A mini lifestyle show for BBW
Miz A is big, beautiful and loving
it.
She is the proprietor of Just 2B Me Network, which connects curvaceous women across London.
"Just 2B Me stands for Just Big, Beautiful Me," she explained. "BBW (Big Beautiful Women) and plus-size have a stigmatism attached to them. People believe that if you're a plus-sized woman or a BBW, you sit at home and eat bon-bons all day long," she laughed.
"I'm trying to build a business and a network for us girls who are big, bold, beautiful, sexy."
Miz A said that in doing surveys of BBWs for her project Jiggy Junction, which hosts events for plus-sized women, she learned local women had a common problem.
"A lot of women said, 'There's nothing here for us, there's no community for us,'" explained Miz A. "'We're all scattered all over the place. Is there something you can do to bring us all together?' And I thought, 'Sure, I'm Miz A, I can do anything.'"
While considering how to give London-area plus-sized women a voice, Miz A found her own as an entertainer. Describing herself as a big girl with a big voice, she began her foray into the entertainment industry six years ago.
"As a plus-sized entertainer, I found it very hard to find stage clothes for appearances," she said. "I ended up starting to travel to Toronto to find plus-sized stores that would cater to me, because London is very limited in the fashion selections, and if you do find a good store, it's very, very expensive."
The culmination of ideas from various avenues led her to the creation of Just 2B Me at the very end of last year. Miz A uses the network to connect curvy ladies with products, clothing, lingerie and more to make them look and feel gorgeous. She travels around southwestern Ontario in search of stores that will cater to them, and mentioned that she had found a store in Woodstock, called Imogenes, that carries beautiful 3X to 8X sized clothes.
"I promote self-acceptance of who you are in the size you are now, in this moment in time, whether you're a happy fit with the size you are, or you're working on attaining a size that is a happy fit for you," she said. "I don't endorse weight loss programs or diets; those are personal choices."
Just 2B Me is hosting its first mini-lifestyle show, a clothing swap and consignment sale, on April 9 at the Church of St. Jude, located at 1537 Adelaide St. N. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10. Drop off clothes and accessories throughout the day and check to see what else is available. The consignment area will hold higher-end pieces, such as cocktail dresses. Leftover clothing will be donated to a local charity.
"We're recycling and restyling," said Miz A. She said that plussized women will often purchase clothes because they fit — not necessarily look good. "All of us have these huge closets of all these clothes that we bought because they fit. It's time to take a look at these clothes and say, 'This may fit, but it doesn't look good, but it might look good on one of my sisters.'"
The lifestyle show will also feature products and services, including gorgeous 3X to 8X fashions by Imogenes of Woodstock; Boo-BBeads, designer bra straps for strapless bras; bra fittings and sales, including sizes 30DD to 46KK by registered holistic practitioner C. M. Knight and more to come.
For more information on the event, visit tinyurl.com/just2bmelifestyleshow. For more information on Miz A and Just 2B Me Network, visit tinyurl.com/just2bme. Don't forget to check out just2bme.ca for a brand new website coming soon.
She is the proprietor of Just 2B Me Network, which connects curvaceous women across London.
"Just 2B Me stands for Just Big, Beautiful Me," she explained. "BBW (Big Beautiful Women) and plus-size have a stigmatism attached to them. People believe that if you're a plus-sized woman or a BBW, you sit at home and eat bon-bons all day long," she laughed.
"I'm trying to build a business and a network for us girls who are big, bold, beautiful, sexy."
Miz A said that in doing surveys of BBWs for her project Jiggy Junction, which hosts events for plus-sized women, she learned local women had a common problem.
"A lot of women said, 'There's nothing here for us, there's no community for us,'" explained Miz A. "'We're all scattered all over the place. Is there something you can do to bring us all together?' And I thought, 'Sure, I'm Miz A, I can do anything.'"
While considering how to give London-area plus-sized women a voice, Miz A found her own as an entertainer. Describing herself as a big girl with a big voice, she began her foray into the entertainment industry six years ago.
"As a plus-sized entertainer, I found it very hard to find stage clothes for appearances," she said. "I ended up starting to travel to Toronto to find plus-sized stores that would cater to me, because London is very limited in the fashion selections, and if you do find a good store, it's very, very expensive."
The culmination of ideas from various avenues led her to the creation of Just 2B Me at the very end of last year. Miz A uses the network to connect curvy ladies with products, clothing, lingerie and more to make them look and feel gorgeous. She travels around southwestern Ontario in search of stores that will cater to them, and mentioned that she had found a store in Woodstock, called Imogenes, that carries beautiful 3X to 8X sized clothes.
"I promote self-acceptance of who you are in the size you are now, in this moment in time, whether you're a happy fit with the size you are, or you're working on attaining a size that is a happy fit for you," she said. "I don't endorse weight loss programs or diets; those are personal choices."
Just 2B Me is hosting its first mini-lifestyle show, a clothing swap and consignment sale, on April 9 at the Church of St. Jude, located at 1537 Adelaide St. N. It takes place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is $10. Drop off clothes and accessories throughout the day and check to see what else is available. The consignment area will hold higher-end pieces, such as cocktail dresses. Leftover clothing will be donated to a local charity.
"We're recycling and restyling," said Miz A. She said that plussized women will often purchase clothes because they fit — not necessarily look good. "All of us have these huge closets of all these clothes that we bought because they fit. It's time to take a look at these clothes and say, 'This may fit, but it doesn't look good, but it might look good on one of my sisters.'"
The lifestyle show will also feature products and services, including gorgeous 3X to 8X fashions by Imogenes of Woodstock; Boo-BBeads, designer bra straps for strapless bras; bra fittings and sales, including sizes 30DD to 46KK by registered holistic practitioner C. M. Knight and more to come.
For more information on the event, visit tinyurl.com/just2bmelifestyleshow. For more information on Miz A and Just 2B Me Network, visit tinyurl.com/just2bme. Don't forget to check out just2bme.ca for a brand new website coming soon.
