shel

The Transsexual Chofetz Chaim

Mutant, librarian, poet, union rabble rouser, dog, Ashkenazi Jewish. Neuroweird, bodyweird, mostly sleepy.


I write about transformative justice, community, love, Judaism, Neurodivergence, mental health, Disability, geography, rivers, labor, and libraries; through poetry, opinionated essays, and short fiction.


I review Schoolhouse Rock! songs at @PropagandaRock


Website (RSS + Newsletter)
shelraphen.com/

We got this YA novel in at work called Cub which is about a 17-year-old chubby gay guy who works for a commercial kitchen and has various relationships where his low self esteem about his body causes him to let himself be taken advantage of by his boss working at a commercial kitchen—and an older guy named Mama Bear teaches him to have confidence and turn down creeps. It's one of those "high interest novellas" written for older teens who are struggling with reading and need something very short and easy to read but not written for children.

But this is the cover image. This guy is absolutely not a cub or plus-sized at all. This guy is only slightly too large to be a Twink but is certainly conventionally attractive. It drives me crazy like we can't even feature a fat person on the cover of a book about being fat?! Literally a book about learning to love your plus-sized body through a community of plus-sized people and you can't have a plus-sized model on the cover?!

It actually seems like a pretty good book too and as someone who was an insecure gay teen who was mentored by an older bear, it's super touching to see that portrayed so well in a book! Even though very soon after turning 18 I ended up transitioning.

The publisher credits the cover image to a stock photo company. So I guess the issue was they couldn't find a plus-sized model in a chef's outfit in any stock photos. That's also messed up!!! Booo


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in reply to @shel's post:

Seriously. I am 1000% positive you could find an indie illustrator who would be so so happy to draw the protagonist as described in the book. Someone who probably personally relates and would draw it lovingly.

but a stock photo license costs like <$50 and doesn't ask for residuals on the copyright. It's also instant whereas an artist takes time.