Customer Reviews

Sexy at Any Size: The Real Woman's Guide To Dating and Romance

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This book starts off very promising - the myth that only thin women are sexy is nicely challenged, and it's great to hear a little about the author's triumphs over the thin ideal. I was totally connecting with what she was saying, but then towards the middle of the book (when she got into talking about fashions for bigger women), she slipped into some negative stereotypes. I felt that promoting girdles and ways to de-emphasize "problem" areas was completely going against her overall message - feel good and sexy no matter your size. Areas can only be defined as a problem if that's the cultural standard, and by stating that larger women need to hide problem areas only reinforces the idea that there is only one body ideal. I felt that the author kept going back and forth on her message to larger women - it's great to feel sexy at any size, but you'll still need to adhere to certain beauty and fashion rules to really achieve sexiness. I felt that the inner focus on what sexiness is all about was lost somewhere in the middle. Overall, though, I think it was a good read.

Katie's book is a great start for big women just starting to believe (or desperately hoping) that they are attractive just the way you are. She does seem to limit herself to the smaller plus-sized girls, though. Regardless of whether or not you're a size 14 or a 32, I highly recommend that you buy Fat?So! by Marilyn Wann and Zaftig: A Case for Curves. (Both available on Amazon--of course) If you're a super-sized girl, I recommend checking out Dimensions Magazine. It's a place where bigger (and I mean bigger--there are guys looking for women from 300-500+ pounds) is appreciated.

Most of it was good, but the parts that were bad were so damaging to the overall integrity of the book that I'm giving it two stars. The only part I felt was really worth reading was the chapter filled with men talking about why they preferred big women, but I'm definitely unimpressed.
She gets my tentative applause for putting a book out on this subject to begin with, but Katie throws out totally conflicting messages. She talks about wearing a girdle on a date. Nuff said.

I have been overweight since age 6, and currently wear 16-20 at age 21 (depending on manufacturers sometimes I can get into a 14) Before reading this book, I was completely obsessed with weight and losing it to get a man. I have been up and down the yo-yo the past 2 years, losing 80 pounds, gaining 50 of those back, losing 20 of those, gaining 30, losing 10...you get the idea. I am at a lower weight today because I finally embraced the idea that emotions, not food or weight is the problem.

Katie's book showed me what B.S. it is to use weight as an excuse for not having a man. And how having one is not gonna make life perfect. I think this is a wonderful book and wish it had been around when I was younger because it would've spared me a lot of pain. I recommend it and only give it 4 stars because I felt it slighted women who are above size 20, which I was once a 28 and only recently stopped needing 22s and 24s.

I will be the first to admit that this book was not meant for rocket scientists to ponder over, but the reason for the book can not be dismissed. Plus-sized women have issues with self-esteem and this is reinforced by society's "size 8 or less is beautiful" viewpoint. So, if reading a book makes you smile by simply pointing out why big women are beautiful, what is the harm? I enjoyed the book because it demonstrated how wonderful it is to be full-figured. It won't be a classic novel, but it is a POSITIVE affirmation for full-figured women. Thanks Katie.

Unfortunately, the author's belief in Spain, among other countries, as paradise of Romance for the plus-sized is completely unfounded. Spain is even more weight-conscious than the US (if it is indeed possible). And I was a bit miffed to find my country associated with the third world,also.She should have done some research to at least back up her claims.

Well, I researched the author and she isn't "world famous," or even well known, for that matter. The writing is contrived and the overall feeling is that Katie is a big overgrown teeanager, pardon the pun. While we bigger girls need to stick together, I felt the advice was a bit dated.

Okay, I'll agree that it's not for pretentious literature hounds, but nobody has ever written a book like this for big women, that I know of. It's dishy, it's glossy, it's fun, and it actually doesn't get the point of how to get a man across so much as how to just enjoy being single and not feel like you NEED a man. Good, self-affirming read for women of all shapes and sizes.

By the time I discovered this book, I had become pretty jaded on the issue of plus-sized books. Many were the same old thing: wear lots of black to make you look slimmer, drape that scarf the right way to make you look slimmer, wear your blush up and out to make you look slimmer. You know the drill. But Katie Arons's book was a somewhat fresh, fun, frolick. And for me, it was the first book I'd read that dealt with BBWs and dating/romance.

Though I was disappointed by the exclusion of larger BBWs, I still enjoyed reading this book. It's lighthearted and fun to read. Good for a quick boost to any BBW that's about to go out on the town or just thinking about it, Sexy at Any Size will come in handy.

I got my hands on an advance copy of this book at the newspaper where I work. I was touched and impressed by Katie Arons' candor in describing the heartache she experienced after being rejected by men while she was in her teens and 20s. More importantly, as a big woman myself, I was very inspired by the story of how she turned things around and revved up her love life by jumping off the dieting merry-go-round, learning to love herself as she is and by approaching men differently. There is lots of advice on how any big woman can do this, along with encouraging statistics and interviews that prove that many, many men don't care if a woman's body isn't Barbie-esque. I even learned that many men PREFER big women. It's a fun read and the author has a terrific sense of humor. You go, big girl!