The items we photographed looked beautiful on our models, and you can look forward to the availability of bodystockings and lace gloves on our website, as well as a new variety of plus size chemises, plus size gowns, plus size babydolls, and plus size bustiers.  We also added a few really cute plus size cami sets, for those of you who are young at heart.

AboutCurves.com always does our own photoshoots so that our customers can see what the items look like on real plus size women.  Who wants to imagine what they will look like in an item modelled by a size zero– that’s so frustrating!  So even though this process takes a little more time, it gives our customers the benefit of seeing the item on a variety of differently shaped plus size women.

If you haven’t already signed up for our newsletter, make sure you do.  We’ll be sending out some special offers when the new products are added to the catalog.

"We really aim to make the everyday woman feel sexy," says owner Robin Bryan-Culver. "Did you know more than fifty percent of American women are size 14 or larger?" As an exclusive retailer of plus size lingerie, she understands that many larger women get a message from society that they should be shameful of their bodies. But as a plus size woman herself, Robin believes that all women should have the opportunity to feel sexy and self-confident about their bodies.

Her daughter, owner KC Culver adds, "Our Valentine’s lingerie has something for every body type, whether a woman is an apple or a pear." Our collection includes sizes 1X-7X, which will fit women with dress sizes between 18 and 32. A variety of styles, sheerness, and length is included in our Valentine’s Day category. KC continues, "Lingerie makes a thoughtful, intimate gift for Valentine’s Day, because it’s something both partners can enjoy."

The focus of our collection is obviously on sexy lingerie, with the colors red and pink prominent. But the collection also includes pajamas and other sleepwear for those couples who prefer to cuddle. Of course, we also provide gift certificates. Robin notes the importance of gift certificates for hesitant shoppers: "We find that some men who are unsure of sizing and style prefer to give a gift certificate, which ensures the perfect fit."

Our “Christmas” lingerie category has 26 hand-selected items, mostly in red, that are sure to be a big hit this year. Unlike other stores or websites, we are a company that is very serious about the fit of each product. Items are sized according to their “Size Chart”, no matter what size the manufacturer marks it. The motto of About Curves is “Celebrate Your Curves” and we are dedicated to making all Big Beautiful Women feel good about themselves.  In January, we will replace our “Christmas” category with a “Valentine’s Day” category.

We also added a “Best Sellers” category.  This shows the top six best selling items of the previous week under this heading.  We hope this will help shoppers see what our most popular items are, and provide you with inspiration.  Since we lauched our private label line in August, these items have been consistently in our “Best Sellers” category. Some of these items are available up to size 7X. Products in the “Best Sellers” heading are changed every Tuesday.

It’s kind of nice that plus size women finally have a place in sports, and a respectable one.  The article (which you can read here) talks about bringing women together from all over Kentucky, including women of all shapes and sizes.  The best part is that the teams travels together, so players get the benefit of being social as part of the team.

Reading about football made me think about the gender gap that still exists between big men and big women.  Guys who are opn the offensive line have always commanded respect, to the degree that coaches are pushing some men to constantly get bigger and bigger.  How come no one ever encourages me to eat 2 Big Macs at once?  And in order to gain respect in the athletic world, do we have to play a man’s game?

According to Wikipedia, "bbw" can have negative connotations, whereas "plus size" seems to have positive connotations.  It also seems that "bbw" refers to sizes above typical plus sizes, although I never would have known that outside of this definition.

So I’m curious– which term(s) do you prefer and why?  What connotations do you associate with any of the names I’ve listed above?  What other terms do we use to refer to plus sizes?

Have they ever worn shapewear?  Ugh.  My experience with it is that it’s really, really uncomfortable, it pushes fat into other places without camouflaging it completely, and (as Bridget Jones also proved) it’s the least sexy thing possible to come home to.  So I don’t really feel more comfortable or confident when I put it on. 

And do I really nice shapewear underneath a big, flowing, loose-fitting dress?  Or underneath jeans?  It’s almost as if they were saying "Okay, you’re plus size, but we’re going to squeeze you into being the smallest plus size possible."  Again, I’m glad they addressed this market– I dream of the day when fashion shows are just "fashion shows" that include a mix of plus size and skinny models.

Plus size women: interested in becoming a model?  Plus size models: interested in expanding your portfolio?  About Curves, an online company that sells plus size lingerie exclusively, is holding a photo shoot on April 28, 2007 outside of Baltimore, Maryland.  We need 4 models for the all-day shoot with a professional photographer.  Hair and makeup will be provided, as will lunch.

You must be at least 21 years old and at least a size 16; we prefer women who fit into the 1X-2X range and are at least 5’7”.  TFP plus additional compensation based on experience.  No travel provided.  If interested, please send a head shot, a full body shot, and information including your name, your age, your dress size, your height, your previous experience, and your current location to models@aboutcurves.com.

GREAT SMILE A MUST!

You can see photographs from our previous photoshoots at our website, www.aboutcurves.com, for more information about the kind of garments you will be expected to model.