Ravishing Romances: Rules for a fat heroine

Every princess is rescued by her prince and they live happily ever after.

Well not anymore.

Now the princess is usually an unsuspecting doctor, victim, or dump truck driver.

What they rarely are - and only have been in two books that I can quickly recall - is fat.

Their men can be scarred and emotionally wounded, but the women are usually 5'4, 110 pounds with flawless skin and hair that reflects gold flakes in the sunlight.

Okay, one was body-tattooed with more baggage than an airport so she gets a pass. But she was still freakin' skinny.

Maybe you authors don't write larger-than-life leading women because you're unsure of the rules. Here's a few what-to-dos to get you started:

1. Don’t squeeze her into something she can’t fit in and try to make it sexy

Never has it been nor will it ever be hot to strut a muffin top. Maybe put her in a form fitting dress when she usually wears muu-muus and give her Spanx for confidence.

2. It’s okay to let her eat

Most fat heroines didn’t get fat while on the couch throwing back carrot sticks. You want to make her a size XX? At least let her eat her way there with chocolate.

3. Any size double digits can be fat

No, I’m not calling a size 10, 12, 14 or anything else fat. But these sizes are the ones likely to view themselves as less than perfect. And it’s hard to describe the “curvaceous figure” of a size 4 without laughing.

4. Fat heroines can be happy – or sad

Fat women may not enjoy being fat, but their bodies do not control their happiness. On the other hand, fat women can be upset about other things.

5. Bad things happen to fat people

Don’t be scared to put your fat heroine through the hellishness of your book. Great people get screwed over all the time in fiction. Fat women don’t get a pass.

6. Fat women can be secondary characters

Let’s face it. Readers expect romance about perfectly imperfect people. Write your Barbie and Ken story and let Skipper be overweight. Then as your series progresses readers will bombard you with emails requesting you write her happily ever after.

7. Fat heroines can lose weight for healthy purposes, but not artificial ones

Artificial improvements happen all the time in real life, but you make a fat girl lose weight so she fits better in her halter and you just committed novel suicide.