Loving You as YOU ARE!

 I wanted to share a wonderful video of fellow curvy model Fluvia in collaboration with Plus Model Magazine. Fluvia wears a size 18 and she exudes sexiness and style. For all of us that second guess the image we see in the mirror, this should boost your confidence!

Save up to 80% on custom printed products at Vistaprint. Order today! Get Paid to Tweet! http://ad.ly/publisher/refer/251902558

Model Portfolio Update

From April 17, 2011 Shoot

As I mentioned before, I "moonlight" as a "real-size" model whenever I get the opportunity. I've worked for clients such as Junonia and My Alli in the past. And in a previous post I shared some of the shoe choices I was planning to get for my spring shoot from endless.com. Professional models are expected to update their portfolios every 3-6 months.

From April 17, 2011 Shoot

From April 17, 2011 Shoot

It was nice shooting outdoors now that it's finally warmed up here in CT. So I wanted to share a few of my favorite shots from this shoot with Jefferine Kerr. She works freelance in Fairfield County. I highly recommend her services! Here is her blog. And the make-up artist, Nashiekah, writes a blog. We had to get one last shoot in before she relocated to Georgia. She's breaking up the dream team but I wish her mush success in my former state of residence. My natural looking tan was provided by Jenna of Healthy Glow on the Go! Jenna can bring her mobile spray tan service to you. Her phone number is 203.521.3402 and she is awesome and her service is so affordable.

Save up to 80% on custom printed products at Vistaprint. Order today!
Get Paid to Tweet! http://ad.ly/publisher/refer/251902558

Spring means new photos!

 Spring is peeking out. I'm excited because this is my favorite time to update my modeling portfolio. I know some awesome photographers that I found when we were all just getting started in this industry. Now they've gone on to being very successful. So much so that they are too busy to "test" (work for trade i.e. free) which is understandable. Paying customers always take precedence over non-paying associates. So, I'm on the hunt for new go-to photographers. I'm posing for a photography group next week. The photographers range from novice to expert so it will be interesting how many good shots I will get. But I don't feel pressure like when I'm preparing for a paid shoot. I need to shop for new wardrobe and accessories for all the shoots for spring but this opportunity presented unexpectedly so it gave me the inspiration to begins shopping. I used my old faithful endless.com for shoes. You can't beat free shipping (even on returns!) and no-hassle returns up to ONE YEAR after your purchase. That's takes the fear out of shopping online. And I did return a pair of boots from my order last fall months after they arrived. It took me that long to find an outfit to wear with them and when I thought I did they were too high of a heel for me. I had the refund within a week. These are the three shoes I picked. I'm planning to wear the yellow shoes with a fitted black and white dress. And I have a green satin dress to try with the other two. What do you think?





Save up to 80% on custom printed products at Vistaprint. Order today!Get Paid to Tweet! http://ad.ly/publisher/refer/251902558

She Shoots, She Scores!

Last month I asked for help styling my upcoming photo shoot. Many things have happened since then. I booked and been canceled by two photographers. The weather has cooled so I changed my mind about the styling. I've purchased some cool wardrobe items. And I managed to find a local photographer through the Make-up artist (MUA) I found (well, she technically found me through this blog). The MUA is Nasheikah Bennett. She is new(er) to the blogging world and was so happy to find another blogging mom (me) that was local. And we have similar interests (namely fashion photography/modeling). She has been working with a photographer as she builds her portfolio and recommended (another blogging mom if you can believe it!) Jefferine Kerr. She has a photojournalistic style and is amazing with kids! I must have her shoot my Butterbean soon. I'll give you a few images to whet your palette. Wardrobe credits: Fashion to Figure zebra cowl neck dress, olive boots with wedge heel I bought on Endless.com and all else from my personal wardrobe. I'm sure you will see more from this threesome soon.

Help Me Style my Next Photo Shoot!

As a plus sized model (or any size model) I have to constantly update my portfolio. That is the model book with my best and most recent photos that I show to potential clients when I go to a casting (a casting is also called a "go-see" if you don't watch ANTM). So,it's that time again. Time to add some new photos to my book. I have a couple of go-to photographers in the area and even a make-up artist that I work well with. I hate lugging my wardrobe and other photoshoot supplies to NY if I don't have to. So, I have a location picked out for my next shoot but I need your help choosing my look.

Recently I've been drawn to the color yellow. Because of my pale skin I assumed the color would not be flattering for me but I bought a yellow scarf last year and I love it (pictured above). So I think I will feature this color in this shoot. Here are the dresses I am considering:




And now for the shoes. Have you ever used endless.com? It's run by Amazon.com and has a huge selection of shoes from low prices to expensive designer labels in all sizes, styles, and brands. You can search many different ways. Even by occasion. For my search I used "yellow" and my shoe size to sort. The BEST THING about Endless.com is the shoes ship for FREE and even return shipping is FREE. Most are shipped overnight or get there in 2 days. That takes the fear of the shoes not fitting and feeling hassled to return them. So, if I try them on at home and don;t like them, I'll send them back and get the next pair on my list. These are my favorite 9. (*The last 2 are not a mistake, I think I can pull it off)

And final choice is how I should wear my hair. Here it is in it's natural state. Photo by Kristina Vartuli based in Stamford, CT http://kristinavphotography.com Very big and curly! And the 1st picture in this post shows it blown straight. What do you suggest with the dress and shoes you have selected. Please comment with the # 1, 2, or 3 for dress and #1-9 for shoes and then specify what hair style best completes the look. Thank you fashionistas!

Get Paid to Tweet! http://ad.ly/publisher/refer/25190255

In the Spotlight

I have a new favorite online magazine! Liberating Style is hosted on this cool site, issuu.com, which allows anyone to publish a magazine to share with the world. The Editor-in-Chief, Angela Clay, strives to bring the deserving and often undercover talents into the spotlight. This publication primarily focuses on adult fashions - spotting new trends and helping to expose new designers, artists, models and photographers. They have their fingers on the pulse of fashion. So imagine my surprise to have my kid's boutique, Gumdrop Swap, featured in their "What We Love" section!

There is something pretty major as far as my modeling career is concerned that took place in early June but I don't want to blog about it until its public. (Hint: I did some work for a well known plus retailer.) But today I saw Madison Plus' newest Fresh Face, Kamari (someone I know in virtual reality) and remembered that I was interviewed by them a while ago. So I searched back in June and found my spotlight.

Get Paid to Tweet! http://ad.ly/publisher/refer/251902558

Big & Bold!

If you want a product to be seen by millions of people walking or driving where would you put it? Let's limit it to America. Did you think Times Square in New York City? Well, it's one of the world's highest trafficked areas and is an overload for the senses. I wonder with all those flashing lights and video screens, how much information is really being absorbed? Our brain naturally filters a great deal of the information we get bombarded with every day. If it didn't, our brains would probably explode trying to digest it all. So, I wonder what the response will be to this billboard in Times Square? It features some women from IPM Model Management in Carmen Marc Valvo swimsuits. Six curvaceous women, the antithesis of what most media outlets portray as beautiful. Full, fleshy arms, thighs, and hips. Confident and tastefully displayed. Let's see if anyone's idea of "beauty" is reconsidered. I sure hope so.


Get Paid to Tweet!

Saundra Phillips - Miss Fat Back

I heard this song on iTunes radio today and had to post! It's an anthem for us women with plenty of meat on our bones. Take a listen! "Miss Fatback" sung by Saundra Philips. On that note (pun intended), I thought this would be an appropriate place to show you a promotional photo of some of the models with the agency I am signed with. IPM Model Management of NYC.

A Model Citizen

It's weird writing about this. I've tried to keep my "personal life" sort of separate from my business stuff. But as my secret life is becoming more public, I am getting recognized and it's harder to keep under wraps. It's not like I'm ashamed of being a plus-sized model, it's just that I think of these facets of my life as unrelated. On the contrary, I am proud of my contribution to changing the American ideal of beauty. It's so cliché but I must reiterate that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. As a mother of a young girl, I worry about the media's influence on her self-esteem. I don't want her to strive to some unrealistic idea that she has to be rail thin to be considered beautiful. Especially because its not in her genes to look that way.

Lots of people ask how do I find time to do all these things. The truth is, I don't have time. I often say there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. I just try my best to be a good wife, mom, business owner and whatever else. So, a few years ago when I didn't have all these other titles, I pursued a modeling career. Larger framed models were few and the industry was very resistant. With the persistence of curvy actresses and pioneer models (Emme, Queen Latifah to name a two) more and more companies recognize that the average woman in the US is a size 14 and began to market to them. So, in the past few years, clothing for larger women has become more fashionable (less muumuu-like) and I hope this trend will continue. Just when I began getting gigs I got pregnant so I took a hiatus. I let my agent know I wanted to work again in 2009 after getting laid off from my corporate job. But with the recession, marketing budgets were cut and there wasn't much work to be had.

I booked my only modeling gig for 2009 with the weight loss supplement called Alli. They are using my images along with a few other models for their website and web ads. I traveled to a studio in Brooklyn on Dec. 5 to be shot by a talented photographer, Grace Huang. The website was updated by the end of the year. You can see me at http://www.myalli.com but I saved you the trouble of hunting me down.

So far I've had 2 acquaintances ask me "Is that you on Alli website?" so that has been cool. I'm curious, especially if you have daughters, how do counteract society's standard of beauty in your home? Does is matter to you what size models represent the brands you buy? Does that even matter to you?

Share
|