In the story “The Fat Girl” by Andre Dubis, the protagonist Louise is followed from the age of nine until the birth of a son. Her mother ruins her self-esteem at a young age by telling her “you have to start watching what you eat” (Dubus 320) when she was only nine years old. Her father is pretty much the only character in the story who accepts Louise for himself. “She's a growing girl” (Dubus 321) she would tell her mother when she limited Louise to what she could eat. Louise has faced endless conflict over how others think she should look and eat. Louise is opposed by society. Louise's mother is one of her biggest critics. When Louise was only nine years old her mother told her “in five years you will go to high school and if you are fat boys won't like you; they won't ask you out” (Dubus 320). Her mother already convinced her as a child that she would become heavy if she didn't eat well: "You need to start watching what you eat, I see you have my metabolism" (Dubus 320). Her mother makes her eat salads for dinner as Louise constantly keeps an eye on the pantry. Louise always hides food under her shirt when her mother isn't paying attention and eats it outside or in the bathroom. He hides candy and snacks and eats them late at night, when everyone else is asleep. Something he could continue to do throughout high school and college. Throughout her childhood, Louise's mother made her daughter feel unworthy and unattractive because of her weight (Korb). If Louise's mother had accepted her and let her be when she was younger, maybe Louise wouldn't have grown up to be so worried and worried about what everyone thought about her weight. Louise feels the need to be ... middle of paper ...... unhealthy. Everyone deserves to feel and look good just the way they are. Works Cited "Overview: 'The Fat Girl'." Short stories for students. Ed. Michael L. LaBlanc and Ira Mark Milne. vol. 10. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Literature Resource Center. Network. April 22, 2014.Brent, Liz. "Overview of 'The Fat Girl'." Short stories for students. Ed. Michael L. LaBlanc and Ira Mark Milne. vol. 10. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Literary Resource Center. Network. April 22, 2014.Hardy, Sarah Madsen. "Overview of 'The Fat Girl'." Short stories for students. Ed. Michael L. LaBlanc and Ira Mark Milne. vol. 10. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Literature Resource Center. Network. April 22, 2014.Korb, Rena. "Overview of 'The Fat Girl'." Short stories for students. Ed. Michael L. LaBlanc and Ira Mark Milne. vol. 10. Detroit: Gale Group, 2000. Literary Resource Center. Network. April 22. 2014.