ONE NIGHT ONLY!

Comedy Central Stage at the Hudson
6539 Santa Monica Boulevard
cross street Hudson Avenue between Highland and Vine
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Show begins at 8:00pm
Absolutely Free

Reservations Required
To RSVP, please call 323.960.5519
Street and Lot Parking Available

***Updated: Also join us for the Post Show Party at Cafe Entourage! Click here for more info!

For more info about the show visit http://www.fatbitchtour.com

Hope to see you there!
XOXO

The much respected and beloved Hedda Bolgar, PhD is hosting a book signing for book, Healing Your Hungry Heart: recovering from your eating disorder, 2011, Conari Press, Sunday afternoon from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m. on January 29 in Los Angeles (Brentwood).

Hedda, ever generous and now 102 with a full practice and a schedule full of interviews, is opening her home for mingling, a lovely buffet and a short (15 minutes) talk by author, Joanna Poppink, about using this highly praised interactive book in recovery work.

More about Hedda: http://articles.latimes.com/2011/oct/02/local/la-me-1002-lopez-bolgar-20111002

More about Healing Your Hungry Heart: http://amzn.to/ip5siH

Books will be available for purchase. If you already have a copy, please bring it, and Joanna will sign it.

RSVP to Joanna@poppink.com and receive Hedda’s address.

Visit Joanna online at: http://eatingdisorderrecovery.com

XOXO

2011 began with Chenese securing an interview for PLUS Model Radio with Crystal Renn, who had been named the new face of the Jimmy Choo Spring/Summer 2011 campaign. Her interview served as the most anticipated and controversial show of the year on the podcast, in which she talked about her weight loss and referred to herself as a “plus size straight size model” which raised the eyebrows of many. The interview resulted in an on-line media buzz and was quoted in NY Daily News, Jezebel, StyleBistro, and numerous blogs. During the interview Crystal also promoted her upcoming appearance at the IAEDP (International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals) Southern California Evening of Jazz and Arts Under the Stars in Malibu, which Chenese served as the host.

Eating disorder events became more plentiful on Chenese’s calendar this year as a result of becoming the official ambassador for the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) in 2010.  This year Chenese participated in BEDA’s National Conference in Scottsdale by opening the festivities with the conference welcome and introductions, and participated in two panel discussions, one as a panelist and the other as a moderator. She gave the closing remarks for the National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) Conference’s inaugural Teen Summit in Hollywood. Chenese was also asked to participate in NOW Foundation’s video project for NEDAWareness Week alongside Ford models Kate Dillon, Amy Lemon, and Crystal Renn, as well as leading eating disorder activists.

In addition to Chenese’s brand growing in 2011 in the area of eating disorders, other opportunities arose to reach broader audiences, such as the opportunity to moderate and facilitate panel discussions for Positive Results Stop The Pain, Teen Summit on Dating Violence and Bully Prevention and The West Hollywood Women’s Leadership Conference. Chenese also participated in Social Media Week by being on a panel discussion at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, which included women leading in social media.

However 2011 was not short of plus size power as Chenese traveled to Las Vegas to represent Lane Bryant as a blogger and curvy media for their first fashion show in almost a decade and Ashley Stewart announced Chenese as the Coast to Coast Curves Spokesperson and launched a bi-coastal model search hosted by Chenese Lewis and PLUS Model Magazine.  In addition Chenese hosted plus size fashion shows in various cities including Hollywood, Atlanta, and San Antonio.

PLUS Model Radio continued to reign supreme throughout out the year as the #1 podcast for plus size women. This year the show reached two milestones, its third year anniversary and 100th episode. Leading plus size retailers broke news on PLUS Model Radio this year including Lane Bryant announcing the winner of their Las Vegas model search, Ashley Stewart announcing the winners of Coast To Coast Curves Model Search, and Bare Necessities announcing their new campaign with Ashley Graham. Other notable guests in 2011 included Meghan McCain, Poprah, Kai Morae, and Chelsea Settles.

Chenese returned to the Essence Music Festival in New Orleans for a second year, where she landed interviews with one of Washington D.C.’s most powerful women Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama, CNN anchors Soledad O’Brian and Don Lemon, Boy II Men, Pebbles, Tina Knowles, plus many more!  While at the Essence Music Festival Chenese partnered with Simply Fashion, a national chain with more than 300 stores across the country, who not only dressed her for the entire weekend, but gave away a shopping spree to one of Chenese’s lucky fans.

Project Curve Appeal honored Chenese with the Curvy Icon Award at the 2011 Sisterhood Conference in Atlanta for serving the curvy community for over a decade, inspiring and uplifting many women along the way. Project Curve Appeal also chose Ms. Lewis to grace the cover of the premiere issue of Curve Appeal Culture, the organization’s on-line publication, crowning her “Plus Size “It” Girl.

This year marked the 6^th annual Hollywood NOW Love Your Body Day, which Meghan McCain served as the celebrity host. The “Body Image in the Media” panel discussion, which Chenese moderated, aired on CityChannel 10 in the city of West Hollywood and the event also received national exposure on The Insider. This year’s fashion show was dedicated in memory of Mia Amber Davis, who modeled in the fashion show in 2009.

The end of the year also marked the end of Chenese’s two year term as president of the Hollywood Chapter of the National Organization for Woman and she has decided not to continue producing Love Your Body Day and move on to new projects for 2012.

Exciting things are already scheduled for 2012, make sure you visit www.cheneselewis.com to stay up to date!

XOXO

Marie Denee, blogger and creative force behind the popular website The Curvy Fashionista, celebrates 3 years of blogging success with a red carpet fashion event! Radio personality Chenese Lewis from Plus Model Radio is hosting the red carpet. The event, which takes place 8 pm on January 7, 2011 at the Red Room at Philippe Chow located at 8284 Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles, California, features giveaways from the hottest brands in plus size fashion along with dancing, drinks, and networking with the curvy fashionista herself!

The event is restricted to 21 and over. The event is free, but space is limited so attendees are encouraged to come early to insure access and to get their complimentary gift bag. Attendees get to walk the famed red carpet and have a chance to win a number of door prizes from brand names such as HTC and Queen Grace. Additional prizes and giveaways will take place all month on the Curvy Fashionista blog.Sponsors include HTC, Queen Grace, Lane Bryant, Dominique Auxilly, Rachel Pally, Clairsonic and Giner+Liz. Set against the backdrop of the elegant Red Room at Philippe Chow with live twitter coverage at #tcfturns3 the event is sure to fill up fast, so do come early. For more details about the event visit http://thecurvyfashionista.mariedenee.com/tcfturns3.

Marie Denee is an established and respected voice in plus size fashion. Through her blog, The Curvy Fashionista, Marie shares her expertise, wit, and keen sense of style with a vibrant and growing audience. In addition to being a popular fashion blogger, Marie Denee is a freelance fashion stylist and is the Fashion and Style Editor of Plus Model Magazine. To learn more visit www.thecurvyfashionista.com.

See you on the red carpet!

XOXO

Gain Laundry Detergent recently started running an awesome ad featuring supermodel Tomiko Fraser with a voice over by Wanda Sykes! Check out the commercial HERE

The commercial shows Tomiko in a beauty salon with women of different ethnicities all rocking the same styles, straight bouncy hair with a part on the side, but Tomiko’s goes a different route with her short natural hair, with the tag line: Gain like you, is Anything But Ordinary!

Although Tomiko is not a plus size model, she is not a size zero, and still represents a great amount of women that are underrepresented in Hollywood. She is a dark skinned African American women, not ambiguous looking. She is wearing her natural hair, not weaves, wigs, or a relaxer. She’s in her 40′s and was still allowed to look hip and cute. And to put the icing on the cake she didn’t have to break dance or go into a free style rap as the normal buffoonery of many “urban” commercials.

I think we should let Gain know how much we appreciate their highlighting the “anything but ordinary” beauty of women.

Please go to Gain’s Facebook page and let them know that we’d love to see more images like this in their advertising.

Link for Gain’s Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/gain

You can also follow Tomiko on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tomikofraser

P.S. I’m going to go buy some Gain tomorrow!

XOXO

The International Fuller Woman Network launches another Plus Biz Connect contest to assist business
owners that cater to the plus consumer.

The Plus Biz Connect contest originally launched in conjunction with the International Fuller Woman Expo that took place September 10, 2011. It was a contest that enabled people to vote on their favorite plus biz that was either owned by a plus size woman, had a focus to the plus size consumer or had products or services that would benefit the Fuller Woman. We had thousands of votes tabulated and we awarded a winner with prizes that centered around exposure within the expo.

Past the expo, it is the goal of The International Fuller Woman Network to continue to highlight individual businesses throughout the year in a FREE, fun contest. The new Plus Biz Connect Contest relaunched November 7th, awarding business owners with items that would help grow their Plus biz! The contest sponsors are leading, trusted business owners in the Plus Community:

Stephanie Penn-Editor in Chief, DailyVenusDiva.com- Responsible for catapulting www.DailyVenusDiva.com to the most trusted site for news and information for plus size women. She will feature your business on Daily Venus Diva.

Jessica Kane, Jessica Kane Marketing Agency (www.jkane.co) Jessica’s company is responsible for pioneering such ground breaking efforts like Skorch Magazine. Her most recent initiative, The Full Body Photo Project, was a successful campaign that engaged women through social media . She will help you create a professional facebook fan page.

Renee Jennings, R.Media Group(www.rmediagroup.com)- R. Media Group specializes in coming up with strategies that market your company. Her clients include the most notable companies in the plus industry. She will help you create an electronic press release.

Jennene Biggins, J Biggins Consulting (www.jbigginsconsulting.com) – Jennene has been creating innovative, plus focused businesses for over 12 years. J Biggins Consulting specializes in helping small businesses leverage the power of the internet. She will consult with you and gift a video email marketing tool.

LaTanya S. Orr- Selah Branding and Design (www.selahbrandinganddesign.com)- with nearly 20 years of successfully assisting companies and organizations to distinctively distinguish themselves as a genuine brand in the marketplace, Selah Branding and Design equips each client with solid design tools that persuade customers to take a closer look. She will offer a free consultation on branding your business.

Robert Estell, The Ana Sites Group (www.anasites.com) – Specializing in innovative ways of helping companies monetize their social media. He will gift a $100 ad credit for your business through Ads by Ana.

Chenese Lewis, Plus Model Radio – (www.plusmodelradio.com) Actress and Producer Chenese Lewis , who just celebrated another successful Love Your Body Day in Hollywood, is the host of the #1 talk show for the plus community. Her weekly show has news and celebrity interviews that span the community. She will announce the winner on
Plus Model Radio.

Each company that enters will be permanently listed on The International Fuller Woman
Expo and Network Sites.

The contest ends December 7th. Cast your votes at www.anasites.com/plus-biz . For more information about The International Fuller Woman Expo, visit www.thefullerwomanexpo.com.

XOXO

Bare Necessities (who are an official sponsor of the Silver Slippers Fall Fashion Show in San Antonio Dec. 4th) is having a super sale this weekend, check it out!

11/24- 25% OFF almost everything (excludes UGG and Arlotta) 4pm to
midnight using code HURRY25

11/25- 11/29- save up to 40% OFF!

And check out these great deals through out the website:
1. Everyday Favorite Bras 40% off
2. Men’s underwear 30% off
3. Shapewear 30% off
4. Sleepwear 40% off
5. Hanky Panky 25% off select styles & colors
6. “Stock-ing Stuffers” 20% off (in the holiday boutique)
7. Full-Figure Bras 40% off

Also Bare Necessities has a Holiday Boutique that has perfect gift-able items for
everyone on your list (don’t forget to get something for yourself!)

And if you messed it, check out Jay Dunn,Chief Marketing Officer of Bare Necessities on PLUS Model Radio:

XOXO

Upstage Beauty Events (UBE) Presents “Silver Slippers Fall Fashion Show”

The “Silver Slipper Fall Fashion Show will be a multi-cultural fashion show that will feature the rediscovery of the ‘plus size’, full-figured diva. Plus size models from around the nation will join us in highlighting some of the most beautiful plus size clothing in the world. Some of the states represented include, California, Georgia, New York, Nevada and Texas.

Upstage Beauty Events (UBE) is dedicated to improving positive self-image of today’s average and plus size woman. With more than 60% of American women and teens wearing sizes 12 and above – profitability in this market segment is undeniable. The Silver Slipper Fashion Show event offers a tremendous opportunity to reach the largest market segment for fashion in Texas – plus size!

The show will be hosted by special celebrity guest, Chenese Lewis; a sought after keynote speaker, expert commentator and positive body image and self-esteem advocate. She is the first woman crowned Miss Plus America in 2003 and is the current President of the Hollywood Chapter of the National Organization for Women, the Ambassador of the Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA), and sits on the Celebrity Board of the non-profit organization Fed Up, Inc.

Featured designers and sponsors for the UBE Silver Slippers Fall Fashion Show include Lane Bryant, Bare Necessities, and Dressbarn. The show will also showcase a Texas-based, upcoming designer Damon Demond.

The “Silver Slippers Fall Fashion Show” will be held at 4:30 p.m. red-carpet interviews with the who’s who in San Antonio., Show starts 7:30 pm, 4 December 2011, at Sunset Station, 1174 E. Commerce St., San Antonio, Texas 78205.

Beginning at 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 pm doors will open for spectators to browse FREE Trade Show, hosted by Waterbury Enterprises, Lane Bryant, Bare Necessities and DressBarn ,vendor tables with multitude of products for sale to include jewelry, gift certificates, etc.

Tickets are $20 General admission/$40 VIP seats. They can be purchased the day of the event at the theater or online at www.upstagebeautyevents.com . For additional information email us at ube@upstagebeautyevents.com or call (405) 406-7615.

Upstage Beauty Events (UBE) is a full service fashion events agency, specializing in upscale, full production fashion events for designers that cater to the “full-figured” woman.

Try your luck at winning a free pair of tickets on my Facebook Fan page by “liking” it and filling out the entry form on the Welcome tab! Good luck! Hope to see you there!

XOXO

I had such a fabulous time in Atlanta with the ladies of Project Curve Appeal and Pick City Corporation! I was honored with the Curvy Icon Award at the 2011 Sisterhood Conference, which was given during the highly anticipated Rock The Runway Fashion Show and Team Runway Competition, which I also served as host. I was honored for serving the curvy community for over a decade, inspiring and uplifting many women along the way. As you can see below, the award is absolutely beautiful and even a week after the event I’m still excited about it! I’d like to thank Bev Wilson,founder and director of the organization, for all of her hard work and dedication into making all of this happen and for supporting all that I do.

The Sisterhood Conference is designed for women groups, clubs and organizations uniting for the ultimate experience, networking opportunities, shopping, fashion, women empowerment, and allows women to meet those from a variety of other organizations to establish new connections. During the event we were graced with performances by Thixotix Modeling Troupe from Los Angeles and Kurvy Kuties from Little Rock, Arkansas. In attendance were Clark Atlanta University’s Bold Beautiful and Chic Society, Classy Curves from New Orleans, lots of Miss Plus America queens were in attendance, including Ms. Plus America 2004, Debbie Shannon, as well as a host of other groups and organizations.

Prior to the event we held a Rock The Runway Designer and Boutique Challenge to give someone the opportunity to win a premiere spot in the fashion show and dress me for the evening! The winner was Thiq Boutique and the owner Chrystal J was a pleasure to work with, she is planning to open a storefront in Columbus, Georgia next year, so if you are in the area make sure you support! The Thiq Boutique specializes in unique yet affordable clothing, footwear, handbags and accessories for women who embraces their THIQNESS. Visit them online at www.thethiqboutique.com and “like” the boutique’s Facebook HERE

The most significant thing about the conference to me was that it was an inclusive event that didn’t exclude anyone that wanted to be involved, and for that reason they will always have my support! Overall the weekend was upbeat, positive, and truly about sisterhood by uniting and uplifting each other!

The 2012 Sisterhood Conference will be at the Hilton Hotel Downtown Miami September 21st – 23rd 2012. Visit www.sisterhoodconference.com for more details.

XOXO

The Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) announced today that it will launch its first annual National Weight Stigma Awareness Week, September 26-30, 2011. The objectives of this event are to build awareness of what weight stigma is, the harmful effects weight stigma can have on people of all ages in all environments, and what can be done to stop it.

“Whether it is children being teased and bullied in school because of their weight, adults being discriminated against in the work place, or patients being shamed in a physician’s office, weight stigma insidiously affects a variety of people.” says Chevese Turner, CEO of the Binge Eating Disorder Association. “We want to raise awareness around weight stigma and how a focus on weight rather than health and placing a higher value on “thin” can, in fact, have a negative effect on the physical and mental health of a person-of-size-especially those who have or are predisposed to eating disorders.”

As the “war on obesity” rages on and the $60 billion weight loss industry continues to grow, paradoxically, rates of obesity are not decreasing and eating disorders are rapidly increasing.

Afflicting more women than breast cancer, eating disorders have the highest rate of mortality of all mental illnesses. They are complex disorders triggered by environmental factors, and studies have shown weight stigma plays a significant role. Several studies conducted by The Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University have found that more frequent exposure to stigma was related to more attempts to cope with maladaptive eating practices and higher BMI.

“Weight stigmatization is widespread in our society and affects individuals in multiple domains of life, often on a daily basis,” says Rebecca M. Puhl, Ph.D, Director of Research and Weight Stigma Initiatives at the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at Yale University. “We know from decades of research that children and adults are targets of weight stigmatization in educational institutions, employment settings, health care facilities, the media, and even from family members and friends.This has a devastating effect on people’s quality of life, and leads to numerous consequences for emotional and physical health. Weight stigmatization is both a social injustice and a public health issue. We need to increase public awareness and societal efforts to address this problem. Otherwise, it will continue to create disparities, discrimination, and barriers to effective prevention and treatment for individuals affected by obesity.”

The call to action for BEDA’s first annual Weight Stigma Awareness Week is “Healing Myself First: Challenging Weight Stigma from the Inside Out.”

BEDA encourages individuals to participate in several activities BEDA proposes as part of Weight Stigma Awareness Week, beginning with looking within to assess personal weight biases and becoming an advocate.

Turner says, “Let’s begin by asking ourselves, ‘Did I make fun of other kids when I was a child because they were overweight?’ ‘Do I look down on myself or others because of size? Do I exclude people based on body size? Do I contribute to ‘fat talk,’ such as, ‘I need to lose 10 pounds,’ or, ‘You’re too fat to wear that,’ or, ‘You look great! Did you lose weight?’”

A recent Journal of Pediatrics study found that children are bullied 63% more if they are overweight than for any other reason. Yet statutes do not include any language around size bullying. Individuals can write letters to members of congress in support of protecting overweight children from bullying.

For more information about BEDA’s first annual Weight Stigma Awareness Week, visit www.bedaonline.com.

For more information about The Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity, visit http://www.yaleruddcenter.org/.

Binge Eating Disorder Association (BEDA) is a national organization focusing on the need to increase prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for binge eating disorder. Through education, outreach and support, and resources, BEDA is committed to facilitating awareness, quality of care, and recovery for those who live and those who work with binge eating disorder. For more information, visit www.bedaonline.com.

XOXO