Figure 8 (Issue #4)

By Krissy Durden
Pony Boy Press

I’m a big girl, have been for years. And for years, I have always known that it has been something to be ashamed of. Kids at school let me know, doctors let me know, and society at large let me know. This was apparently vital information for survival - that being fat means being a big loser who should feel ashamed every time you eat out, try on clothes at the mall or are simply in the company of slimmer, “normal” people.

Only recently did I learn that fat activism actually existed. It went against everything I had ever been told. You mean it’s okay to be fat? Really? I’m still a valuable person?

Figure 8 is a zine on fat activism that was fun and inspiring to read. Issue #4 contained interviews with women who are doing extraordinary things – creating “fat” maps with pictures of fat people who are proud to be who they are and designing the first and only chubby female anime character. There are also articles on dangerous diet drugs that are marketed to us as life savers, full-figured fashion sources on the web, and discrimination against potential adoptive parents based solely on their weight. I really enjoyed the entire issue, reading through it rather quickly.

Much as I hate criticizing items I review, Figure 8 needs better editing. If there had been one or two typos, I would have let it go without a mention, but there were many. As an editor of a zine myself, I understand the difficulty in catching everything, but the sheer number was hard for me to get past. I think the zine is important and really deserves to be taken seriously, so hopefully this issue will be resolved in the future.

Review by April Boland