A plus-sized universe

Williams is the founder of the Miss Plus Size Universe, a pageant which focuses on non-traditional ideas of beauty.

The fifth annual competition will be held on May 6 at the Government Campus Plaza Auditorium, Richmond Street, Port-of- Spain. The pageant was first held in Barbados in 2011 and then in TT for the last three years.

“I remember from a child my mom was plus-sized and she was very beautiful. And each time my mom dressed she would ask us, ‘am I looking good?’ She was very beautiful and I saw the low self-esteem because of her size and I said no woman is going to have to ask me that question again. I believe a woman is beautiful, whether she is big, yes or no,” she said.

Empowering Women “I also remember travelling on LIAT to Antigua and this lady came on the flight and a gentleman asked her, ‘why didn’t you pay for two seats?’ And I saw the look on her face and to this date, it is as if I am still living this experience and I felt I would use the experience to empower women and to ensure another woman is not abused or looked at in that way ever.” Standards of beauty the world over have been experiencing radical change. In 2016, for the first time, a plus-sized model was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue in February.

Model, body activist and designer Ashley Graham made history as the first plus-sized model to land the prestigious magazine cover, according to an April 2016 article in kitchencollabortaive.com.

Miss Plus Size Universe pageant is dedicated to the empowerment of full-sized women around the globe. The reigning title holder is Clarissa Edwards from St Vincent.

Williams, who is a talk show host in St Vincent, is no stranger to beauty pageants, having also organised the Miss Big and Beautiful in St Vincent. She was nominated in 2016 for a DeeDee/Ent Humanitarian Award last year and received an Extraordinary People’s award for pageant director of the year last year.

Williams spends time between TT and St Vincent and the Grenadines. But for her, the pageant is an empowerment tool, meant to remind women and the world that size matters little.

“[With] the pageant itself…we are trying to encourage healthy lifestyles and to also empower women to feel better about themselves and for the public to understand it is not only food that makes you fat. These women can be confident and to send a message to the business community that not because of someone’s size that you refuse them employment.” Sponsorship Williams wants women to be comfortable in their own skin.

She hopes that this year’s winner will take the message of empowerment to schools and communities across the country and the world.

“We are trying to have our winner from the pageant be the speaker in her community.

We also want her to talk to her community about HIV/ Aids, cancer awareness, to have her speak out against violence whether it is female or male. But to be that outstanding figure in her community.” Williams and the Miss Plus Size Universe pageant have partnered with a number of international organisations such as the We for We Women’s organisation in India and Women of Mission, International, New York. The winner of this year’s pageant is expected to speak at a number of international engagements with which the beauty organisation has partnered.

While the pageant has gained viewership from around the globe, streamed through comseetv.

com, Caribbean Broadcasting Network and through the then Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism, sponsorship remains a problem.

Williams is hoping for government support and sponsorship given that the previous administration headed by then prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar sponsored the event through the then Ministry of Arts and Multiculturalism.

She has also spoken to the Tourism Ministry pointing out that it is a worthwhile investment since it has garnered international interest.

A Google search shows that the event has been written about by sites such as www.

aboutthatcurvylife.

com and beautypageant.

indiatimes.com as recently as March 13 this year.

Williams said organisations in Belgium, Zimbabwe, Puerto Rico, India and Singapore, among others, have also expressed an interest in becoming franchise holders of the pageant.

The pageant already has 16 confirmed contestants including from Brazil, Peru, Zimbabwe, the US, Antigua, Barbados, St Vincent, St Lucia, Costa Rica, Guadeloupe, Guyana, Thailand and Singapore. It is expected to have a slate of 25 beauties.

The winner will receive US$3,000. The money will be paid in tranches, with $1,000 presented on the night, another $1,000 in the second half of the reigning year and the final amount in the queen’s last three months of her reign.

Other prizes include a trophy, special television/ media appearances and a one-year scholarship in cosmetology.

Two other queens will be crowned this year –a continental queen and a Miss Social Media (the girl who utilised social media to receive the most votes).

Out of the pageant, a Miss Plus-Size Women’s Conference has also been born and is expected to be held in TT in August for one week.

For more info: misslpuscaribbeanuniverse@ live.com.