The Fat Girl by Marilyn Sachs

Author:Marilyn Sachs [Sachs, Marilyn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Juvenile Nonfiction, Dating & Sex, Emotions & Feelings, Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, ya, Weight Control, Juvenile Fiction, Pygmalion tale, General, romance, Interpersonal Relations, young adult, Social Issues, Assertiveness (Psychology), High Schools, Schools, fiction, School & Education, ceramics
ISBN: 9780738710006
Google: GTTk0tdzEKwC
Amazon: 0738710008
Publisher: Flux
Published: 1983-01-02T08:00:00+00:00

eleven

The one thing my mother did right during the Christmas holiday break was to tell me about Lady Bountiful.

“One of my patients who’s very fat has a marvelous robe—all rich golds and oranges. I never saw anything like it. She was the one who told me that she bought it in this special shop, just for fat women. You should tell your friend about it.”

Everything else my mother did was wrong. She didn’t leave Wanda alone for a minute, nagging at her, carping at her, bugging her over nothing.

I tried to stop her. I still hoped Wanda might change her mind, if my mother could only get off her back.

“Mom,” I told her, “Wanda’s only fourteen. She’s a good kid, but she’s only fourteen.”

“She’s a slob,” said my mother. “Did you see the bathroom floor this morning? It’s like there’s a flood.”

“Please, Mom,” I said, “just try not to notice. Let’s all have a good time this Christmas. Okay, Mom? Let’s plan some fun things together. Just the three of us. What do you say?”

My mother bought tickets to the Nutcracker ballet. When we were little, she used to take us every year even though I hated it. I still hated it, and Wanda couldn’t see anything because there were three tall people sitting in front of us.

I took Ellen over to Lady Bountiful, and as soon as we walked into the store, a saleswoman nearly as fat as Ellen stepped forward and greeted us enthusiastically. She was wearing a long, flowing robe with brilliant splashes of reds and golds. Her eyes traveled over Ellen admiringly.

“What can I do for you?” she asked.

Ellen looked at me, and I said, “Well, we were wondering if you had anything in her size.”

The woman’s teeth shone as she lead us over to a rack of clothes and began pulling out one dress after another.

“But they’re so bright,” Ellen protested.

“Yes, they are, honey,” said the saleswoman. “Don’t you like bright colors?”

“It’s not that,” said Ellen, “I just thought . . .”

“You thought,” the saleswoman said, “that because you were fat you had to wear dark, quiet colors. That you were supposed to wear unobtrusive colors so that nobody would notice you. Well, we don’t believe that here. We believe you should wear the most beautiful clothes there are, so that everybody will not only notice you but admire you as well.”

She went on talking all the time Ellen was trying on the clothes.

“There’s nothing wrong with being fat,” she said. “The only thing wrong is listening to people who say it’s wrong. Here, honey, I want you to try this purple and green caftan. It will look good with your green eyes.”

You could hardly notice Ellen’s eyes when she wore the caftan. The brilliant fabric was overpowering and her face seemed lost on top of that mass of color.

“Hmm,” said the saleswoman, “you need a little more makeup and you really have to do something with your hair.”

“My hair?” Ellen was cringing before the mirror.

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