Fighting Against Beauty Stigma in “Big Girl” (2022) by Mecca J. Sullivan

Abstract

This research is an analysis of the novel entitled Big Girl (2022) by Mecca J. Sullivan. The purpose of this research is to determine how beauty myth which constructs body stigma affects the main female character depicted in the novel. This research uses a descriptive qualitative method that uses the concept of Beauty Myth by Naomi Wolf, with data taken from the interpretation of sentences or phrases and context to dissect the content of the novel. The findings of the analysis show that the societal construction of body stigma is influenced by and occurs in the form of : social construction of beauty namely the idea that beauty standards are not natural but are formed by culture and society, beauty as social weapon namely beauty is used as a control of social structures to subjugate women, and economic exploitation of beauty namely beauty is used as a tool of commercialization and social control. In conclusion, the beauty myth produces body stigma and glorifies the ideal body according to societal standards that make women believe that their self-worth depends on their appearance.