Anyone else annoyed with the ARE YOU FAT CLICK HERE banners?

I am sure many of my plus size My Space friends (many of whom I will never meet, but you are my kindred sister, nonetheless) have been on MySpace and noticed the below banner ad. Over the past few days, I think it is the ONLY AD that is running at the top of my screen. I own a company. I do banner ads. But, it never occurred to me - ever - hey, let's attract new business by INSULTING people. Let's call people FAT and then maybe they will say - hhhh......fat.....yes, you must be talking to me....I'm sorry, it took the word FAT to get my attention.

I clicked on the ad (I know, I shouldn't have) but I wanted to figure out who it was so I could tell each an every one of you NOT TO CLICK ON THIS AD OR BUY ANYTHING FROM THIS COMPANY. For many reasons, but primarily because I am flabbergasted at their total lack of courtesy towards their potential customers.

Now, before I go sounding like a hypocrite (a title I sometimes associate myself with)...I own a company - I sell plus size clothes. We have a MySpace page. It is important for us to constantly introduce our brand to our potential audience, so we spend a lot of time adding new friends in MySpace (and we hope our existing friends tell their friends about us). How do we find those
friends? We browse for women who have added "a little more to love" or "little extra" as that is our target demographic, not only for our clothing line, but for Curvy Girl TV, an online station launching in January 2009. I am sure this Acai Berry company paid a lot of money to advertise to that same little group with their banner ad (above). My husband, who is not overweight, does not see this ad (I checked). So, kudos, MySpace, you clutter my bannerspace with products and companies dedicated to getting me out of the plus size demographic. And believe me, I've tried. I continue to try. As many of us do for whatever reason we have. But, because I am overweight, do not assume I am stupid. Do not assume that you can insult me and that I will be eager to go buy your product, just because, gasp, god forbid I'm fat. I won't be buying your product. I will tell my friends, family, and anyone who listens - do not buy this product. I don't care if it works (most fad diets do) - I don't care if Oprah loves it (allegedly). Is this how someone would advertise to a non plus person? Would they say "Hey, skinny b!Tche$! CLICK ME!!" Maybe they would. The reasons advertisers do this is because IT WORKS. So, ladies, stop making it work. Stop clicking on the ad. Stop buying the voodoo and crazy fad diet products. Billions of dollars are spent each year on products that (for the average person) don't work or, if they do, they don't last. In my lifetime, I've probably lost (and gained) 200-300 pounds (if you count each swing of up and down) and spent thousands of dollars. It is a daily battle for many of us and a lot of us want a quick fix for a long term problem. Let's not make these companies any richer. Please. And let's not put up with their name calling any more. While the word FAT doesn't bother me, per se, it is the thought of this company questioning my intelligence that does. I will no longer pay people to insult me. Join me in this cause. When advertisers start speaking to us like our best interest (and not just our money) are part of their concern, we will start opening our wallets.

Below I have listed my version of the banner (and I'm not much of a graphic artist, I know) - please feel free to take it and put it on your site :)

As always - love your body - every curvy inch of it (and if you are in L.A. - join us at the Love Your Body Day on October 12th in West Hollywood where Chenese Lewis & Kim Coles are sure to put on one heck of an event for women of all sizes - encouraging all of us to love the body we are in...it's the only one we're gonna have)

~Lisa

Post your videos for consideration on CurvyGirl.tv - launching January 2009

My Curvy Friends!

We are proud to announce that we are launching CurvyGirl.tv (not associated with curvygirl(dot)com) in January 2009! We have been working for a while on having some good segments to coincide with our scheduled launch date.

If you have ever produced a video, you may understand the length of time it takes (and cost) to produce a good segment. Since we producing these segments out of our own pocket, we have had a limited production schedule. As time passes, we hope to obtain many sponsors to assist with the cost of producing quality segments.

The good news about Curvy Girl TV is that we are also relying on our audience to provide high quality videos for posting on the site.

We are looking for YOU, to help us submit the best content related to the plus size lifestyle.

Before you decide if you want to submit...here is our mission statement:

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Curvy Girl TV and its curvy correspondents will fill a gap in today's media, reporting stories important to today's curvy woman (size 8+), with a special focus on the plus size lifestyle, a demographic almost ignored entirely in today's media outlets. Curvy Girl is committed to providing stories of depth that are equally entertaining, informative and inspiring. In addition to news and lifestyle stories, we will post funny skits as well as highlight plus size performers (singers, artists, actors, dancers, models, designers, musicians, stand up comedians, etc…).

All stories will be posted online at www.CurvyGirl.tv. In addition, they will be posted on several online sites that receive tens of thousands of hits per day, including MySpace, YouTube, CurvyGirlClothing.com.

Incorporated in 2005, Curvy Girl LLC is a lifestyle company catering to plus size women. Curvy Girl's first venture was www.curvygirlclothing.com, an online boutique taking the plus size fashion industry by storm. We offer fashion forward trendy styles, in plus sizes (12+). Our flagship store opened in Portland, OR in fall of 2007...

Curvy Girl LLC is NOT associated with curvygirl.com. To visit us, please check out www.curvygirlclothing.com. Look out for curvygirl.tv being launched in January 2009.

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Videos should be under 10 minutes in length (same as YouTube). They should be of good quality (image and sound). They should not have profanity or nudity. One exception to profanity is performance art submissions. Sometimes comedy, poetry and sketch includes profanity - just tell us ahead of time so we can warn our viewers. Nudity, on the other hand, is not acceptable. Please understand that there is a fine line with respect to profanity - if we find the video to contain so much profanity that it is vulgar and of bad taste, we will not accept the submission.

The types of videos we are looking for:

- PERFORMANCE ART which can include: Stand up comedy, Sketch comedy, Poetry, Singing, Musical performance, Rapping (MC), Belly dancing, Interpretive Dance, Unusual talents (you know if you can do something that makes people want to watch), Hip hop dancing, etc...

- SKETCHES (COMEDY). If you've seen videos by Joy Nash or Eric Schwartz on YouTube or MySpace, you know what we are talking about. Funny and original sketches are wanted.

- FUNNY VIDEOS: Think America's Funniest Home Videos (minus the grand prize)...something that will make someone giggle. Did you fall down at your wedding? Did something happen on camera that will make us laugh...share it!

- FASHION & BEAUTY ADVICE. If you have some fantastic tips for the plus size woman with respect to makeup (how to apply it, what types of products to use) or beauty (what colors are going to be hot next season or styles). Are you a serious fashionista (not a part time one, but a hard core one) - this is something you could have a lot of fun with. Please consider that you should be well groomed in the video if you plan on giving beauty advice to our watchers! Make sure you are dressed nice with your hair and makeup done if you plan on giving advice on fashion or beauty.

- EXERCISE & NUTRITION. Oh dear me...here we go! Trying to tell plus size women to lose weight. AB-SO-LU-TELY NOT! But, as plus women who want to be as healthy as possible, we want to share healthy tips on exercise and nutrition tips to our viewers as much as we want to share Fashion and beauty trends.

- RECIPES. Do you want to be Martha Stewart for the day? (maybe a bad example)...do you have a favorite recipe you want to share? Pretend you had your own cooking show and show us how to make your favorite dish. Don't forget to include the recipe and where you got it from (i.e. grandmother, Betty Crocker, etc...)

- RUNWAY VIDEOS: Plus size fashions on the runway are always very popular. If you know of a local fashion show in your area - make sure they add plus sizes to the schedule.

- VIDEO BLOG: Do you have an interesting story? Are you going through something wonderful, scary, exciting, heart wrenching (or all of the above) in your life (i.e. marriage, divorce, pregnancy, death of close one, disease, new beginning, rehab) - share it on video. We will do a background check on candidates selected for this and obtain references. Are you an actress trying to make it on broadway or in Hollywood? A dancer? A singer? A comic? A cougar? A puma (a cougar in the making) ....share your story with us...

- DECORATING TIPS: Especially on a BUDGET. Tell us where to go to find the best deals on buying cheap things to decorate our homes. Or, give us tips on how to use what we may already have

- HOW TO VIDEOS: How to paint - how to dance - how to do origami...do you know how to do something you can share with other women?

- NATURE: Introduce us to nature. Are you the next Jeff Corwin? Of course, don't go messing with dangerous animals if you don't have the experience for it...

- BOOK REVIEWS: Important here. The author has to be a female size 8+ or the protagonist has to be a female size 8+. How will you know? Oh, you'll know. Review your favorite book. Tell us why you love it (or why you don't). Hit the important issues - how does it relate to ME (me being PLUS SIZE WOMAN).

That's what we are starting with. We are producing other types of segments as well (inspirational, interviews, red carpet events, movie reviews, etc...) in the Los Angeles area, but we are looking forward to seeing submissions from across the globe for the segment ideas above.

Important considerations:

You must own the exclusive rights to the video or have written permission to allow us to use it.

The video must highlight a woman who is at least a size 8 or above (28 inch waist). Yes, this is correct. The woman must have a PRINCIPAL role in the video (i.e. not just a small role).

Please use good taste with submissions. We are a plus size community and it is unlikely we will post submissions that are insulting to plus size women (i.e. a sketch that uses a plus size person as the target of a horrible weight based joke - where that is what the person submitting considers the "funny" of the video).

The video can not be a commercial for your product or service. It cannot include website locations or other messages sending people to your site.

We understand that size 8 and 10 women (even 12) are not considered plus size to the average woman. A size 8, 10 or 12 woman would probably not consider herself plus size. They are, however, a forgotten segment in the media and rarely represented on tv. Plus size modeling agencies consider any woman a size 8+ for their plus size division. As such, Curvy Girl TV is putting that size within our demographic as well. Those women don't deserve to be shunned by our community as well.

Please note: We will not provide compensation for the videos submitted. Submissions will not be returned unless you send a self-addressed stamped envelope with your submission.

A release form must be signed by the owner of the video prior to us posting it on our site.

Not all videos will be selected. We are selecting videos based on many factors, including (but not limited to): quality, length, pertinence to the size 8+ or plus size woman/lifestyle. In the future, we may allow users to upload their own video content - at this time, all videos will be screened and selected by Curvy Girl TV staff.

We are not allowing electronic uploaded submissions at this time. You can email us a LINK to the submission for consideration. If we like what we see, we will then ask you to mail us a DVD of the video so that our techies can upload it. DO NOT EMAIL US a video as an attachment - the email will be deleted.

This is your opportunity to shine as a CURVY ARTIST/PERFORMER.

If you don't have a video but want to produce one (maybe this is motivation to go out there and make one), here are some tips:

- Lighting is important - make sure the room is well lit

- Distractions are a no-no. If you are taping something in your house, try to make sure the baby isn't crying in the background (unless it's part of the video). Try and have a clean background (i.e. if you tape in your house - clean up first) :)

- Sound is key. Let me say again...sound is key :) We aren't expecting top quality in sound - but do the best you can - try and not tape segments outside if it is windy (the camera will pick up every gush of wind) unless you have the right equipment to minimize unwanted noise distractions.

- Keep it simple. We are dealing with videos 10 minutes or less - try and make your point in as few minutes/words as possible. Let your video and images also tell part of the story - you don't have to always tell us what you are doing (or why).

- Editing. If you have an edited video - awesome. We prefer you send it fully edited. That being said, we reserve the right to take any video and let our editor edit as s/he sees fit. Since the editor isn't cheap, it is unlikely we will edit too many viewer submission videos, but we may decide to do this from time to time. You would be aware of the edit prior to us posting the video.

HOW TO SUBMIT:

Mail your submission and signed release (DVD only - we don't have a VHS player!) to:


Lisa Toton - Curvy Girl TV - 716 S Los Angeles St 303 - Los Angeles CA 90014

You must print, sign and include a copy of our release as well as a Video information sheet (which lists the information about the video and the people in it). All persons in the video must be over 18 years old. If they are not, a parent or legal guardian must sign a special talent release on behalf of the minor:

http://www.bigriggs.com/CGTV_Adult_Model_talent_Release.pdf

http://www.bigriggs.com/curvy_girl_tv_segment_information.pdf

or

EMAIL a link to your YouTube video to curvygirltv@curvygirlclothing.com with title: VIDEO SUBMISSION. We will let you know if we would like you to submit a DVD submission of your video via mail. (we will still not accept video uploads even if we authorize the video prior to you sending it).

We look forward to receiving your submissions!!!!!!!!!! Please do not call to follow up on video submissions - if we have an interest in posting your video, we will contact you once we have reviewed your video (to make sure we have the proper forms and information about you.

Please vote for Miranda in the Shirley of Hollywood model contest!

To all our Curvy Friends!

Please help a curvy girl out and vote for Miranda Walz (and Curvy Girl) in the Shirley of Hollywood Sexy Model Search!

Many of you recognize Miranda as one of our models (she has been for over 3 years now), and the girls career is on fire!  Since moving to Los Angeles (for college), she has been getting all kinds of work in this town!  She's shattering the notion that women have to be at least 5'10"+ and a size 8-10 to get any work!  At 5'7" and a size 14, this Curvy Girl is a force to be reckoned with!   (and, yes, we know some women will say she doesn't look plus) but measurements don't lie!  At Curvy Girl, we use all kinds of models, and Miranda is proof that the non standard model can find success! (we'd like to think we are a small part of that) :)  

About the contest:

Curvy Girl Clothing sponsored Miranda in the 60 years of Sexy - Shirley of Hollywood Sexy Model contest.  Shirley of Hollywood is one of the world's largest lingerie manufacturers and one of the few who have a very large plus size selection.  I personally own a few pieces of Shirley lingerie and it is exquisite.  Chances are, some of your own personal favorite lingerie was manufactured by Shirley of Hollywood.  To celebrate their 60th year in the industry, they are sponsoring a huge model search to find the best "straight size" and plus size models out there.  The models get a trip to the Bahamas, a shoot with a celebrity photographer and an appearance as a principal model in their 2009 catalog.

I am SHOCKED at the low number of plus submissions to this contest (no jab at Shirley here...but I know so many gorgeous plus size women who would rock out this contest) - so far there are only 5 plus size models posted (albeit, 5 of the sexiest women in the contest, if not THE sexiest) - so she has a great chance of a trip to the Bahamas (the top 5 plus models will go to the Bahamas where the winner is announced in September).  The top 10 "straight size" women will be going to the Bahamas.

She could use your vote to help her win FAN FAVORITE (the voting that is going on right now).   The actual contest voting should be up any day now.

You can vote for her as many times as you'd like - but try and go in and vote for her at least once if you can. :)

http://www.thebachelorguy.com/index.php?action=plugin&name=fullmodels&type=item&id=7

How does this help Curvy Girl?  Exposure, of course!  Not to mention, we receive a lingerie allowance for our store if she is chosen!  (and the Shirley lingerie at our store sells FAST!!!)   Have you seen their hot corsets!  

XOXO,

Lisa, Laura & Mi'Lane

(and Miranda, of course!!!)

The photos represent the different types of products Shirley of Hollywood carries (corsets (their specialty), panties, costumes and stockings (including some ultra sexy body stockings) 

 

What do you consider plus size?

So, what do you consider as "plus size"?

Industry standards say it is a size 14, but some people say a size 16. A size 14 has a 34 inch waist (a true 14, that is). Coincidentally, the average woman, at 5'4", is also a size 14.

If you look at the size charts of major plus companies, most will agree that a size 18 is a 38 waist and 46 hip and goes up or down about 2 inches per size. What you get when you shop at most of these places, however, is an entirely different story, but that is a different blog (rant) altogether.

Every day we receive tons of emails from our friends, fans, supporters (and some haters). And every single day we have discussions about what is "true to size", or even a more general question of - what is plus size. Most women will say they are a size 18, for whatever reason. Owning a plus size clothing company, I can give most of these women a once over and know that there is no way they would fit in an 18, but I keep my mouth shut. But, then, they start talking about how they USED TO BE PLUS SIZE or say something offensive about plus size people. And it irks me. A lot. I still keep my mouth shut and those close to me know exactly how hard that is for me to do. I want to drag them by the ear and go store to store and demand they put on an 18 pair of jeans without lying down, the use of a fork to assist in pulling them up or some serious squat thrusts. But I don't. Lying to me is not a big deal. Lying to yourself, however, is tired and pathetic. I'm offended when people don't accept being plus size. Like something is horribly wrong with it. Meaning, something is horribly wrong with me. Or maybe you just don't know that what you measure up to is considered plus size (again, I blame a lot of the clothing manufacturers for this and I wish there was consistency and industry standards).

I'm a size 22. I have a 42 inch waist. My measurements are 53, 42, 49. I don't apologize for my size but I could never look someone in the eye and say I was a size 18 and I would never look someone in the eye and deny falling into the plus size demographic.

This past week, we dealt with three women who insisted they were size 18 with the following waist sizes: 41 (close), 46 and 53. 53!?!?! What is interesting to me is that I hear from no less than 2 women per week with 50+ inch waists who say they are a size 18. Always 18, like clockwork. And who am I to say they aren't? I just say that at my store, a size 18 is a 38 waist and if you want to have a good fit, to use the measurement chart to determine your size. You see, even if I talk to you on the phone, my size 18, 38 inch waist pants will still not fit your 53 inch waist - the measurement chart still applies.

If EVERYONE is a size 18, then what is true to size? What is really an 18? Is it a 38 waist? Is it a 42 waist? Or does it matter? My vote is for womens clothing to be like mens - sell them by inches (i.e. 36x32) and then there is no confusion.

More importantly, what do you consider plus size?

Our principal model is a size 14 (34 waist) with a true hourglass shape (42, 34, 42). She is also 5'7", 4-5" shorter than the average model in height but 5-6" larger in the waist. As stated above, the average woman is a size 14 and 5'4". A size 14 is considered plus size, therefore, by using a size 14, we are reaching the largest audience. That is, if you consider the law of averages.

She can't walk into a store like Forever 21 and buy something unless it goes on her feet or on her head. She's too big for pretty much all of the items. Can she shop at most other large name shops? Yes, but there are also tons of stores and trendy boutiques that she cannot shop at. She understands the pain and frustration of a plus size woman and she identifies with being plus size. Why is it that some larger plus women refuse to accept her as plus size? Why is it that 1 in 500 emails is from someone who is irate because our model is not the same size that she is? Why is it that if a woman is not your size or larger, that she must not be plus size? Some days I feel that size 26+ women think size 26 should be the small end of plus size and that women smaller than them are "too skinny" to be plus size.

I am curious to how many plus women look at their Roaman's catalog when they receive it. And, admit it, most of us receive it. Did you notice the size 6 women they have modeling the clothes? Did it ever disturb you to see these women modeling things up to 9x? It disturbs me. Why? They are size 6.

Did you know that agencies consider size 6 (but usually 8) the low end of the plus model spectrum? Did you know they consider a size 14/16 to be the very large end of the plus model spectrum? We are talking about the larger (and more reputable agencies here). Call a large agency looking for a size 18 or 20 and it is slim pickings.

Did you know that there are several large online companies who use models who PAD themselves with "fat suits" prior to a shoot? Yes. It's kind of unnerving because the model can't even fit in the smallest size of the clothing she is representing. Why do they use them then? I know why. They SELL the clothes. If they didn't, they wouldn't use them over and over again. But why do they sell the clothes? No one knows but the consumer. So, you tell me why you are buying clothes from a website or catalog that are using models who are wearing inches of padding. I'm guilty. I buy from sites who use size 8 models.

We use a 14 as our core model, for many reasons. But, she's a 14. A size society recognizes as plus. Another favorite model of ours is a size 18 with the hips of a size 20/22. And she's got a rockin' body (and a rockin' personality we might add).

Are we opposed to using size 22+ models? Absolutely not. If they sell the clothes. We've done our research. We've used larger models. By and large, when we put our items on larger models, the clothes sit on the shelves longer. A lot longer. We change out the photos to a size 14/16 model and the clothes sell at a much faster rate. Larger sizes first. Go figure.

Someone tell me why!?!? I can just hypothesize. I sit back, a plus woman with plus relatives and plus friends in a plus world - and I can just shake my head in disbelief. As an entrepreneur, I need to do what sells because this is how I support the people I love. After enough trial and error, you go back to what everyone else is doing because your first goal is to sell merchandise.

This is kind of a random blog and I'm trying to piece my thoughts together, and it's hard to do. I want to hear from other people, other plus size women who have the same thoughts. It's so taboo to talk about plus size stuff and even more taboo to admit to falling in the demographic.

We get some (not much) slack regarding our models and their size and so I wanted to write something about it. I will say that most correspondence regarding our models is so positive and optimistic and it makes me feel like we are making small strides in getting "normal" or average sized woman to get the attention they deserve. My personal goal (above and beyond Curvy Girl, the clothing brand) is to get as much media attention as possible for our partners, models and curvy fashionista friends. Hollywood needs to show our children more women who have double digit pant sizes. Hey, throw us a bone. Give us a size 12-14 actress and make her a superstar. You'd give me a heart attack if you let a size 18 star in a movie or her own tv show, but I'm willing to risk it. You could kill me, of course, if you gave the main character a hot husband, of course, to make up for years of "plus" husbands with hot wives, but I'll go out in style! Someone, anyone....just put a size 16 on the cover of a magazine without the words "WORST BEACH BODIES" or "DIET SECRETS" below it. There are funny comediennes and funny actresses and funny models - all wanting to do tv, music, movies and commercials. There are some woman in big bodies with huge pipes - why aren't they on my radio!?! Convince writers to write parts for curvy women. Why? It is important for my 7 year old niece (and your daughers, nieces, sisters) to identify with a woman on her tv. It is important for her to understand that most women aren't size 0-2. Women come in all shapes and sizes.

But, first, it starts with us. It starts with us accepting that we are plus size. It starts with us taking our measurements and knowing what they are even if it means we might fall into that PLUS SIZE category. Let's not lie to ourselves and let's not lie to others. Are we plus size? Yes. Fat? Perhaps. A majority? ABSOLUTELY. And majority rules....let's use that power for something productive.

Most importantly - love your body - every curvy inch of it.

~Lisa

Offensive? MadTv Plus Size Fashion

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k4TSn8lXf58

Yes, it's MadTV. They poke fun at everyone equally but I failed to find the humor in this one...am I being too insensitive?



Are there any positive message videos on You Tube about plus size women? (yes, we know about Joy Nash's brilliant Fat Rant). Other than that, what is out there?



When searching for the terms: Plus size or curvy girl I seem to find women shaking their booties for the camera (whether they know they on camera or not), women feeding themselves or trying on clothes that are too small (someone is obviously enjoying this) or offensive material (offensive to me at least) - I'm assuming most of the material I'm disappointed in is not even posted by a plus woman trying to be a role model for other plus size women, but who knows....


Challenge for my Curvy Sisters - start posting videos with a positive message for other Curvy women to view....can ya do it?