This weekend Washington state will experience a historical moment in pageantry with the First ANNUAL Washington Plus America Pageant! The ONLY pageant system in WA state exclusively for women with curves representing the over 60% of American women and teens who wear a size 12 and up! The contestants will compete in Interview, Pant Wear and Evening gown. The top five from each division will compete during the Finale for the chance to be crowned a Washington Plus America Queen! The winners crowned during the Finale will go on to represent Washington State at the National Miss Plus America Pageant in Memphis,Tennessee!

The Miss Washington Plus America Pageant is a 4 day weekend of events. The weekend will be kicked off by a Red Carpet Gala to benefit the Puget Sound American Heart Association!

Click here to purchase tickets: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/200987

For more information about the event visit www.waplusamerica.com

Hope to see you there!
XOXO

The Positive Results Corporation

Presents Our 2nd Annual

Teen Summit on Dating Violence & Bully Prevention,

“Finding Your Voice Through Confidence”

Saturday, April 21, 2012

9:00 am – 4:00 pm

Host, Kai Morae & Facilitator, Chenese Lewis

In an effort to bring reliable, relevant and up-to-date information & tools to our youth, their families and our communities regarding Teen Dating Violence (TDV), Bullies, Alcohol Awareness and Sexual Assault Awareness, The Positive Results presents our 2^nd Annual Summit, for a Day of Information and Dialogue.

Join Us For:

Panel Discussion with Industry Experts, Self Defense Training for Young Ladies Only, Workshops, Information & Fashion Show, Celebrating Diverse Styles & Confidence

Continental Breakfast, Lunch & Gift Bags

Workshops Include (But not limited to):

Man Up, No Father – No Excuse, Healthy Relationships, Make-Up; What’s Right for Me, Social Networking Sites, Sexting and Current Internet Safety Issues, Finding Your Voice Through Confidence, Self Esteem

Bring Your Good Attitude and enjoy the day! 

Learn The Tools You Need To Be Safe & Positive! How to be the Best YOU Possible

EVERYTHING IS FREE OF CHARGE! 

Participants, panelist and workshops include (but not limited to & more will be added) American Heart Association, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Los Angeles Police Dept, LAUSD, Macy’s, Nakeah’s Cosmetic & All About Face, Captain Brent Burton of the African American Firefighter Museum, MADD, Diva’s In Defense, Feeling Fabulous, Break the Cycle, Women’s Shelter of Long Beach, Unity One, Pathways to Your Future, LA’s Promise, Ms. Chenese Lewis and Ms. Kai Morae

Please contact Kandee Lewis if you are interested in being a Sponsor or Donating an item or your product for our Gift Bags! Thank you in advance!

To Register, go to http://prc123teensummit.eventbrite.com

XOXO

The plus community, as well as mainstream supporters, came out in full force to celebrate The Curvy Fashionisha’s three year blogiversary! The event took place Jan. 7th at the prestigious Philippe Chow in West Hollywood. I had the pleasure of being the red carpet host for the event and had a blast interviewing everyone in attendance!

Queen Grace Collection was an official sponsor of the event and also dressed me for the occasion! Here I’m pictured with Marina Zelner, founder and CEO of the Queen Grace Collection and Adolfo Sanchez. I’m wearing The Gwen Holiday Skirt -Silver worn as a tube dress with The Liz Holiday Scarf

Check out the red carpet interviews, and yes it was as much fun as it looked! Congrats Marie!!!

XOXO

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