Preface
Part 1: Good Muslim Girl
1. The Shirt That Swallowed Me Whole
2. Child Support
3. Vernon v. Smiley
Part 2: Jezebel
4. Flushed
5. Mom Ain’t Mom No More
6. Playing House
Part 3. Life, Unfiltered
7. Caged In
8. Covering
9. That Time We Went to Guatemala
Part 4: Busting Out
10. Rebel with a Hijab
11. Sex Object
12. Perfectly Imperfect
Part 5: Unapologetically Me
13. To Wear or Not to Wear
14. Life in the Day of a Fat Model
15. Muslim Girl Dance
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Leah Vernon is a plus-size Hijabi model, social media influencer, public speaker, and freelance writer. She's been featured by Buzzfeed, Yahoo, CBC, Cosmopolitan, Marie Claire, Seventeen, and the New York Times, and she's worked with brands including Adidas, Lululemon, and Universal Standard. She speaks at universities and organizations across the country on topics of intersectional feminism, race, religion and spirituality, cultural sensitivity, social media, and branding. She grew up in Detroit but currently resides in New York City. Connect with her on Instagram (@Lvernon2000) and on her website (Leahvernon.com).
“Vernon’s determined advocacy for body positivity as a feminist and
mental health issue, and her painful journey to self-acceptance,
are moving and powerful, forcing readers to examine their own
preconceptions about beauty standards and health.”
—Booklist
“Anyone feeling like an outsider, outcast, or underdog will relate
to Vernon's honest rendition of her childhood and teenage
years.”
—Buzzfeed
“This candid memoir will be of interest for those who have
experienced emotional, physical, or sexual violence, and who are
seeking forceful encouragement toward self-empowerment and
self-expression.”
—Library Journal
“Vernon’s narration reads like an intimate heart-to-heart chat with
a friend . . . Irreverent, vulnerable, and unapologetic in every
sense.”
—Kirkus Reviews
“Readers will head straight to her Instagram if they aren’t
established fans. Tough topics like mental illness, domestic
violence, and abortion are covered unflinchingly, with a frankness
that will appeal to older teens.”
—School Library Journal
“Deeply powerful in its vulnerability, Unashamed invites us into
the pain, beauty, and redemption that have shaped Leah Vernon. We
are transformed through the act of witnessing . . . . One of the
most generous memoirs I’ve ever read.”
—Virgie Tovar, author of You Have the Right to Remain Fat
“I love the fierce, unflinching honesty and integrity in Unashamed
. . . . I laughed and cried and read this book in awe of Leah
Vernon’s brave, bold, and beautiful voice.”
—Randa Abdel-Fattah, author of The Lines We Cross and Does My Head
Look Big in This?
“Unashamed is everything Leah Vernon embodies on a daily basis:
authenticity, resiliency, and, most of all . . . unquestionable
courage . . . . I’m so thankful for Leah: the fantastically
powerful force behind this literary triumph.”
—Jes Baker, author of Things No One Will Tell Fat Girls and
Landwhale
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