Beautiful Me

I wrote the book “Beautiful Me” as a love letter to all higher-weight bodied children who never see themselves in children’s books unless they are being ridiculed or villainized. The mission of this campaign is to increase visibility of children with all bodies no what size they are.  All children should be able to look at the cover a book  and scream out “That’s me!”  I began writing this book when I first started my PhD program. My research focuses on how fatphobia affects the educational experience of Black girls in the United States.  Since I started my research, one glaring fact is the lack of positive books geared towards higher-weight children.  There are substantial market opportunities for this type of book because these bodies are invisible in children’s literature.   

Fatphobia begins in childhood, so we must teach children about weight-based bullying, which is detrimental to children’s physical and emotional wellbeing. Many children who experience weight-based bullying also report extreme weight loss behaviors such as forced vomiting, fasting, and dieting.  Beautiful Me teaches children about radical selflove and encourages them to listen to the internal voice that says, “you are beautiful.”

I am seeking funding to finish publishing “Beautiful Me.”  The funding will go towards hiring a qualified illustrator, printing in color, and distribution.  Currently, my team consists of a Digital Content Specialist and an editor.  I would like to thank all backers of this project. Your support will help me say “you belong” to the little girl inside of me who had no choice but to look within for radical selflove and validation.