Episode 64 with Leah V
Fat, Black, And Muslim – Leah V
Show Notes & Full Transcript
Leah V (she/her) is bold and audacious. And, she’s here to spill the tea on the fashion industry, show us how to reclaim words that have harmed us, and encourage us to dream bigger than we thought we could. Her life has had many ups and downs, and she uses those experiences to keep becoming more of herself, no matter what the critics say.
Leah V is an international plus-size Hijabi model, award-winning author, inclusive content creator, body-positive activist, and educator. Her content has garnered over four million views combined and her face plastered on billboards in Times Square and LA. She’s been featured in hundreds of media outlets from The New York Times, Buzzfeed, and HuffPost.
Connect with Leah V through Instagram, her podcast, and her memoir.
This episode’s poem is by Cameron Awkward-Rich and is called “Meditations in an Emergency”
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A Fat Joy Podcast Book Review
Unashamed: Musings of a Fat, Black, Muslim
Written by Leah Vernon
Respectfully reviewed by A. Cavouras
Book Summary
I think this is one of those times you can judge a book by its cover.; bold pink cover, the author in a power pose, and a full reclamation of language. I got this from the library and through a series of strange events I ended up carrying it around for several hours in full view. I had no bag, no purse, nothing to tuck it away in and I honestly caught myself mirroring the cover, head high, cover out, somehow there was something inherently strong that was contagious. The narrative within delivers and Vernon builds a picture of the woman on the cover through her lived stories, starting with a childhood that could break any kid’s spirit and any reader’s heart. It is an unflinching look that lets nothing hide in shadows, from a rollercoaster of a home life, to not being able to find kid’s clothes that fit, to her first period - these markers of maturity form the early life of the powerful person on the cover. She uses some interesting themes throughout, connecting her life to clothing and all the ways it doesn’t fit her, using commercials and TV sitcoms as a way of understanding who she isn’t and what she’s ‘missing’. There feels like no story is left untold in these pages, bringing forth a vulnerable and meaningful life story.
This book has a calm flow even though it feels like the chaotic challenges Vernon faces come at you one after the next like big waves on a stormy sea. There is so much truth in here, so many layers of intersectionality, this book is a worthy contribution to the memoir genre and unequivocally time well spent as a reader and as a person.
What’s Special About This Book
If there is a lesson in this book for me, this is it - shame grows in darkness and stories let in the light. To truly be unashamed is to speak up and Veron’s book shows us how to do it.
In her own words: “I’ve been subjected to all kinds of hate, projection, and ridicule, the very thing I was trying so hard to shield myself from. It’s so much easier to hide, to agree, to not cause any trouble. Because when someone like me steps out of line and shouts, then the whole world shuts the fuck up and listens, and that’s when the real change begins.” (P. 217).
Validating Lines for Your Heart, Your Mirror, or Your Socials
P.XI “With these stories, I want you to learn. Heal. Think outside the box. Disengage from groupthink. Detach from the ideology that people, humans, can be stuffed into a nice little circle with a polka-dot bow on top. I don’t care what people post, how amazing their photos look, or how their husbands have that perfect jawline. We are all humans with complexities. We are equal. We are fucked up. But we are beautiful and interesting and knowledgeable. And we all have a story to tell.”
P.220 “Societal norms on beauty and sexuality and religion have been placed upon us. We have inadvertently, generation to generation, carried these norms and supported them no matter how toxic. It’s how we’ve always done it, they say. Well, I think it’s time to do something different. The old ways no longer work. They no longer have a place in a more progressive world. My wish is that through these stories, you find a newer way, a better way, a more humane way of tackling topics of color or weight or culture or otherness.”
End Note
I read this book as a call to action. We all have a story to tell. If we let the light in on the darkness of shame, truth and healing will blossom. If you’re not ready to tell yours, try carrying Unashamed around for a day. Let me know what happens, I’m listening.
Respectfully reviewed by A. Cavouras (a.cavouras@gmail.com)