Teenage author spotlights body shaming

PLUS-SIZE women are often treated as social pariahs, hurled verbal slurs, called names and nailed on the cross of public opinion, all for how they look and the size of their bodies.

These are some of the issues that budding author Ayanda Makhosazana Moyo addresses in her debut literary piece to celebrate feminine physical beauty and its diversity.

According to Moyo, the book titled, “Misfit” is a “contemporary realistic/romantic novel about a girl called Amaya Blunt who was dealing with body shaming and a very low-self esteem. She then went to a reopened library and there, she met an old lady who became her friend and helped her with character development.

“On the other hand, at school, she made friends with a humble and, wealthy young lady who is a sibling of the school’s heartthrob with romantic consequences and the culmination of a journey of self-discovery.”

The manuscript which highlights a journey of self-discovery amidst issues of social acceptance was inspired by Moyo’s experiences that she had being a plus-size woman.

“Being a plus-size woman myself and the fact that it’s very rare to find novels about plus-size women drove me to want to write a novel about them.”

The 19-year-old Development Studies student at Centre for Development Studies in Bulawayo suffered theft, losing the first draft of the manuscript, but took the second bite of the cherry with renewed purpose.

Her authorship journey dates back to 2019 and between and this year, she perfected the once-stolen manuscript to level the playing field with regards to how women of different sizes are perceived in the society.

The multi-talented lass also pursues an entrepreneurial endeavour with inspAYA, a clothing brand which offers diverse items. – @MbuleloMpofu