Big Summer

“It’s almost religious, that belief, that faith that a piece of silk or denim or cotton jersey could disguise your flaws and amplify your assets and make you both invisible and seen, just another normal woman in the world; a woman who deserves to get what she wants.”

Clothing represents acceptance and belonging. Daphne has been socialized to see clothing as a status symbol of fitness and wealth. As a woman who isn’t thin, clothing has been a source of shame. Daphne places so much of her hopes to be “normal” on her ability to fit in and look good in certain clothing.

“The trick of the Internet, I had learned, was not being unapologetically yourself or completely unfiltered; it was mastering the trick of appearing that way. It was spiking your posts with just the right amount of real…which meant, of course, that you were never being real at all.”

This quote emphasizes the false authenticity of social media. Followers may believe that Daphne is being her authentic self online, but in reality, she is manufacturing her looks and attitude. Ironically, Daphne found a way to be confident through online blogs and body positivity accounts. In the same way that Daphne fell for tricks online, now she mimics those tricks for her followers.

“I was going to eat to nourish myself, I was going to exercise to feel strong and healthy, I was going to let go of the idea of ever being thin, once and for all, and live my life in the body that I had.”

Daphne is still on her journey to loving her body. She has developed love for herself over the last few years but has not yet let go of the ideal of wanting to be thin. Here, she decides to embrace her body—though it will take until the end of the book to truly accept herself. This quote highlights a major lesson in this novel, which is that health and wellbeing are more important than socialized ideals of beauty.