Tropes I’m Tired of Seeing in Plus Size Romance Novels

As a plus-size reader of romance novels, I love that people who look like me can finally get good representation. With the onset of books like Olivia Dade All The Feels, and D’Vaughn and Kris Plan A Wedding by Chenica C. Higgins. it’s very clear that demand for plus-size romance books is only growing.

However, with that growth, there have emerged some problematic tropes have emerged within this niche of romance books. Here is a list of tropes within plus-size romance that need to go!

Love Interest Is The Cause of Someone Losing Weight.

The first thing that comes up when we talk about fat bodies is weight loss. The need to minimize ourselves so we can fit into a society that constantly scrutinizes our bodies. People of all genders feel the effects of the stigma against fat people, but no more so than women.

And when authors write, a love interest helps the main character lose weight. It sends the message that love can solve every problem (it doesn’t), but it also tells readers that they can only be happy if they lose weight.

It’s the opposite message that any plus-size romance author should be giving.

Not Like Other Fat Girls (Folks)

This one really pisses me off. The conventionally handsome love Interest is normally not attracted to fat people, but this one fat person changed their mind because something about them set them apart from other fat people.

To me, this type of trope gives me pick-me energy. The one fat person is finally picked against all odds. It’s not really a flex. If I see this type of rhetoric in a book, it’s an immediate DNF!

Internalized Fatphobia

You would think plus-size people would automatically support other plus-size people, but that is not the case in both fiction and real life. There is a hierarchy within the plus size community that prioritizes smaller curvy people over all types of fat body types.

And instead of solidarity, there is disdain against people who are on the heavier side. And I have seen that a lot in plus-size romances. I don’t think your main character snubbing their nose at larger fat people is cute, and again, it’s pick me behavior.

Fetishism

On the other side of the scale is fetishism. As someone who used to spend a hell of a lot of time in the fat liberation spaces, I have seen it a lot. You would think who are attracted to fat bodies are good, and it can be. But they are people who see fat people as just sexual objects, and objectification is never a compliment, no matter who you are.

And again, I see this a lot, which is strange because a lot of fat books are written by fat authors. And as a fat author myself, I find it abhorrent that some authors think writing in this fashion is okay.

Putting Fat People Into Boxes

People tend to project all types of things onto fat people, but in the en,d fat is just a body descriptor. It doesn’t mean that some of don’t eat healthy or exercise. It doesn’t mean that we can’t be athletes or martial artists.

Society has mixed up “fat” with “disabled”. And yes, I am disabled, but it’s not because I am fat. But authors seem to think that they have to write fat people as negative fatphobic stereotypes, and that’s fine.

Fat Is Your Whole Personality

Yes, there is systematic discrimination that plus-size people face. I can talk all day long about the things I have personally faced as a fat person. However, my fatness is the least interesting thing for me.

Some authors refuse to write fat people as three-dimensional characters. Normal-sized people get to be complex, but not fat people. We are the funny sidekick (Pitch Perfect, Anyone) or the butt of the joke. But god forbid we are written as real people.

Fat Being A Bad Word

You will notice throughout this post that I used the words “plus-size” and “fat” interchangeably. I did this for two reasons: 1) Because of SEO, and because I determined to normalize the word “fat”. As I said earlier, fat is only a body descriptor, and everything else is projection.

Fat is not a bad word. But society has suckered us into believing that it is, and I wish more authors would use the word “fat” in their books.

And these are the tropes that I wish would disappear from fat romance. Yes, we need more fat positive romance books out in the world, but we should strive for GOOD plus-size romance.

What are the tropes in plus size romance that get on your nerves? Let me know down in the comments.

Pin This