Since the inception of beauty pageants, plus size people have been compelled to remain at the fringes and appreciate the sizzling beauties on the ramp from a safe distance. Well, at least that was the norm until the inception of Miss Plus America in 2002. The pageant was conceived with a view to offer the plus size woman an alternative platform to showcase her feminine streak. Though the pageant has been evolved on the lines of mainstream Miss America, it bears no affiliation to it.
Miss Plus America
Miss Plus America is a beauty pageant with a difference, as it is dedicated to large women(Click here to date large women) who are size 14 and beyond. The organizers of the event claim that it has its root in the belief that each woman is beautiful, both inside and out, irrespective of her physical appearance. The event is, thus, focused on providing every large woman a dedicated platform where she can fight it out for a title worthy of her beauty.
The latest edition of the pageant was held in Atlanta on August 1. Unlike most other pageants, Miss Plus America chose to celebrate the beauty of a woman irrespective of her size, age or appearance. A statement issued by the organizers said contestant considered traditionally unfit for ramps were welcome here because the objective was to celebrate the essence of a woman without excuses or bias. This provides bright, bold and curvaceous women an opportunity to feel good about themselves.
Why Do We Need Miss Plus America?
For the organizers of this event, as also for a majority of large women, confidence is the key word – the apparent motive of throwing open the fashion ramp for women above size 14 is to help them feel more comfortable and confident in their own skin. While a sentiment that it is unnecessary to embolden the rhetoric that women need to look and feel beautiful has been coming out strongly in a section of mainstream and social media, the pageant definitely has its heart in the right place.
For millions of plus size people, women in particular, who have suffered self-esteem issues because of their weight, an initiative like Miss Plus America is a whiff of fresh air. After years of being told that only a certain body type is beautiful or sexy, here is someone who giving them a reason to believe otherwise. A reason to believe that they don’t drive themselves to the edge with crazy diet programs and unrealistic workout regimens in order to be accepted as beautiful.
In a world where people cringe at the sight of bulging fat at a woman’s waistline, where people get dumped for being too fat, where they are judged for their choices of food and clothing(know more about choosing clothes for plus size women), where being oversized drives people to the brink of depression and loneliness, a beauty pageant like this brings new hope. It gives millions of plus size people the confidence to love themselves for who they are instead of spending a lifetime flinching at their physical appearance.
