Cover of Faith, Issue 1, published by Valiant.
Representation.
Say it with me: Representation.
Looking up at our heroes and seeing ourselves, if only an ounce of that self, in the color of their skin, gender, or sexual orientation is crucial when growing up. To know that we too could be flying in the sky, helping the Avengers save the world, or skulking in the night chasing down villains with Batman.
We are often told “you can’t be this because you’re too / black / fat / gay / female / wrong.”
There are groups in geekdom that deal with a constant barrage of hate until their joy is spread thin, and all that’s left is a hoarse cry: “Fuck you I belong here too!”
I'm reminded of Chaka Cumberbatch's excellent piece about being a black cosplayer. Far more eloquent than my personal habit of devolving into obscenities, and definitely worth a read. Find yourself down the rabbit hole that is "assholes giving people a a hard time for dressing up as a fictional character" and realize that if you wanna be anyone's ally the first step is "don't be an asshole."
But I’m not here to talk about gay or black representation in comics today. That'll be tomorrow, and the days after. Today we’re going to take about being a fat woman in the geek world. Today, we’re going to talk about a new comic that’s on the shelves, one that quite frankly I bought for a single reason:
There’s a fat woman on the cover and she’s a fucking hero.
Faith's morning commute. I'm so jelly.
Not a joke, not a punchline, but a bonafide puppy saving heroine.
Apparently she’s been around for a while, but to be honest I’d never given Valiant, the publisher, the proper consideration they deserved. Her name is Faith, and here’s her story in a nutshell:
Faith Herbert is a psiot with the power of flight, code name Zephyr, that works at what essentially amounts to BuzzFeed. She recently broke with her super group, broke-up with her boyfriend (a total hottie fyi), and is trying to make it as a solo hero in the LA area. Faith is written by Jody Houser, with art by Francis Portela and Marguerite Sauvage.
Cons: Is it on par with Saga and Bitch Planet? Not quite. The story is heavy, and they try a bit too hard to cram Faith’s history into the first issue. They try to tease a big reveal that’s hooked into an older plot point from a comic many people might’ve never read. This is a point where I’d say “take a page from Marvel” and just own being a new incarnation of an old character. Slow down, take a deeeeeep breath, and let the history reveal itself in time.
Pros: It is fuckin’ adorable. There are some really choice moments (like using flight to cut down on her commute) that let Faith shine. The human elements harken back to Straczynski’s run on Thor. And that’s a very good thing. This is definitely a series with a solid leading lady, and like Straczynski, I firmly believe that Houser is capable of building her mythos on a solid foundation of humanity.
So, let’s get back to why being fat is relevant to this discussion.
I wish I was as awesome as this child when I was her age.
I was a fat kid. Not obese, not quite, but definitely FAT. Capital letters, special pants (in the days before Torrid) and constant harassment from family, friends, and doctors. I hated myself. I wanted to be beautiful, like the women in my stories, like the heroes in my comic books. It wasn’t fair, I thought. What was wrong with me?
Jes Baker reading a copy of FAT!SO? with her fabulous kitties.
And then I came across a small blurb in Seventeen magazine. It was a back page, barely a quarter of the real estate, but it showed a picture of a woman named Marilyn Wann in a velvet dress with the words FAT!SO? written on the bust in sharpie. I stared at it for a good 20 minutes. I cut it out and hung it by my bed. Those words, that woman, resonated with me on such a profound level that my tweeny-bopper self could barely process what I was seeing. Those words “FAT! SO?” became my personal mantra. I walked taller, gave no fucks, and decided that hey, maybe there’s nothing wrong with me after all.
I hadn’t thought about that moment until I saw the cover for Faith. I looked at it, and I realized that this comic may do for a young woman what Marilyn Wann once did for me. A girl walking through a comic shop may see Faith, and without knowing anything else about the series will pick it up and be validated.
Faith is unapologetically fat. She’s also a real woman, with a well rounded history, friends, lovers, and desire to leave her mark on the world. This is a story with a fat woman, but being fat is a feature, like blonde hair or long legs, it’s not the whole of who she is. Faith Herbert is a person, but more importantly: She’s a person I can see my younger self in. And that’s just fuckin’ rad.
Briana Lawrence of Brichibi Cosplays. Too fabulous for the haters.
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For more great places to read size positive stories, check out:
Jes Baker of The Militant Baker
Briana Lawrence of Brichibi Cosplays
The Adipositivity Project (Warning: NSFW)
