I am still reading Nancy Drew books to M, and they hold up pretty well (aside from a telegram in one of them). But one thing that really bugs me is how they talk about Bess. They refer to her being plump and scared of adventure and say things like “don’t eat all the lunch on us!”

And it’s not like they don’t invite her to tag along, it’s that they don’t try to include her. Just because she’s “plump”! Got me thinking about 7 year old me reading these books, and the lack of confidence I had in myself.

It made me think about how I always identified with the fat girl characters, and how they rarely saved the day or were the hero of the story. And It made me sad.

All that to say, remind your kids they are worthy and heroic no matter their body type, please.