Five items maximum

Claire Renaud

“All these women who don't love themselves. All these rejected, criticized, hated bodies. All these sucked-in stomachs, these breasts being pulled up in front of the mirror, these frowns, these repulsed pouts, these shameful folds, shoulders falling down in disappointment of one- self, all these admonitions and promises of extraordinary efforts.”

In an everyday scenery, the changing rooms of a clothing store, women walk in and out and cross paths with each other, without ever really meeting. Whether it be the mom with her teenage daughter, the old lady, the compulsive buyer, or the new mom, they scrutinize and observe each other, all
under the benevolent watch of Juliette, the sales assistant.
As the day goes by, we start understanding this feeling which all women share, a feeling that they are not good enough, that they do not live up to society's beauty standards, that they are never doing as much as they should.

Claire Renaud is an editor and an author. Five Items Maximum is her third book published at Fleuve Editions. She also writes children's books.