Another book by my new favorite author, Laura Jensen Walker, is “Miss Invisible.” I related to this story on a lot of levels.
Our main character is Freddie, a plus-sized woman who works decorating cakes at a bakery. Her boss, the super-slim, super-chic Anya, likes to keep her in the background while she herself deals with the customers. This is fine with Freddie—she knows she doesn’t have the flair with people Anya has.
But suddenly, it would seem that things are going Freddie’s way. She meets Deborah, a self-described “big beautiful black woman,” while at church, and she loves the way Deborah isn’t afraid to wear bright colors and busy prints on her flowing caftans. Freddie has tried to stay hidden for so long, she only wears black. Little by little, Deborah gets Freddie to come out of her shell, and the first time Freddie goes to the church singles’ get-together wearing a coral skirt, she gets all kinds of attention. She likes it – but she’s not sure what to do with it.
Soon, she’s got two men vying for her attention. One is a handsome restaurant owner, and the other is a handsome veterinarian. She can hardly believe her luck – she’s gone from a life with no romance in it whatsoever to having to make a decision. And it’s not a change of size that did it for her – it’s a change in her self-confidence.
In the end, she also manages to get rid of her hyper-condescending boss as she and Deborah go into business together, and she finds true happiness in dictating her own destiny instead of waiting for someone else to do it for her.
I loved this story. It so perfectly illustrates that who we are, our true beauty, doesn’t come from a body shape, and we can enjoy ourselves and feel pretty without having to wait for society to tell us it’s okay to feel pretty. It’s our choice, not theirs.
(This book was published in 2007 by Thomas Nelson.)
Related Blogs:
Author Interview — Laura Jensen Walker