Paris still isn't made for plus sizes

And the other pieces you read, shared, and returned to this past year.

Looking back on 2025, one piece resonated above the rest. I wrote it on a lark, just some loose thoughts after my first trip to Paris, and it took off. It spoke to a few things at once: the reputation of the French (both their friendliness and their impossible thinness), the body image baggage we carry when traveling, and the universal need to fit in.

I heard from so many people about their own fears about visiting the City of Light and measuring themselves against impossible standards … I felt so seen.

While I wouldn’t say there was a clear pattern between the Paris piece and my other most-read (and often most-commented) pieces of 2025, what they share is recognition, a naming of the experiences many of us feel but don’t always have language for.

Almost Sated has always been that kind of place. For pushing back gently (and sometimes not so gently) against the idea that we need to shrink, optimize, or resolve ourselves before we’re allowed to fully live.

For those of you who are newer here, these pieces offer a good sense of what this space is about. If this space feels like something you’d like to return to, you’re welcome to subscribe. And if you’ve been reading along for a while, thank you for being here, for sharing these essays, and for making space for growth while pushing back against the narrative that you’re broken or in need of fixing.

---

---

---

---

---

---

If you found your way to Almost Sated through one of these essays, I’m so glad you’re here. And if you shared, forwarded, liked, or took the time to leave a comment on any of my pieces this past year, thank you.

Your reading is what sustains this work.

Happy New Year!