Landwhale: Jes Baker with Jessica Torres and Ushshi

Jes Baker burst onto the body positivity scene when she created her own ads mocking Abercrombie & Fitch for discriminating against all body types–a move that landed her on the Today Show and garnered a loyal following for her raw, honest, and attitude-filled blog missives. Building on the manifesta power of Things, this memoir goes deeply into Jes’s inner life, from growing up a fat girl to dating while fat. With material that will have readers laughing and crying along with Jes’s experience, this new book is a natural fit with her irreverent, open-book style. A deeply personal take, Landwhale is a glimpse at life as a fat woman today, but it’s also a reflection of the unforgiving ways our culture still treats fatness, all with Jes’s biting voice as the guide.

Jes Baker is a positive, progressive, and magnificently irreverent force to be reckoned with in the realm of self-love advocacy and mental health. She believes in the importance of body autonomy, TYPING IN ALL CAPS, strong coffee, and even stronger language. Jes is internationally recognized for her writing on her blog, The Militant Baker and for the “Attractive and Fat” campaign. Her extensive body advocacy work has continued to garner attention from hundreds of national and international media networks. When not blogging, Jes spends her time speaking at universities, taking pictures in her underwear, writing for online publications, working with plus size clothing companies, attempting to convince her cats that they like to wear bow ties and trying to beat her best time when playing The Quiet Game. Jes’s record is currently a respectable 15 seconds.

Ushshi Rahman is a Bangladeshi writer, dissident and creative based out of New York City. Her commentary on dismantling fatphobia, both personal experience as well as on pushing back the cultural narrative, has been featured in NYLON, Refinery29, Bustle and more. You can find her poetry published on Cleaver Magazine, 12th Street Journal, Caravel Journal, etc and a visual framework of aesthetics on her instagram (@ushshi).

Jessica Torres is a plus-size style blogger and body positive advocate. Her mission is to empower women and abolish absurd beauty standards held in society. Her blog is filled with fashion advice, personal anecdotes of self-growth tips and inspiration. Jessica has worked with brands like DOVE where she was featured and celebrated for dedicating her life and career to body positivity, fashion, and beauty. She has spoken on various panels including “The Rise of The Real Girl” in fashion and beauty at SXSW.