In the last two or three issues of the Bas Bleu catalog, the book Zaftig: The Case for Curves has been heralded as “50% OFF!” (On the webpage they don’t have the little “attention-getter” or “call-out” thingee (a professional publisher’s term, I assure you) in bright red declaring the sale price.)
Contrary to popular belief, 'Big Girls' DO cry.

I have NO contention whatsoever with the book and the idea of the celebration of women with “some meat on their bones” (that would be rather silly, as I’M A HUGE FREAKIN’ AMAZON except not so tall as I used to be – DAMN!). I was pleased to see that the description of this tome is upbeat and positive:

It’s about time! Zaftig celebrates women who are ‘confidently voluptuous’ via full-color reproductions of paintings by Rembrandt, Correggio, Renoir, Klimt and others, as well as quotations from those who appreciate beauty with flesh and curves. (The title comes from the Yiddish word meaning ripe or luscious.) This lavishly-illustrated art book offers an argument for feminine substance–and an attack on the cult of thinness. How nice!

How nice, indeed! Here’s the conundrum. Can a book celebrating the voluptuous – the “ripe and luscious” – be HALF OFF? I think it’s ironic. I think it’s a contradiction. I think too much.