March 17, 2003
Actress Mo'Nique, of UPN's The Parkers, has been large since she was a kid. When she was rejected as a teenager trying out for the cheerleading squad, she responded, "Damn it, do you know how hard it is to get 200 pounds up in the air? I should have made the squad for that trick alone." Accustomed to being called "Chunky Butt" and "Shamu," Mo'Nique has a pretty bright outlook on life; for her, "it's one's mind, not the size of her behind, that counts." She explains why fat trumps thin and advises "single-digit sisters" (those whose dress size is eight or smaller) to "move over or scoot the fuck out of the way because the FAT is gonna hit the fire and you will get burned." The author's belief that society places too much emphasis on being thin is unquestionably sound, but her manner of empowering big women leaves much to be desired. Instead of helping readers, Mo'Nique denigrates them (e.g., a typical day for a "big girl," she says, includes less than five hours of work and the rest of the day eating and socializing; while a "skinny girl" spends over 12 hours working and the rest of the day eating and exercising). Although Mo'Nique's brassy style, blunt prose and lack of organization may not faze her readers, the book isn't likely to change society's treatment of big women and merely perpetuates a stereotype. Agent, Manie Barron.