Last Friday, PA Self Care Bears invited young-adult author Crystal Maldonado to talk about her writing journey and inspiration, opening up discussions regarding representation of race and body image in media and their continuous existence. An award-winning author of multiple novels, Maldonado started off by introducing some of her works.
“I like to say that I am an author of stories for fat, brown girls. [These stories are] usually rom-com… I’ve written ‘Fat Chance Charlie Vega,’ ‘No Lies and Other Filters,’ and ‘The Fall of Whit Rivera’… At the heart of each book is a girl trying to find her place in the world and finding where she fits in and trying to feel like she matters as she’s going through these obstacles. For Charlie, she’s dealing with a mom who doesn’t like her body the way that it is, and for Kat Sanchez, she creates a fake Instagram account and is living a double life, and for Whit Rivera, she’s dealing with a chronic illness. As they grapple with these things, they have to find a way not to lose who they are and find a way to come out on the other side of that obstacle and hopefully succeed and find happiness,” said Maldonado.
Audience member Zadie Robinson ’26 reflected on how Maldonado’s confidence made her find a lot more enthusiasm and enjoyment in the event. To Robinson, Maldonado’s talk showed how some authors are fighting for more authentic popular representation of the female body, challenging typical whitewashed stereotypes, especially in romance-centered media.
“Media usually contains people who fit the stereotypical beauty standards of these white, pretty, blonde girls, and I feel like it can affect a large audience…into thinking that they can’t receive any love or have that same type of romance because they don’t fit those expectations. I know I felt like that,” said Robinson.
Reflecting on her own identity, Maldonado highlighted that she writes main characters for readers of similar demographics who can relate to such stories but also hopes that readers who perhaps don’t share the same identities can also empathize with the feelings and experiences her characters go through. In relation to last weekend’s talk, Maldonado discussed her feelings on the audiences’ diversity.
“It’s always nerve-wracking to talk to audiences and to know that I’m writing books with more specific people in mind, but I’m addressing audiences with all different identities and all different experiences. I think what connects everyone is the desire to really be seen…appreciate[d] and understood for who we are…so I am hopeful that even if someone can’t necessarily relate to the main character in my book, they can relate to that message… I try to remember that when I’m speaking to people,” said Maldonado.
PA Self Care Bears board member Maddie Redmond ’25 found Maldonado’s journey inspirational, creating and sharing the stories of underrepresented identities that she strives to see. She also discussed Maldonado’s broader advice on how body positivity and self love is a day-by-day journey.
“During the Q&A section, we got to ask Crystal a lot of questions and I asked a question [surrounding] what it is to have body positivity, and whether it is an ongoing journey or is there a point where it stops and you just start being accepting of yourself fully, and I think one of the most memorable things she said was that body positivity is like happiness; you can be happy one day and then the next you’re not. It’s on a day to day basis and you’re always trying to be really accepting of your body size and who you are,” said Redmond.
Overall, for Maldonado, raising awareness of underrepresented identities and diversifying the often monolithic media climate was her initial goal. Now that she has made significant strides with this goal, she hopes for her writing journey and novels to inspire others to enact change meaningful to them through writing.
“I hope to inspire others to think about becoming an author because it feels like one of those industries that’s impossible to get into, especially for marginalized authors. I really do encourage people to consider writing books, whether it’s children’s books, young adult books or adult literature because I think having [your] diverse perspectives out there is really meaningful, especially when we’re talking about representation. I really do think that books [are] a wonderful way for us all to connect with each other and [show] empathy towards each other. So if I can make even one person consider becoming an author, I will feel like I did my job,” said Maldonado.
