think we should move away from that narrative. I’m not saying that it’s no longer necessary, but I would like to shake things up.

As much as I love queer YA, I often find myself wondering where the body diversity is. The situation looks bleak when you compare it to the other types of diversity in queer YA. Recently, when I searched for characters like me, once again I found myself having to choose between them being black, fat, and queer. I found two books that met most of my demands, and they are Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy and the forthcoming release The Summer of Jordi Perez (And the Best Burger in Los Angeles) by Amy Spalding. Those are the only two books that came up when I searched for recent or forthcoming releases with a fat queer protagonist. I couldn’t find one with a fat, queer, black protagonist.

Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy

According to a study from the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology and Education, the average woman in the United States is a size 16. However, we are still underrepresented in stories about characters who should look like the average United States population. When you add intersections like race and queerness, it opens a wealth of stories that could be told. So, why is there such a lack of non-white fat queer characters?

I want to see fat queer characters getting in on the action and having their own adventures. I want to see how those intersecting identities affect the main character and their journey. I want to read about a fat queer character being the chosen one. Anything else besides being the sidekick or comic relief. All my life I have seen characters that look like me be sidelined and never get their stories told. I don’t want our teens to be twenty-something before they read or see someone like themselves. I don’t want them to wait that long for someone to validate them and reassure that they matter. I want to see the day when people like me are represented in queer YA.

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Kristen Carter was born, raised, and still resides in Philadelphia, PA. Currently, she’s working toward a bachelor’s degree in Advertising and Public Relations. Besides being a full-time student, she works as a freelance writer. In her spare time, she enjoys reading YA fiction, watching TV, and sleeping in late.