Protagonist Ellie’s most significant transformation in Starfish is learning self-acceptance. She begins the novel seeking escape from the bullying imposed on her by her weight, as well as the shame she feels about herself. Ellie lives her life according to her “Fat Girl Rules.” She believes that if she can control herself appropriately (through diet and keeping her head down), she can control how others respond to her; if she can make herself small, then she can escape judgment and dehumanization based on her weight. However, by the end of the novel, Ellie learns that the resolution to her problems isn’t losing weight or shrinking herself to fit in; instead, she resolves her problems by embracing self-acceptance and allowing herself to take up space.

At the beginning of the novel, Ellie is constricted by her self-imposed “Fat Girl Rules.” The rules revolve around making herself smaller, both literally and metaphorically. Ellie aims to make herself unobtrusive to others, and thereby win acceptance. Everything she does is about taking up as little space as possible. Ellie tentatively begins to accept the idea of her right to take up space in Poem 28: “Choices—Finally” and Poem 30: “I’m a Starfish.