Carol and Jose - Poles Apart

I dont think I could relate to Carol at all. I mean, I am the opposite of overweight, and to be fair, being 160 at 5'9 isnt incredibly overweight even for a women.

I do have struggles and what not since I have been underweight my whole life - but nothing really changes that aside from time and age.

Historical, Social and Cultural Context

Historically the ideal idea of beauty has gotten thinner and thinner over the years. People used to phrase big women. But now we live in a society that idealizes thin young girls. Women are consistently comparing themselves to what is portrayed in the media. This is where Carols book comes into historical context. Its about this fascination with thin culture we have in todays modern world. Where women always feel like they aren't the right size or don't fit in. Carol talks about this all the time in her book. Socially this effects us. The way we feel about ourselves and portray ourselves in this world can affect the way we are perceived. Because of this near historical context of women, weight and body image it is less socially acceptable to be bigger. Many bigger people go through the struggles of having disadvantages. How ever this doesn't go for all women everywhere. In some countries women wish to have more curves such as in latino countries. Every culture has an ideal body type and look that they find beautiful. It just so happens that Carol is in a very white westernized culture which ideally likes thin girls. The link I have attached below shows what the ideal wants are of women in their country. Each image has the exact measurements that are ideal within that culture.

http://www.philstar.com/fashion-and-beauty/2015/08/18/1489472/look-photoshopped-image-woman-reveals-beauty-standards-18

Voice and Tone

Carol writes in a very casual and real tone. This makes everything relatable to her readers. So many people rely on others to tell the truth for support and guidance. Carol does this with her novel. We can see many people who have made way for others by using their voice. When people in power use their voice it makes waves for others who follow. Carol has power within the world of literature. She had and has the opportunity to create and write about things for people to see and follow. Many people look up to such leadership for advice. That is the power of ones voice if used correctly. Someone else who uses their tone and voice to promote positivity is Oprah. I have attached a link below which show Oprah talking in a real manner about her weight loss. This creates a positive environment and a connection to the general public. We can also see that Oprah like Carol can also laugh and have a sense of humour about these difficult issues. Check it out!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSOtcyK3hF8

Themes

Some themes within this book are self confidence, determination, humour and positivity. Carol brings a refreshing attitude to her writing so that it is more relaxed, lay-back and stress free for her readers. By showing her real self and showing that she isn't perfect but keeping the conversation light and fun it helps her readers stay positive through the difficult times. This is where determination comes in. By showing her struggles and triumphs it shows that no matter what you can do this and that there is nothing standing in your way. Along side these two themes she has a lot of humour and isn't afraid to laugh at herself. After all we aren't perfect. Lastly positivity is key. She surrounds herself with friends and family to keep her in a good mind set. Below I have attached a link to the effects of positivity within ones struggles. There are many ways we can see light in ones struggles.

 http://www.marcandangel.com/2013/04/02/9-power-quotes-for-times-of-struggle/

Purpose

Carol has made this book not only for herself but for others as well. She uses this book as a tool for reflection as well as a way to document her struggles and success. Carol has also made this book to help and guild others who are in a similar position. Many people need help during their weight loss journey. Whether it be help with the physical aspects or mental aspects we all need a little bit of a boost or help. Below I have attached a link that is another example of someone who has done something similar to Carol. This person has achieved being a role models for others and to guild them. Sure It's is one thing to say I understand I have been there but its another to go through the process along side them. This guy did so for his peers. He gained back the weight and lost it along side these people he was helping. That way he was more relatable, real and sympathetic towards his peers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G-pmODCpe9I

Plot

Carol has made such a relatable plot. She has created a humorous graphic memoir that keeps track of her weight loss progress. This is something she has struggled with her whole life. She has had so many unsuccessful attempts to lose those extra pounds. Eventually she finds the right combination of eating right, exercising and calories. She has made this book into a tool for her readers that relate so they can too successes with their weight struggles.

This link below is an example on how we like to share our thoughts and progress to help others just like Carol did with her book.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7eWx53QZG9Q

Reviews

Most reviews of novels are usually critiqued and curated by large companies or news outlets, but what better way to know whats up than hearing the voices of the people.

Amazon


Top Customer review: Rebecca Hartong ( a fan of Carol Lay's work and long time reader of her work ) 2 out of 5

I like Carol Lay's cartoons. I've been enjoying them for years so, when "The Big Skinny" included a lot of personal information about Lay's childhood and her relationship with her mother, I wasn't all that surprised. Her cartoons are often autobiographical. Sometimes reading them is like sitting in on someone else's therapy sessions. Interesting -- and occasionally pretty weird.

I liked the idea of a cartoonized weight loss story from someone with Lay's snarky sense of humor. I like very much how well she explained calorie counting. The calorie totals she's got in the back of the book are useful and some of her recipes look really tasty.

BUT...

It turns out that Carol Lay wasn't actually fat when she began her weight loss program. She weighed about 160 pounds and, at 5'9" -- pretty much every responsible authority agrees -- she would have been, at worst, only slightly overweight. Now her weight averages 125 pounds. Even for a small-framed person, that's just plain skinny.

Her message of eating reasonable portions of healthy foods really gets lost when placed in the context of her, apparently very unhealthy, obsession with thinness. Instead, what comes across is a sad story of one woman's daily preoccupation with eating the small number of calories necessary to keep her (at 5'9"!) in a size 4. That's sick -- and it's not an example anyone should be following.

Imagery

The Imagery or choice of presentation for Carols story I feel is what made her story successful. Carol isn’t the first nor the last person to have written a story about their weight loss story. While each story can be very unique and may have some aspects that may not be common to most readers, in the end the story is summed up in one symbol phrase - its a book about weight loss. The actual topic isn’t that captivating especially when its all text. Luckily Carol was able to identify this saturation of weight loss books and decided to create a comic book equivalent of her story. Comics do carry a bit of a niche audience but even the most casual readers are attracted to comic books. The poppy colours, the cartoonish illustrations, limited text and action words always attract people. Its easy to read and follow along, and the visual aids play along with the story. The use of action words and big text is always a classic move in comic books, making movements more dramatic. 

Here is an online collection of comic books. While the genres or stories may be different, they do all relate to the basic fundamentals of typical comic books. Described action with visuals.

Work And Awards

Books:

The Big Skinny: How I changed My Fattitude - http://www.thebigskinnybook.com

Goodnight, Irene - amazon

Mythos - Amazon

Strip Joint - A collection of weekly strips

Joy Ride - A print only book 

Now, Endsville - The first collection of weekly strips

want to see what else she has done? Click here!

AWARDS

1997 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards - Nominee - Best Writer/Artist, Humor: ( Joy Ride and Other Stories ( Kitchen Sink))

The Big Skinny Interview

             When I achieved my goal weight, I wanted to tell everyone how I did it. Usually, when I have a story to tell, I put it into a comic strip or story, so I drew up a few pages of samples to pitch to a weight-loss company. They didn’t bite, but the urge to tell my story only got stronger as I maintained my goal weight over the next couple of years. I finally socked away some time and money so I could work on a proposal, because I knew if I didn’t at least try, I would regret it. Fortunately, the work caught the eye of Jill Schwartzman at Random House, and I was able to go to town on it. -Carol Lay

Interview

 Carol talks to Judy Berman of salon.com in an interview entitled 

This comic book can make you thin! Here they discuss her 

memoir The Big Skinny, what inspired Carol to write it, what she 

hopes the readers will take from the memoir, and what pushed her 

to lose the weight in the first place. (salon.com, 2009)

For a good part of Carol’s life she tried to lose weight, and was unsuccessful. In The Big Skinny, Carol tells the world how she figured out how to lose her excess weight and used her cartoon illustrations to depict this. Carol describes how she was always overweight, and tried out many different ways such as dieting pills, hypnosis, low carbs, weight watchers etc. but was never successful and now in her book The Big Skinny, she tells the world how she lost it and how she had several problems to overcome along the way.   

How Educated is Carol, Really?

Carol Lay is a college educated cartoonist with a Bachelors of Fine Arts. She has had a very full career working with some huge names like The New York Times, Western Publishing, DC Comics and Marvel Comics. Much of her career though started in the 90's she was fortunate enough to receive an offer to to do a short story for LA Weekly which turned into an 18 year working venture. She had a weekly publication of comics. On Carol's website, however, the last update was in April 2011 when she posted a photo of herself at burning man. Because no update followed, i can only assume she's still at Burning Man.

Click me

Carol & Her Colour

Carol also uses colour to her advantage. Colour can be one of the most important tools for any kind of illustrator or cartoonist. A dull, flat frame can completely change tone, feel, and energy of piece which can be exactly what the writer wants. However, I found that Carol used colour to work with the focus of the shot. By this, I mean that she draws the attention of the viewer to a pat o the frame that she wants to put emphasis on. For example, in this comic strip you can see how the doll she's holding in each frame is wearing a bright red bathing suit/shirt. She also makes the filling of the pie bright red which helps draw attention of the reader. 

click me