Just As Beautiful - Sept 08

8/14/2019 Just As Beautiful - Sept 08

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SEPT 2008Issue 20

The UKs first free Lifestyle Magazine dedicated to the plus-size woman

a a

BIG GIRLSstorm Fashion Week

10 Most Influential

Plus-Size Women

Conscious

Living
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Britain's Next Plus Model!!

Are you a model that has never been given a chance because the industrythinks you are too big?

[email protected]

Look out for details in Just As Beautiful Magazine. To subscribe for your free monthlycopies email:

'Britain's Next Plus Model'!!

Do you have what it takes to be the definitive plus-size face of the UK?

Do you know anyone that looks stunning and deserves to be recognised as a

high-end model?

If the answer is yes, then you would be happy to know that Just As BeautifulMagazine (The UK's First Free Lifestyle Magazine Dedicated To The Plus-Size

Woman) is looking to give a lucky plus-size fashionable lady a break into theglamorous world of modelling!

If you have what it takes to be 'Britain's Next Plus Model', send an email with 2 good

pictures of yourself to , putting 'Britain's Next PlusModel' in the subject header to request for an application form.

You must be at least a size 16 and over 18 years of age!!

Deadline; 30th October, 2008

[email protected]


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4. Editors Desk

5. Nile Graham

7. Big Girls Invade LondonFashion Week

8. Bob Toovey

10. Health

15. Fat Pig

16. 10 Most InfluentialPlus-Size Women

17. Lyndsay Russell

21. Fashion

25. Feature

Art Director: Jason James

Just As Beautiful

24-26 Arcadia AvenueFinchleyLondon N3 2JU

Tel: 020 8453 7185 (office)07043 020 287(field)

e-mail: [email protected]:

L.B.C.P.

Fax: 0870 131 9838

Just As Beautiful Magazine is published byLondon Business Communications &Publishing (LBCP)

www.justasbeautiful.co.uk

FOR YOUR FREE MONTHLYSUBSCRIPTION OF JUST ASBEAUTIFUL MAGAZINESEND AN EMAIL TO:

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Hi everyone and welcome to another excitingissue of your favourite plus-size monthly, JustAs Beautiful.Well, a lot has happened since last month's issueand we hope you enjoy reading the followingpages that our team has put together.

It has been an extremely busy month and Just AsBeautiful would like to thank the JapanBroadcasting Corporation (NHK) for coming to interview and filmus in the office. This is a testament to the global recognition andgrowth of our magazine and we promise to remain ahead.

The storming of London Fashion Week, by plus-size women

demonstrating against the size zero-only catwalk this month hasonce again led to the opening of the debate. Thanks ChristopherBiggins!

Fat Chance author, Lyndsay Russell, takes a fed-up look at fashionweek, while Nile Graham reminds us about conscious living andwe also take a look at the ten most influential plus-size women.

Happy reading!

Julia ThomasEditor

E

d i t o r s D e

s k


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Hello readers!!

I hope the summer (what we had ofit) was a positively memorable timefor you. Did you go out and make itmemorable for yourself by settingsome achievable goals? Did youconvert all you saw, heard read andpersonally experienced about yourown and others style that youadmire into action? Trying andbuying clothes, applying the basicrules I've given you in my previousthree part 'personal styling tips' not

so long ago? WHAAAAT! Youthought I wouldn't check up on you(lol) you don't escape that easily myfriend!

All too often, in a world full ofinformation and 'just-got-to-know'(and 'should-know this or that'), itcan feel like the only time forreflection is the one for five minutesin the bathroom mirror as you checkyour hair and face for remaining eyecrust and breakfast before bolting

out the door for another full anddemanding day of restrictions andexpectations.

I had two weeks during the summermonths where I thought my headwas going to explode with all thethings I had to do, think about,consider, to respond to, ponderover (yeah right! Like there was time

to ponder!) and act upon.

In order to make the latter lessreactionary and more of aconsidered outcome, I truly had tostep back from how all of this wasm a k i n g m e f e e l i . e . ,overwhelmed, anxious and dizzy! and recall the short and more longterm goals I had set myself forexactly this reason.

What do I mean?Well, life has a tendency to appearto gather death defying pace attimes when we feel the least able tocope with it. This is the time whenour old ways or patterns of thinkingand behaving can jeopardise allour best efforts to pursue morehealthy and helpful directions.

Our consciousness is so strongly inplay daily that, with so much tocontend with, it literally pushes new

thinking aside in favour of what itbelieves to work best the statusquo or what it knows. It's not thatthere is no interest in change, it's justthat time and commitment toreinforcing the change is necessaryif it is to ascend the realms of theconscious mind.

The sub-conscious carries the

signature of the new thinking. Therewill be brief flashes of what youshould be thinking and doing;m a y b e e v e n a l i n g e r i n gthoughtbefore old habit takeso v e r . A n e x a m p l e , y o u ' r eapproaching the till at lunch timeand, as they do, your eyes perusethe chocolate and other goodies.You think of the fruit salad you'vepicked up as part of your newregime of healthier livingyou

figure you'll be better placed tostart afresh tomorrow. Out goes thefruit salad (if it ever made it to yourbasket!), and hello chocolate bar.You may even rationalise yourchoice based upon the energy thatthe bar will give you, howeverimmediate and short term we wellknow that isto further validateyour decision.

This is not about chocolate vs. fruitcup, it is about how powerful our

immediate thinking and behaviourare and how new thought needsconsistent action if it is to take root.

This is where our unconscious cansway between a supporting role ofthe conscious or sub-consciousstate. Whilst it may sound the leastpowerful of the three states, thevery opposite is the case.

By Nile Graham

Taking time to review the summer of 2008

Conscious living


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F orty plus-size ladies, thel eg e nd ar y C h ri st op h erBiggins and his new bandR u by C up i ds i n va d edLondon Fashion Week with 'SizeZero's So Pass, Bingo Wings Anyday' placards to promote a newsingle called 'Bingo Wings' and werenearly arrested by Police for holdingan 'un-authorized demonstration.'

The fun stunt on the opening day ofLondon fashion week was a greatway of launching the singlecelebrating of the arms and charmsof the larger individual and reminderpeople that you should be proud tobe yourself whatever your shape.

After an hour of altercations withpolice the event, which was filmedby ITV and GMTV passed withoutarrests but Biggins and the guys

were sternly told they had toregister all protests however funwith the authorities in the future. Thefashionistas didn't know what hitthem!

When three thespian friends Matt,Nathan and Jimmie decided thatthe world needed to say 'goodbyeto size zero and hello to big girls' andthat there was simply not enoughpop in the world there was only onesolution to record a recordcelebrating the charms and armsof the larger lady.

RubyCupids were formed andplans were hatched but somethingwas still missing and that somethingcame in the shape of the one andonly Christopher Biggins, whoNathan was working with on theRocky Horror Show.

CURVEY GIRLSINVADELONDON FASHION WEEK


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Home Grown SupportBy Bob Toovey

W here do you buy your clothes?Seeing as it is hard to findanything worth while on thehigh street, not to mention howembarrassing it can be, I am guessing youbuy it on the internet. Not a problem andfor me quite understandable. But are youusing a UK company or one further afield,the USA for example?

Thankfully these days search engines canhelp you find a clothing company butsometimes it does seem that the Americanscan dominate the plus size clothing market.One of the problems of dealing withoverseas internet shops is the customersupport. What happens if it is damaged ornot what you ordered? Most likely you aregoing to have to pay to send it back.

I guess the British reserve stops the UKretailers from making themselves known.And yes, there are UK retailers that sell plus-size and ONLY plus size. Have you foundthem?

I am in a good position to know aboutthese shops as I run my own set of blogs onsize-related issues. There are many UKbased plus-size retailers run by womenwho, like many, are disappointed at therange of sizes and styles available in thehigh street. That is their inspiration to go into business and to sell. Good on them I say.

Do you remember in days of old the 'BuyB rit is h' c am pa ig ns ? P eop le w er eencouraged to buy British to support oureconomy. I still like the idea of 'Buy British',but to support our own plus-size retailers.

Before you say it, many of the UK internetshops are supplying clothing by US baseddesigners. Well they have to startsomewhere; perhaps if they are successfulthey can search out home grown talent.

So, next time you are looking forsomething to wear and start reaching outfor the keyboard, remember you can getwhat you want right here in the UK.

Do you have a business and need a book, booklet,newsletter, artwork or advertising copy?

Contact LBCP

Tel: 020 8453 7185or email:

[email protected]


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The rest as they say is history.With RubyCupids and MCBiggins camping it up for allthey're worth, 'Bingo Wings' isproving a runaway success on

YouTube and the video's uniquemoves have sparked a dancecraze that is set to dominateschool discos and weddingdances for generations. Socheck out 'Bingo Wings' andgear up to be the surprise hit of2008 because whatever yourproportions you will find yourselfsh aking you r e xc e s s f a ts ens eles s to the def in itivehomage to the flabby forearmsof the non size zero wearing

masses


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Ol iv ia Ne wto n- Jo hn h asteamed up with Curves inan initiative to offer the LivAid breast self-examination

kit during October Breast CancerAwareness Month to help womenbe co me m or e c om fo rt ab leperforming their monthly at-homeexamination.

Breast s elf- examin ation is animportant step a woman can doherself as part of a regular breasthealth routine. Clearly, a significantnumber of breast cancers are foundby the patient herself, even in thesetting of a normal mammogram,says re nowne d breast cance rsurgeon, Ernie Bodai, M.D., F.A.C.S.The Liv Aid greatly enhances awoman's ability in detecting anabnormalitywhich in many caseswill lead to early detection and abetter chance for a cure.

Non-members can get a free Liv Aidw h e n t h e y c om e i n f o r acomplimentary Fitness Assessment.Curves members have a variety ofways to obtain a Liv Aid, includingshowing proof of a mammogramwithin the last 12 months. Liv Aids arealso available for purchase byanyone in the community.

And to help Liv Aid recipientsremember to use them, they cansign up to receive complimentarymonthly email alerts from OliviaNewton-John, who has partneredwith Curves to help promote breastcancer awareness. Being a breastcancer 'thriver,' I know that earlydetection is key to good breasthealth, says Newton-John, whosecancer was diagnosed in 1992 andwho is now cancer-free.

1 million breast self-examination kits to be distributed during October Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Olivia Newton-JohnTeams With Curves

Olivia with Curves co-founder Diane Heavin


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How To Have A

PeriodPositive 'A recent survey revealedthat three quarters ofw o m e n i n t h e U Kdescribed their period asan 'unhappy' experience, yet nearly70% of Greek ladies describe their periods as happy, followed by 58%in Switzerland, 54% in Austria and45% in France. So why do we have it so bad in Britain and wha t can bedone to ease the pain?

In the poll of 2,400 women acrossEurope, one in ten of 19-24 year oldsin the UK are simply unable tofunction. Part of the challengeseems to be the feelings thatintensify during a woman's period.Irritability comes top with 69%,followed by pain (56%), stress (49%)and anger (41%). We are also themost likely of all nations to havemore arguments with people duringour period.On the plus side, periods seem tomake lots of women want someextra loving. Close to one in fivewomen report heightened senses

and 21% of 19-24 year oldsexperience heightened sex drive.Women have also come up withways to make their period moreenjoyable. Comfort food scoredh ig h e s t w i t h 4 9 % a l l ow in gthemselves to indulge. Stilettos andmicro-minis stay in the wardrobe of3 6 % o f w o m e n w h o w e a rcomfortable clothes and shoesinstead.What can women learn from theirEuropean sisters? Talking aboutyour period definitely helps. TheGreeks have the happiest periodsand they ' r e al so the mostcomfortable talking about them.They also see periods as a naturaldetoxification process and a causefor celebration that they are notpregnant. The French use L'Amour.As well as improving their periods byseeking attention from their lovedones, which may result from havingthe most increased sex drive, theyare twice as likely to do the deed.Confidence coach Dawn Breslingives her golden rules for a morepositive period:

1. Women have a wonderfulopportunity to experience life

from a fresh perspective oncea month. Dreams are more vividand your true feelings are morein focus.

2. Choose to enjoy and appreciatethe enhanced sensitivity andsensuality. The power of periodsis to give women a heightened

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3. Don't fall into the trap of using aperiod as an excuse.

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When we consider food

allergy, images ofsevere and immediatereactions to peanuts,

for example, are conjured up in themi nd. Howev er, f ood alle rgysymptoms can occur within a fewminutes to an hour ] and it cantherefore be difficult to determinethe offending food or foods. We alsorarely eat a single food item andwith such a variety of foods in ourdiet it can be very difficult top inpoin t t he f oods we are

potentially at risk from.

Symptoms can include itchy skin,swelling lips and face, coughing,shortness of breath and wheezing,asthma, dry itchy throat andtongue, rashes, eczema, diarrhoea,vomiting, and headache. Veryoften sufferers don't consider theirsymptoms to be caused by allergyor mask their symptoms witha nt ih is ta mi ne s, s te ro id s a nddecongestants or other treatments

designed to treat the symptomrather than the cause.

Alle rgy Analysi s has launched,Food400, the UK's first pinprick IgEtest which tests for food allergiesand can help people identify thecause of their ill health symptoms.The quick, reliable and convenienttest can provide sufferers withvaluable information enabling themto take the next steps towards betterhealth.

[1

Samples for the Food400 can be

taken at home and uses a pinprickmethod to capture a small amountof blood which is sent back to theirservice laboratory for testing. It isthe first IgE test which uses thismethod, thus eliminating the needfor a venous sample to be taken bya medical professional.

Allergy Analysis said: There is a veryreal allergy management problemin the UK. Allergy services ares ign i fican t ly under-resourced

which means many people areturning to the high street in order totry and alleviate their ill-healthsymptoms. The downside of this isthat many people are at the mercyof non-scientific and invalidatedtests and, after taking these tests,find little or no improvement in theirsymptoms, or make dangerousdietary changes unguided byhealth professionals. Allergy andI gE ant ibodies are re l iab lymeasured and the methods of

testing undisputed by the scientificcommunity. Some believe that IgGmay play a role in terms of foodintolerance, however the jury is stillout as far as conclusive evidence isconcerned.

Allergy Analysis has developedFood400 to help people identifyfood allergies which may becontributing to ill health symptoms.Allergy is often considered to havean immediate effect but, in many

cases, the symptoms can bedelayed by up to an hour or twowhich can make it difficult forindividuals to identify the offendingfoods without help. We also have awide variety of foods in our diet andif we haven't prepared the foodourselves, when eating out forexample, we may not be aware ofall of the food items we haveingested. Food400 provides areliable and convenient method ofidentifying food allergies withoutthe visit to a GP and extensive

waiting times before being referredto an allergy specialist which is thealternative.

The UK has seen the incidence ofallergy increase quite dramaticallyover recent years. Latest studies putthe rise at around three-fold in thelast 20 years, giving the UK one ofthe highest rates of allergic diseasein the world. Food allergy isincreasingly common and is them o s t c o m m o n c a u s e o f

anaphylaxis in children. Peanutallergy, the most common foodallergy to cause fatal or near-fatalreactions, has trebled in incidenceover four years and now affects onein 70 children in the UK. Only 10years ago this was an incredibly raredisorder.

As the NHS continues to fail allergy patients Allergy Analysis launches a pinprick foodallergy test which can be taken at home-

The first ever home food allergy testis launched in the UK
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F AT PIG, the theatre show staring EllaSmith in the role of 'Helen', hasbecome such a success that its runhas been extended and Kelly Brookis to be added to the cast from October. FATPIG is directed by its author, Neil LaBute andalso stars Kevin Bishop as 'Carter', JoannaPage as 'Jeannie' and Nicholas as Burns'Tom'. Ella was a regular character in thetelevision drama series Cape Wrath andhas recently starred opposite Kris Marshall(who was originally in the play) in the ITVdrama Sold.

When Tom first meets Helen there is aninstant connection, but it's not exactly loveat first sight... Helen is a bright, funny, sexyyoung woman who happens to be plus-

sized - and then some - and it's only so longbefore the insults start to fly from Tom'sshallow yet shockingly funny office buddies.

FAT PIG in London is produced by HowardPanter for Ambassador Theatre Group andB ro adw ay p ro du ce r B ar ry We is sl er ,responsible for the New York and London hitmusical Chicago.

Performances at the Comedy Theatre will beat 7.30pm on Mondays Saturdays, with2.30pm matinees on Thursdays and

Saturdays. Tickets, priced from 20 to37.50 , are available from the ComedyTheatre Box Office on 0870 060 6637 oronline at: www.fatpigtheplay.com

Ella's Runaway Success


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Trying to think of ten women whohave had a positive influence on meand maybe the general public is atough one. So, I thought of a coupleand then struggled for a while tothink of others. In the end I have hadto drop a couple in favour of others,but still the full list was not as big as Iwould have liked. It seems (onthinking about it) that it is the sameas in the work place, sports worldand politics; that females are in theminority and there seems to bemore opportunity for large male rolemodels than female ones. Perhapsthis will all change and becomemore acceptable in the public eye,rather than just the odd 'naughtypostcard' token cuddly lady throwninto the mix for a bit of mirth. I thinkthe greatest success of a buxomwoman breaking into the A list is onewho is there despite her size and notbecause of it.

Dawn French

My Top Ten (in no particular order)

Probably the first lady who pops intomost peoples minds when youmention plus-size women and rightlyso. She has been there for manyyears now without either shoving hersize down your throat or causing afuss. Her size is second to herpersonality, which is why I think she isso popular. Stunningly beautiful,

clever and so funny with anintelligence to equal her size (thecheque is in the post isn't it Dawn?Hee hee). I don't think I have evercome across anyone who dislikesh e r a nd s he ha s m ade i tacceptable for men to lust over abig babe. Her comic ability hasbeen not to make fun of her size in away that makes you feel slightlyuncomfortable, but in a way thatmakes me roar with laughter (as Iknow exactly where she is comingfrom. The ballet scene where shewas mirroring Darcey Bustle springsto mind; she gracefully movesacross the stage and when a bitcomes along that is impossible forsomeone of ample proportions toperform, she fluffs over it with anextra flounce of the arms and a

smile).

Another stunning beauty. Thesecret desire of many teenage boysdreams back in the eighties whenshe burst into the mainstream withVince Clarke to form Yazoo (whohad big success with songs such as'Don't go', 'Only You' and 'Nobody'sDiary'). She then had success in herown right as a solo singer with songsl i ke ' A l l C r i e d O u t ' , ' L o v eResurrection and 'That Ole DevilCalled Love'. To me she was alwaysfairly mysterious, wore long cloaklike clothes and was fairly dark, but Ionly really saw her on Top of ThePops. She, again, wasn't the biglady who sings, but the sultry beautywith the big voice. Talent wonthrough, thank goodness, and shestill endures today having justfinished a tour with Yazoo coveringEurope and the USA and anothertour in her own right is due next year.

Now drastically smaller, Fern hasbeen such a positive image for theplus-sized lady that she should stillbe included in my list (although nowI don't know what size she is). Thereseems to be a fair amount ofcriticism for her having had weight-loss surgery, but I say it isn't an easy

Alison Moyet

Fern Britton

of the

MOST INFLUENTIALPlus-Size Women10 10

Just As Beautiful Editor, Julia Thomas, Takes A Look At Plus-Size Women With Plus-Size Positivity

Alison Moyet photo courtesy of Anna Scholz

continued on pg. 18


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By author of FAT CHANCE, and national journalist Lyndsay Russell

And ironically the only thing burstingat the seams are the newspapers,with endless images of the skeletal'walking dead'. Yet again, theWeek highlights the feeling of 'them'and 'us'. Ignore it, ladies

Those depressing statistics statingthat 69% of women would rather bean unhealthy size 0 than a healthysize 16 only serve to send me runningfor a double custard doughnut.Bizarre isn't it, how we've changedour view of what's normal. Only 25years ago, Twiggy was considered askinny, gawky kid. Send her downthe catwalk now, and her shapewouldn't cause the photographersto waste a digital click.

Talking of digital clicks, I have afeeling that's where the nub of theproblem lies. Photo retouchingused to be expensive. One of myclosest friends used to retouch usinga hand brush and spent many acos tly an d pain stakin g h ou rremoving spots and eye-bags fromthe models gracing the front coverof Vogue, Harpers or whatever.

But that's all changed with the

Apparently, the scr awny littlemonster then waltzed down theline, jabbing them with her fingersstating You're too fat. You'repodgy. You're okay You're not.I'm perfect.

Horrified, I asked the mum telling thetale what she said to her poordaughter. To which she rightfullyhung her head and quietly replied,I 'm ashamed to say, I asked herwhere she came

Dear God, what are we coming to?Some people knock school mediaclasses as frivolous, but actually Ithink they've got a major new roleto play with our teenagers. Theyshould have classes exposing themanipulation we're under - noquestion everyone would benefit tosee a demonstration of the powerof retouching. Perhaps we needJaime Oliver type lessons in selfesteem correction, because there'sno doubt staring at the catwalkphotos, it's very easy to feel we're soremoved from the ideal of beauty,we may as well take our supposedlyheffalump carcasses to the nearest

digital revolution. At the press of aPhotoshop button, she's shown mehow you can not only make a faceperfect in seconds, but just as easilystretch a model's impossibly longlegs to even more fantasticallengths. It's so quick, cheap andeasy to do, that it allows evenmundane clothes catalogues tomake their models extra thin, lean,and long-waisted in every shot.Digitally lengthened and slimmedimages are all around us, in photoswe would never think had beenaltered, and I do believe it'sdangerously affecting the mindsetof our tender offspring.

My kid Tippi tells me she feels thepressure to measure up to this fake'normal' image, and she's justeleven years old. Worse, sheconfided last week, she first felt itwhen she was only nine. I found outshe wasn't alone whilst recentlydowning a latte at a regular schoolmum get-together. One of myfriends told me she was shocked tohear the cool 'queen bee' in herdaughter's year 4 class (nine-to-tenyear olds) had ordered all the otherkids to line up in weight order!

It's Fashion Week

A Fed-Up Look at

Fashion Week


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watering hole and sink into muddyoblivion.

The usual bleat against designers isthey're mostly gay and like boyishfigures to display their wares. Well,here's another thought Profit. Ithink the fashion houses also love topromote 'skinny' because, let's facei t th a t me a ns le s s c os t l ymaterial/sequins/jewels/sewingwork on each item!! No wonderthey want us all to be the size of anine year old child.Perhaps we need to start a

A former journalist, broadcasterand magazine editor, Lyndsay wasone of the pioneers to choose morecurvaceous models against thegrowing tide of size zero. Deeplyaware of the pressure to be anunrealistic size, Lyndsay stands upfor every woman who's ever hatedthe way they look and the way theyare made to feel about it. Lyndsay

has worked on Woman's Hour,Kaleidoscope and Loose Ends onBBC Radio 4 and presented showson Talk Radio UK, BBC Scotland andBBC London.

campaign to encourage emergingyoung designers to think anddesign BIG. We need to convincethem a bigger canvas, means a farmore dramatic impact they canhave their models floating downthe catwalks l ike magnif icent ,shimmering butterflies. Wouldn'tthat be great then the protesterswould be complaining that Size 26was TOO big. And that would be afun change.Fat chance you all say? Maybenot

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option. It's drastic, risky and by nomeans a breeze. I have read a littleabout this kind of surgery and it is ahard choice to make. I can respectanyone's reason for taking thisoption as it must be a hard decisionto make, let alone the issue of looseskin post weight-loss. She should bedefined by her personality and not

by a life choice. Having been a stayat home Mum and then unable towork myself, I have watched her ontelevision a fair amount in themornings and love her wicked senseof humour, glamour and ability tosee an amusing side of life alongwith great compassion in seriousmoments. Her fashion sense hasalways been lovely and again manymen find her very alluring. She seemsto be more like a 'real' person, thegirl next door, someone you canrelate and aspire to.

I absolutely love this lady. I put her byFern as her major role post BigBrother has been as a presenter onThis Morning. She started withcompetitions and little segmentsand now has a larger role along withinterviewing major film stars aboutupcoming movies. Anyone who hasseen her interviews will probably beconvinced she is slightly mad, in a

Allison Hammond

good way though. Anyone whohasn't seen her interviews has noidea what they are missing. I haveliterally been sitting alone in myliving room laughing my head off atthe way she manages to get awaywith crazy stunts with big stars. Sheseems to manage to break theirguard down and make a run-of-the-mill five-minute interview herown. She leaves the stars shellshocked and looking like they areactually enjoying themselves. I feelshe gets them to show their realside, flirting outrageously with thelikes of Robert Downey Jr andDenzel Washington. I think she actsout how a star struck girl (like me)would want to be, meeting a bigstar, rather than the stuffy ten-a-penny interview where the samequestions are asked again andagain.

The first of two older generationcurvy ladies I have to include as apart of my childhood. Diana Dorswas born in Swindon in 1931 andwas Britain's answer to blondeb om bs he ll M ar il yn M on ro e.Although she was more curvy thanplus-size until her later years, shewas a stunning beauty with a figurethat wouldn't make it on to mostcatwalks today. For me she was just

Diana Dors

the epitome of glamour. She starredin films of the black and white eraand despite her beauty she washappy to don the 'wickedstepmother' type role appearing farfrom beautiful. In her later life and ahuge memory from my teenage

years was her appearance in thePrince Charming video of Adam &The Ants (where she was the fairyg o d m o t h e r t o A d a m ) .Unfortunately she died young ofovarian cancer at 52. Born with thename Diana Fluck, she was askedto change her name leading herto quote: They asked me tochange my name, I suppose theywere afraid that if my real name,Diana Fluck, was in lights, and oneof the lights blew ..

The other blast from the past that jumped into my mind straight away.Born long ago in 1922, she was ac o m e d y a c t r e s s o f l a r g eproportions who I mainly rememberfrom the 'Carry On' films; her mostfamous role being as Matron in thehospital based films. She had alsoworked with legendary comedianTony Hancock (that's even beforeMY time) and in later years with EricSykes. What impresses me abouther is although she was a very largelady, the comedy in the roles she

Hattie Jacques

courtesy of Aurum Press

courtesy of ITV

courtesy of ITV

continued from pg. 16


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had portrayed were not just basedaround her size but her genius forcutting looks and expertly placedquips. In my opinion she was not aplus-size actress, she was an actresswho just happened to be plus-size.

Queen Latifah was known as arapper to begin with. Through sheerhard work and talent she now hasan enviable movie and televisioncareer and her own cosmetic rangewith Cover Girl. She had a poor startcoming from the projects in NewJersey and broke into the mainlymale dominated rapping scene.She has since then been in televisionroles and films receiving criticalacclaim and the thing thatimpresses me the most is she has

done it all by having a formidabledriving force and attitude to life. Isaw her at the cinema in Hairspray,singing and dancing which broughther into my radar and reminds menot to have pre-conceived ideasabout someone. A good exampleto show that if you try hard enough,you can overcome and thrive atanything you set your mind on.

A young lady who has shot straightfrom nowhere to star as TracyTurnblad in the hit stage musicalHairspray in London. Admittedly Iknew little about her, but myadmiration is high as, with the movie.They didn't go along the lines ofpadding out a very well knowactress to fill the role, and this younglady is dancing and dashing and

Queen Latifah

Leanne Jones

running around the stage fromMonday to Saturday evenings (anda matinee on top of that onThursday's and Saturday's). The bestexample I know to show that youcan be large and fit at the sametime. That aside from the interviews

I have seen she is a lovely freshyoung lady who is gorgeous. All yougirls in school, who wish to follow adream, go for it. You don't have toconform to the formula of a size 10or below and the sooner that isaccepted the better. (Can Inominate Michael Ball as aninspirational plus-size woman in therole of Edna Turnblad? No? Okthen, but he makes a really cuddlylovely Mum)

Heather Trott from Eastenders. Nowthis was a tricky one. WhenEastenders brought her into theshow I was pretty appalled thatthey were portraying the plus-sizewoman in the worst way possible.She wore clothes which were notf lat ter ing or nice; she wasappearing to be a bit mentallychallenged and wore her hair in away that went out of fashion circa1976. I thought to myself oh no,here we go, show the big girl as acomedy figure, an object ofridicule and having no drive with anun con trol lable ur ge to e ateverything in sight; especiallycheese which she was portrayed asbeing unable to resist causing herto loose her job (leaving teethmarks in the stilton is not a goodlook for the supermarket display).

However, as the role wound out Ihave grown to admire Heather onthe whole. They have shownreasons for her lack of confidenceand reliance on others -anoverbearing Mother who alwayscalls her 'pig' and runs her downconstantly. Although I would love itif they made her over and let herflourish more, she is now a firmfavourite with a lovely caringnature, a great set of principals andthe comedy isn't always at herexpense. If you have a friend inHeather, you have a loyal,trustworthy friend to the end. Welldone to Cheryl for making anappearance as a short term guestturn into a long running well lovedcharacter.

Cheryl Fergison

Victoria Wood

Victoria Wood came to the fore inthe 1980's alongside Julie Waltersand then in her own show 'As Seenon TV'. She has a wit that doesn't relyon smut; there is a lot of innuendo

there but never crossing the lineand her songs are amazing if onlyfor the fact that she can rememberall the lyrics and play the piano atthe same time. In later years shewrote the sitcom in which shestarred 'Dinnerladies' which is wellworth a look at on digital or satelliteTV if you haven't watched it. She hasalso recently written and starred inher own musical 'Acorn Antiques,The Musical'.Much to her credit she broke the

comedy mould to star in and winnot one but two BAFTA's for starringin and writing for the TV adaptationof 'Housewife 49' (the story of thetrue diaries of a downtroddenhousewife during the second WorldWar in Lancashire). I think VictoriaWood should have more acclaimthan she does for her long spanningcareer, along with Julie Walters aformidable pair to emulate.

Those are the ten I admire for theirindividual achievements, al l indifferent ways. Looking back overthe list it seems clear to me that themajority of these ladies have shonein a comedic role and I wonder ifthis is because they are large or inspite of being large? Do we enjoyseeing 'the big girl' making fun ofherself or does the large girldevelop a sense of humour to copewith way life happens to treat her?Often an object of 'fat' jokes andbullying at school? Is comedy a toolto escape the bully's wrath or is itsomething generic? 'Fat and jolly'has always seemed to be thephrase out there for large women orindeed men so I don't know. I doknow I am very glad that whatevermade these women into what theyare happened, as each one ofthem would leave a hole in my pastor the hope that the future willenable the larger woman to beaccepted as the norm rather thanthe exception.

Queen Latifah photo courtesy of Anna Scholz


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I t's time to take the walk alongthe hallway to the smallestbut most welcome room ofthe house, well it is when youare needing it! The world of hold ona secjust at's time to take the walk along thehallway to the smallest but mostwelcome room of the house, well it iswhen you are needing it! The worldof hold on a secjust amoment . . . . . . ..

Ahh, that's better! Now where was I?Oh yeah, the toilet, (I knew Ishouldn't have had that thirdcuppa). The world of snow whiteporcelain , shiny chrome, fluffytowels and a hint of somethingflowery if you are lucky, and if youaren't It's a pain in the plus sizedproverbial, literally!

Several things have happened overthe last few months that havebrought this subject to the fore; amusic festival I went to in July withsome of my best friends is the first.After hauling endless items about 30miles across a rutted field, I had the job of pulling the porta potti in itsg lor ious box much to th e i ramusement. It was I who hadbegged my friend to bring said toiletas we were camping and I knew Iwould just have to 'go' in the nightand didn't fancy my chances withthe guy ropes and the midges, so it

was I who would drag it on the cartto the tent.

Cutting a long story of erectingtents in threatening skies, setting upcamp beds and getting the kettleon short, we had two tents, one withsix of us and another with two. Oursix berth luxury pad was where weinstalled the facilities. It was to go ina very non-squeamish f riend' ssleeping compartment during theday and the middle of the tent atnight We had privacy as thesleeping compartments all zippedup, can I delicately mention thatthere was a firm rule with the loo, itwas tinkles only, well we do havesome standards.

The lower class two berth tent hadtheir own system which consisted ofan ex ice cream tub and veryaccurate aim which is physicallyimpossible for this larger lady. Acouple of my friends did not wantanything to do with the porta potti,a haughty flick of the hair over theshoulder and I'm not using that Ibelieve was said at one point. Theysay pride comes before a fall, butmaybe it should be changed topride comes before a torrential rainfall (they would all be using it afterthe first ten inches of rain fell).

Now it had been a while since I hadencountered the portable toilet

block and I must say things havecome a long way. These were niceand clean, didn't smell too bad andhad plenty of paper and hand gel.Up I trotted before it got dark as we

didn't want to push our luck withfilling the porta potti over our threenights. I got to the block and chosemy 'turdis', opened the door andstepped up to the throne (hmm, it'sa bit snug in here I thought). I closedthe door and was a bit alarmed tofind the whole thing was on a strongtilt forwards. I had my tinkle,grabbed the paper thinking thiswas a piece of cake and there wasthe thing, something an averagesized person wouldn't notice is thatthe door is very close to your knees,thus making it a very difficultprocedure to lean forward to'freshen up' post tinkle. You kind oftry to lean forward and your veryample chest hits the back of thedoor making the whole thing thekind of feat that Olga Korbut wouldbe proud to pull off. That with it,leaning forward in the first placewas really unsettling. I was prayingthat the door catch was strong andhaving visions of being ejectedleaving me stuck head first in themud with my dignity reaching forthe stars.

We had some tea and snacks, ohand there may have been a bit offizzy wine and beer consumed too.

By Julia Thomas

THE LARGE LADY INthe smallest room


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I have gone on a bit here so may haveto make a second visit to the loo in thefuture. Kind of 'The Loo, Part Two', asthere are a few stories I have to tell.Slender people only have to worryabout if it is clean and has paper; Ialways approach a new public loowondering if I have the skills to shimmyaround the door or limbo under thesink sideways! Let alone if there is

enough room to squeeze past thequeue of ladies waiting to get in as youtry and get out.

not bad at all, but could I 'go' despitewanting to? Ah, yes in the end I wastinkling with the wind and rain allaround and trying to stifle a giggle asit felt so bizarre. I was also thinkingwhat if the tent took off leaving mesitting there exposed to the world?Luckily it didn't and you guessed it -weall got over shy bladders. As it carriedon pouring with rain most of the

weekend we were really grateful forit. The thought of wearing wellys,raincoat etc in the middle of the nightover your pyjamas was not good atall. A tip here, use the disabled portaloo if there isn't anyone waiting for it -itprovides the amply padded lady, orman, a much more comfortable andlogistically easier visit.

And the time cam -time for the firstof us to brave the porta potti withonly a thin sheet of tent materialseparating her from the rest of us.Despite us being a little older thanteenagers, we were giggling. But,boy did we end up appreciatingthat little plastic potti! It was soclever and even flushed. Bliss.

It carried on raining and in the earlyhours I needed to 'go'. I hung on forwhat seemed like ages with theheavens throwing down on the tentand then thought 'it is time'. I un-zipped the compartment whichsounded like a chain saw firing upand there it was like a throne in themiddle of the room. I sat down andthought, well, this is pretty comfy,

julia Thomas is the ownerof leading website:

www.curvychicks.co.uk

Just As Beautiful Magazine Awards

Coming Soon!!

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TEL:020 8453 718507043 020 287or

email: [email protected]


27/30

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H oliday homes risk being leftempty and their ownersout of pocket as the creditcrunch begins to bite on aglobal scale, warns holiday rentalhome portal rentourproperty.tvAs fewer people take holidaysabroad to compensate for the risingcosts of living in the UK, those whoown holiday homes with a view torent them out could be losing vitalincome.I a n B e l l , f o u n d e r o frentourproperty.tv, says: Wheneven the Prime Minister stays in theUK for his summer holiday you knowthere must be a problem. Jokingaside, there does seem to be acurrent trend to holiday closer tohome to save on costs, but thatleaves all those holiday homesempty and not generating income.

A lot of people have invested in aproperty abroad to generateincome and to provide an asset forwhen they retire. However, withfewer people going abroad thatluxury villa on the French Rivierac o u l d b e c o m e a c o s t l yinvestment.Rentourproperty.tv point out thatthe rise of budget hotels is also athreat to rental holiday properties,but says it does not have to bedoom and gloom for anyoneowning a property overseas.Ian Bell says: A lot of people rely onword of mouth to make sure theirhome gets rented out. However,when times get tough you findp e op l e w i l l be c ome mor einnovative. That's where we comein.

Rather than just provide somedrab photos, we have takenholiday homes into the 21st century.We turn those drab photos in to avideo pres entat ion, so thatpotential tenants see more of it andget a better idea of what it will belike to spend their holiday there.Who knows, perhaps one day thiswill extend to the house buyingmarket as well, it would certainly cutdown on the time spent on houseviewings.R e nt o ur p ro p er t y. t v p r ov i de sdownloadable versions of theholiday home video created foriPod's and mobile phones, allowingpeople to share and view a holidayproperty on the move, plus it can beuploaded to eight video sharingsites, including YouTube, Google,Yahoo and MySpace.

Holiday Homes Under Threat AsCredit Crunch Goes Global


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Just As Beautiful MagazineAwards

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TEL: 020 8453 718507043 020 287

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email: info@justasbeautiful co uk

Just As Beautiful - Sept 08

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