Does My Body Offend You?

Does My Body Offend You? (2022) by Mayra Cuevas and Marie Marquardt is a unique, timely story told from the alternating perspectives of two teen girls from different backgrounds, who meet when they are both new to their suburban Florida high school.

Malena has just moved to be near extended family from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Her father is still on the island, and her mother works long hours at the hospital. She is close to her cousins, but their family revolves around baseball god Carlos, who is expected to be recruited to the major leagues right out of high school. Malena knows both English and Spanish, but Puerto Rican Spanish is her native tongue and what she feels most comfortable speaking. Malena is dealing with a bad sunburn, when her mother gives her a loose blouse and tells her to go to school without a bra.

Ruby moved to suburban Florida at the beginning of the school year to spend time with her grandmother, who was ill and recovering from surgery. She has lived in the shadow of her older sister, who championed social justice causes from an early age. She has made some friends at the new school, but mostly keeps to herself.

Ruby and Malena meet in the bathroom after Malena has been told to use pantiliners to cover up her nipples because she’s not wearing a bra. Ruby tells her she doesn’t have to do it, not realizing that there are different rules for skinny white girls than for curvy Puerto Rican girls. So they begin a friendship that goes through a lot of growing pains, because Ruby has to learn how to really be an ally, and Malena has to learn to trust in her own voice.

They decide to challenge the school’s dress code policy, and find some unexpected support, while also dealing with sexism and sexual assault.

It’s really well-done–I wanted to know how things would turn out and if they would be able to salvage their friendship after the ways Ruby let Malena down. The romance was a nice surprise–I enjoyed that Ruby called Carlos “Mr. Sporty Balls”–I laughed out loud multiple times.

And it was not just body positive, but fat positive–there’s a girl who joins the campaign and makes the statement “I’m fat and I’m proud” and throughout, the messages that society gives girls about their bodies are critiqued and discussed. This was a nice random Target find. Highly recommend.