Waist Watchers

The fictional dieting company Waist Watchers, of which Plum is a customer at the start of the novel, is symbolic of the way dietary restriction leads to restriction in other areas of life. Because of her commitment to the diet’s strict meal plans, Plum turns down invitations to eat meals in restaurants with friends, meaning that her calorie restriction leads to social isolation and loneliness on top of the hunger and tiredness that this overly-restrictive method of eating entails.

Dear Kitty Emails

The Dear Kitty emails, sent to Plum’s boss Kitty by teenage girls seeking advice and replied to by Plum, are symbolic of the extent to which Plum is hiding her true self from the rest of the world. Believing that her “real life” (6) will not begin until she has lost weight, Plum spends the majority of her time literally pretending to...