I'm delighted to present today the petite portrait of Anne-Sophie Theage, 1m58, co-author of the book "Celle qui a dit fuck", co-written with her sister Fanny, which I read recently and really enjoyed. I completely identified with the story's main character, Alice. I'm one of those women who find it hard to let go.
Feeling good about yourself, indulging yourself in your daily life. Whether you're petite or not, the most important thing is to feel good about yourself and your life.
Can you please give us a summary of this diary?
"Celle qui a dit Fuck" is the diary of a thirty-something woman who decides to let go from one day to the next following a "breakdown". She decides to investigate in order to reach this Holy Grail. The idea behind the book was to create a character full of self-mockery to go with this theme, which can sometimes be complicated.
How did you come up with the idea for this book?
The idea came from discussions with our community (via our Holi Me newsletter). We thought it would be fun to imagine the diary of a woman in her thirties, her daily life, her thoughts. When we wrote it, we listened to what we felt like doing at the time. In the end, it was almost self-therapeutic and, in a way, auto-biographical. We all take a lot on board in our day-to-day lives, myself included. The idea was to provide us with the keys and levers we could use to lighten and simplify our lives. We were very surprised by the resonance this book had with so many readers.
And the idea for the title?
It didn't come immediately. We wanted a strong, assertive title to go with the character. We were familiar with "fuck it" therapy. With this track, we wanted to convey the "I'm moving forward and I'm not letting anyone walk all over me" aspect. Because, in the end, we are the driving force in our quest for happiness. We hold all the cards if we want to take our minds off things and lighten our mental load. At the start of the diary, Alice comes across a publication which states that 40% of her happiness depends on herself. It's up to us if we want to lighten our ruminations.
I think it's great to write with my twin! How does it work? Do you pool your ideas? Do you each write a chapter? How do you get organized?
First of all, we agree on a common thread, the subjects and themes we're going to tackle. I write the fictional part and Fanny takes care of developing the tools. We don't write four-handed, but we've set up a division of tasks to keep things organized. Then we proofread each other's work. The illustrator comes in later, when the manuscript is finished. In fact, we loved Léna Piroux's work, she really knew how to give body to the character.
Alice is 1.58 m tall and talks about her petite size several times in her diary. When she talks about "arming yourself with your best repartee to counter aggression of all kinds", she writes: "the next time this colleague takes pleasure in belittling me by calling me 'young girl' or 'my little one' (when he himself is 1.60m tall) without suspecting that this is discrimination, I'll call him 'little man' for at least a month!" It made me laugh! It was these little details that tipped me off to the possibility that you werepetites too. You're 1.59m, aren't you?
We often joke about it. We're about 1.59m tall, but Fanny seems to be 1 cm taller than me. In fact, I'd have to re-measure Fanny, but that's not going to be easy at the moment as she's 8 months pregnant.
Your petite size. On a day-to-day basis, is this a disadvantage or, on the contrary, a strength?
As a teenager, I always remembered being perched on heels. I needed to grow up, and so did Fanny. Now that we're in our thirties, we're more assertive as women. We're always in sneakers now. And we run around so much with our petites . I wore heels again two weeks ago to go out, and almost fell three times in the metro. In any case, today, our petite size is completely accepted.
My petite stature has never been a problem, and I've even found a husband who's 1.95m tall.
What's your style?
Casual. We're both in "operational" mode, so we can get on with our daily lives. We wear rather classic outfits, with sneakers. It's important to be able to wear your little ones.
What are your favourite brands?
We've been very much into Zara and Uniqlo for the last year or two. There was a time when I didn't like to admit it, but now it's completely accepted. I also shop a lot at Monoprix and I love what they do!
What pieces do you like to wear?
Sweater dresses for a dressy but cocooning effect in winter! Sneakers, sweatshirts that stay cool (no misshapen sweatshirts), petites skirtsoutfit sweatshirt-styleoutfit with a cool petite skirt). And the beanie, of course, the must-have winter accessory.
Do you prefer long or short skirts?
It depends on the season. In summer, I prefer a long skirt. But in winter, more mid-length skirts.
And you can find long skirts in your size?
Yes, it's a bit of an obstacle course, but I can find some. And without alterations! When I buy something, I want to wear it right away, I don't want to wait. I'm not patient at all.
What's your ideal holiday outfit?
My holiday outfit has evolved quite a bit. Before, we used to dress up a lot (I used to wear a very dressy dress for the holidays). Today, I dress more simply, but I'm still sticking to the petite black dress, which doesn't put me in any danger. For Christmas Eve, if I want to please my mom, I'll even take out a nice pair of shoes instead of Stan Smiths :) .
And finally, any message to pass on to all thepetites" who will be reading you?
It's the same message as the book: feel good about yourself, be indulgent with yourself in your everyday life. Whether you're petite or not, the most important thing is to take responsibility for yourself, to feel good about yourself and your life.
For those tempted to read "Celle qui a dit fuck", you can find it everywhere: at Fnac(here), at Cultura(here), at Amazon, and so on.
Photo credit: Jennifer Sath