Gina Tonic is a journalist, senior editor at Polyester Zine and founder of The Fat Zine. Her debut book Greedy Guts (out on 6 March) is part memoir, part manifesto and tackles the nuances of fat liberation, sexuality, fatphobia, relationships and beauty standards.
Speaking to CORQ, Tonic said: “The actual existence of being a fat person, especially through the intersections of being queer, a woman and working class, have made my life very difficult in loads of different ways that aren’t just about the way that I look.”
Greedy Guts reflects on her experience as a marginalised person while also acting as a rallying cry without just focusing on self-love and body positivity.
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On Greedy Guts and the body positivity movement
Tonic started writing Greedy Guts two years ago and noted the book is more timely now than ever. “It’s definitely something that’s worrying me more now, putting something like this out into the [current state of the world], but I don’t think there would be a time where I’d be like, ‘Oh no, it’s not right for people to read that’.”
The past two years have seen the rise of type 2 diabetes medication Ozempic being used for weight loss (#Ozempic has been tagged in more than 408,000 posts on TikTok) and thinness being seen as a trend. Brands are also becoming more exclusive with their sizing. Model Felicity Hayward analysed size representation in autumn/winter 2025 shows at New York Fashion Week and found there were 50% fewer curve models compared to last season.
Tonic believes the term “body positivity” has become meaningless and said: “Body positivity as something that could be mainstream has failed in my eyes.” Still, she thinks people can use the phrase to discuss having self-love. “I think the next steps for fat liberation have to be addressing the wider marginalisations that fat people experience, from the wage gap to hate crimes and online abuse to the death rate.”
How brands can be more size inclusive
As a journalist, Tonic has written for publications such as Refinery29 about companies being performative and lacking inclusive clothing options.
“If you’re putting out imagery trying to be like, ‘Oh, we suit all bodies,’ but you don’t actually cater to all bodies, what’s the point in doing that? It’s virtue signalling.”
Tonic explained that inclusive sizing can be more expensive because brands have to spend more on pattern grading and ensuring the clothes fit well on different body types. She highlighted womenswear brand Sinéad O’Dwyer as a good example. The London-based designer creates five different sample sizes, which range from a UK 4 to 32, to ensure a perfect fit. “[This is] definitely something that is not applicable across the board, but it shows if you generally have a passion for [being size inclusive], you’ll make it an option for your business.”
The writer also discussed how supermarkets cater to different body types. When she spoke to grocery stores for a Refinery29 article, they told her it’s natural to provide a range of sizes to offer clothing basics for everyone and boost customer retention.
Retailers must carry their plus-size clothing in-store – not just online. Tonic said when businesses remove their extended sizing from stores, it sends the message of “we don’t want [you] to be seen in our spaces”.
Polyester Zine and career goals
Tonic has been involved with Polyester Zine since 2016 and was named senior editor in 2024. Alongside this, she co-hosts the publication’s weekly show The Polyester Podcast with founder Ione Gamble, which covers news and pop culture from a feminist angle.
Polyester Zine turned ten years old in 2024. Looking back, Tonic said: “Seeing what we were doing at the beginning and now, there’s not a massive change in focus. We’re still really heavily embracing feminine women and their point of view on feminism, but the calibre has changed.”
Polyester Zine will be moving “slow and steady” in the next year. “We’ve never been growth orientated and I think that’s always been to our benefit.”
The zine only publishes an issue when it wants to, rather than having a set date. Its best issues often have a cover with a celebrity who has been ostracised or has a strong political stance, such as actor Melissa Barrera and YouTuber Trisha Paytas.
“The whole ethos of Polyester Zine since the beginning was taking these people from online and giving them that real life validation through a print, digital or editorial medium. People really respect seeing the people they adore online given that legitimisation.”
As for her personal plans, Tonic wants to move into fiction writing. “It was always my goal [since being] a very little, tiny girl who once thought she was Matilda.”
By Caroline Edwards, news and features writer for CORQ.
Sizing is becoming a hot button issue for the fashion creator community and brands need to pay attention