An Introduction to Bountiful Beauties

Hi, this is Scarlett speaking! I hope you enjoy my new blog, "Bountiful Beauties." As a large woman myself ... oh, what the hell, as a fat chick who's had my share of body image issues, it seems to me that there is a huge distortion in the way women are presented by the media. Lead actresses are almost always stick thin, while heftier women are relegated to the sidelines (with rare exceptions such as Queen Latifah). Even in books, the heroine hardly ever goes beyond being "slightly overweight."

This simply doesn't reflect the average American woman. We've got meat on our bones! And we might be able to display our bodies with pride if not for the fact that we are taught to be ashamed of them. So, as a writer, I decided to do my part by presenting a story in which women of size are given the central role. These characters are certainly not meant to represent all larger women, or even a minority of them. They are simply characters who represent themselves as individuals. But they let the rest of us know that no matter how large a woman may be, she is still a person, not just a big blob of fat.

Even more than dealing with the issues of large women, the goal of the stories presented in this blog is to entertain. If I have done my job properly, then you will want to return and find out what happens to Vanessa, Dora, Stacey, and Myrna. Their lives certainly won't be easy. One (or more) of them might not even make it out of this ordeal alive. But in the end, they will live their lives to the fullest, while both learning more about themselves and each other, and being true to who they are--and who they want to be.

So I invite you to come and enjoy the rollercoaster of life with myself and these four bountiful beauties. I guarantee you won't regret it.

Scarlett M. Butler