Vogue is coming under fire for calling for greater representation of fat characters in Sally Rooney’s novels, with many calling the notion hypocritical for the fashion publication.
The Irish author has made literary breakthroughs around the world thanks to her popular novels, including Conversations with Friends, Normal People and her latest work Intermezzo, which is a bestseller on Amazon.
TO Fashion An op-ed by Emma Specter published Tuesday criticized Rooney’s storytelling, specifically questioning the beloved characters she creates and their body shapes.
Under the title ‘Why are all the characters in Sally Rooney’s novels so thin?’ she wrote: “There is something about the emphatic physicality of Rooney’s characters that makes you wonder if there could ever be a fat Rooney heroine.”
A recent Vogue article criticized famous Irish author Sally Rooney (pictured) for writing only thin characters.
Rooney’s latest work, Intermezzo, was released on September 24 and is a bestseller on Amazon.
Specter spoke about the “narrative” Rooney presents with his work, questioning why each of his three novels described the sought-after character as one of “all kinds of bones.”
She cites that the Normal People character Marianne is written as a girl “wearing a dress low in the front, showing her pale collarbones like two white dashes,” the Vogue article states.
In the novel Conversations with Friends, Frances is introduced as a character who looks in the mirror and “notices how her bones still stick out unattractively on either side of my pelvis.”
“Rooney’s female protagonist is depressed, faints from hunger, and shakes during sex, while men respond almost fetishistically to her mild ways and perceived weakness,” Specter said.
‘What is Rooney communicating with his recurring descriptions of a certain body type?’
Emma Specter (pictured) is a Vogue writer. He wrote the op-ed “Why Are All the Characters in Sally Rooney’s Novels So Thin?”
Readers quickly responded, pointing out that an article focused on the idea that there are too many thin people was hypocritical, especially for Vogue, the magazine with a legacy of showcasing small-framed models.
“Consider the opposite: if a magazine filled its pages with a similar number of fat models, that stylistic choice would be questioned in a way that Vogue is not,” one person said.
“I’m not interested in Rooney or her novels, but sorry, this is VOGUE, of all publications, complaining about an excessive number of thin women,” said another.
Others pointed out that an author has the freedom to write about whatever he wants.
The Normal People character Frances, played by Alison Oliver in the television show, is written to have a protruding pelvis.
Vogue writer Emma Specter cited that the Normal People character Marianne, played by Daisy Edgar-Jones in the television adaptation, is described as having deformed collarbones.
‘Why should an author be required to represent a particular social demographic in their novels? It’s the author’s prerogative to invent whatever characters they choose,” one person said.
“I think part of it is that as a thin woman, maybe she finds it difficult to write for others and therefore writes from her own perspective, but well, we can’t tell her,” said another.
‘It’s an annoying element of this “validate me” culture. “Why are all your female protagonists the same upper-middle-class waifs? Does this suggest that fat people aren’t capable of feeling the same depth?” Like… right? “That’s who she is and what she’s interested in,” a third person said.