Jennifer Weiner is putting plus-sized heroines front and center and sharing how Ozempic is changing the game on body positivity.
Bestselling author Jennifer Weiner has long been a voice for women navigating life, love, and self-worth. Her latest novel, The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits, mines ‘90s and early-aughts pop culture to tell a compelling story about sisterhood, fame, and the relentless scrutiny women face, especially about their bodies.
Weiner, the author of 17 novels, has built a successful career telling stories of women in real-life bodies. In another context, these women might be the “funny best friend,” but in Weiner’s books, they all have main character energy.
Cultivating a Career as a Full-Time Writer
Jennifer Weiner studied English at Princeton, including a class taught by Toni Morrison. But after graduation, reality struck fast. “Nobody hires entry-level novelists,” she laughs. “I asked both of my parents to be patrons of the arts, and they said no. So, I got a job at a tiny newspaper typing up lunch menus.”
That unglamorous start turned out to be a blessing. She moved on to a features writer position at the Philadelphia Enquirer, and the fast pace of working in a newsroom taught her the value of writing every day. That real-life training helped her pen her breakout novel, Good in Bed, inspired by her own brutal breakup.
Despite some early obstacles, she sold that book. She kept her day job at the Enquirer for a few years after her first book deal, only leaving journalism after publishing her first two novels and signing a contract for two more.
“ I’m big on don’t quit your day job until you are 200% sure that you’re actually going to be able to support yourself writing,” she advises aspiring writers.
Money Matters
Jennifer Weiner’s childhood shaped her approach to finances. “I grew up comfortably middle class until my dad left,” she says. Weiner’s mother was a teacher, and after the divorce, she recalls watching her mom worry about things like fixing the refrigerator or paying for school clothes. That left a lasting impression.
“When I finally got an advance, I went to Target and bought everything I wanted, real dog food, not the generic kind,” she says. “But the rest went into a down payment and investments. There was going to be money in the bank. That was what I wanted more than anything else, that security of knowing that I could pay for stuff.”
Ozempic and the Pushback on Plus-Sized Progress
Beyond making her mark by telling fully realized stories of plus-sized heroines, Weiner is also a social commentator for The New York Times, writing on subjects including body image and celebrity culture. Both are themes Weiner dives into in The Griffin Sisters’ Greatest Hits.
“I think that’s sort of one of the great fascinations of my career is women’s bodies and what the world has to say about them,” she says. “How any woman can… make peace with living in a body.”
It’s a cultural conversation she’s passionate about and frustrated by. “We had a moment where things felt like they were changing,” she says, pointing to stars like Lizzo and inclusive beauty campaigns. “Then Ozempic happened. And suddenly, it was like, ‘Body positivity? Who’s she?’ The pendulum swung right back.”
As the mother of a teenager and 22-year-old daughters, Weiner tries to remain optimistic. “It’s always one step forward, two steps back,” she says. “We are moving forward. We are getting better. It’s just slow. It’s just a slow, arduous, difficult process.”
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