MAKE OVER DAY!

Last May 1, we finally met the 5 beautiful Plump Pinays who won the make over contest! Ms. Mel of Azta Urban Salon (SM San Lazaro branch) assisted them together with make up artist Kaycee Lim, who arrived at the salon early for the event.

Stacy and I followed at around 3pm, half way through the beautifying of Kristel, Erica, Paula, Mia and Maita. Meeting them was so much fun! You seriously have no idea how much it makes us happy to see and get to know the girls who read our blog and share our advocacy with us. I love how we connected and shared our struggles and victories disguised as funny anecdotes with our body-acceptance journey. This day is definitely considered as a milestone for our blog. :)

To make this day extra memorable, we had Merphi, a very talented and bubbly budding photographer (who already has her own following), take eye-candy photos for us! She's such a sweetheart.

Each of the girls had a haircut, hair color & styling plus threading from Azta Urban Salon's best team, make up done by Kaycee Lim, P1200 gift certificates from Erzullie, and accessories given by our gorgeous mom from Forever 21.

Now onto their final looks!

YAWZAHHH! THEY ALL LOOK CRIMINALLY GORGEOUS!!! We absolutely love it!!! Here are their personal feedbacks about the make over experience. :)

Erica

The makeover was a blast! The Azta Urban Salon SM San Lazaro staff were very accommodating and friendly. I never felt this warm welcome from any other salons I’ve been to & I’m hoping they’ll branch out in Pampanga! Thanks to Ms July & the team for giving my hair a total make over. I’m also grateful to Ms Kaycee Lim for using her magical hands to do my makeup. She is indeed a good artist! I couldn’t believe what I saw in front of the mirror right after the application; I was so pretty! I felt excited after Danah handed us the accessories from Forever 21, thanks to her glam and fab mom, Ms Angela Gutierrez for the generosity in giving us these. And last, but definitely not the least, thanks to the twin, The Plump Pinay’s Danah & Stacy, I’m really happy and feel blessed to experience the treat from you. God bless you always and please continue the advocacy. Thanks for being body warriors & role models to all plumpies. More power!

Kristel

At first I was really nervous and worried that my hair would be cut too short and the color would not look good on me. But the stylists of AZTA Urban Salon did a great job (Thank you AZTA!!) They knew exactly what look I was going for, since I told them that I will be getting married this year and my engagement photo shoot is just 4 days away! The staff were hospitable, gave complimentary drinks (mine was milk tea..yummy!). They also gave useful tips on how to care for colored hair.

Kaycee Lim is very sweet and is a wonderful makeup artist. I only wear makeup on special occassions because I'm not used to the thick/heavy feel, but the cosmetics she used felt comfortable on my face...and o-m-g I looked so gorgeous!! (Thank you Kaycee!! Glad to have met you!! I hope we can meet again someday)

I also got Forever 21 accessories ( which i will be wearing on my engagement shoot..Thank you to Stacy & Danah's gorgeous Mom!!) and Erzullie P1,200.00 GC's!! Yipee!! (Thank you Erzillie!!!)

Danah and Stacy, I couldn't thank you enough for this experience. You girls are amazing and so nice to chat with. Your blog really is a blessing to us Plump Pinays (and to the Plump Pinoys as well). You deserve all the success happening and coming your way! Thank you girls! God Bless! ^-^

Paula

I feel so good right now! Thank you so much Azta Urban Salon, for my amazing hair! ♥ I loved it, it looked so good on my skin tone. You guys are really good in terms of hair matters. The staffs, ay grabe! Sobrang maalaga. I'll be back Azta! ♥ Kaycee Lim is so amazing! She knows what make-up will look good on me. I totally loved my eyebrows! :) Thank you so much Erzullie for the gift cheques! :) Tita Angela, I appreciate the accessories po sobra! :) Thank you Tita for your support. :) Lastly, Danah & Stacy... You guys are amazing! Your an inspiration for everybody! I salute you girls! You guys deserves what you have and where you are now. I appreciate every little things that you've done for us that day. Telling us we're beautiful... Danah & Stacy, thank you for the inspiration, and empowerment to us plump pinays! Love you girls! ♥ ♥

Mia

The make over was awesome! Azta urban salon did a great job on my hair,and their staffs are really warm and friendly and after I got my crown of glory fixed by their staff,Kaycee Lim gave me a look that screams "fabulous!!!" with three exclamation marks,she's really good at what she is doing,and I was at ease while she was doing her magic on me,the girl is so cool,we were laughing and and talking like we've known each other since highschool,kudos to your mad,mad skills Kaycee girl! Im so going to see you again :)

Danah and Stacy,this has been a life changing event for me,the confidence that I gained on this event was priceless,you guys are really beautiful inside and out.Thank you so much Stacy,Danah,Kaycee and Azta Urban salon for this experience. And special Thanks to Hot Momma Angela for the fabulous F21 accessories,Happy mother's day Momma Angela :)

Maita

Last Sunday was my make-over with the Plump Pinays at Azta Urban Salon in San Lazaro. Me and four other plumpies had our faces done by Ms. Kaycee Lim and our hair done by Azta Stylists. At first I was scared. What would they do to me? Make me look like a rooster? Worse, blond. Thank goodness Ms. Rich of Azta had some ideas to play with. I told her to go play with me. My only conditions are: Don't make me look like a chicken and don't make me bald. The results were amazing. They gave me a layered, red-mahogany hair. I love how they treated us. They pampered us with milk tea and good tips. Now I feel like a diva without having to act like one!

Thanks to the Plump Pinay for this opportunity, for Angela for our F21 accessories, For Kaycee on the skin tips and the great make-up and of course for Azta for the great hair. I feel so wonderful and alluring!

Thanks girls!

*******

To the girls, you all deserve it! We wanna thank you for embracing our advocacy and for being inspirations yourselves to other girls out there. We'll never forget each one of you. You are all very beautiful.

Mia, don't let people miss out on your spunky personality. You are such a fun girl!

Paula, you're a great sister in Christ! I bet God is happy with how you've come into terms with your body.

Kristel, you're such a sweetheart! Congratulations on your engagement and more power to your modelling career! Your love story inspires me. :)

Maita, your boldness is fierce! More blessings to your career in fashion! :)

Maita and Erica even gave us gifts! How wonderful ♥

Again, we sincerely wanna thank ERZULLIE, AZTA URBAN SALON, KAYCEE LIM, & OUR MOM for helping us out in this make over contest. You can really tell the girls loved this day, and it's probably one they'll never forget. :)

Plump ♥,

Danah

A little treat from our friends...

Since some of our big time friends love you plumpies so much, they've decided to share their blessings to the 5 awesome winners of our makeover contest!

The 5 beautiful plumpies will each be receiving:

hair cut, color and styling from the skilled and creative team of Azta Urban Salon,

gorgeous make up from Kaycee Lim,

P600 worth of gift certificates from Erzullie

and

a set of the trendiest accessories from Forever 21 sponsored by our gorgeous mom!

Are you girls excited to see how this makeover turns out? :)

Also... Retty, one of the 5 primary winners, won't be able to make it because she's in the US. So we had to give the next best contest entry a chance for this opportunity. We've already settled this, and have chosen Erica. She's a 22-year old newbie in the world of body-acceptance, but has improved so much, style and confidence-wise, after a long period of body-hate. :) Here's a snippet of her essay.

"...I missed a lot of events just because I cared too much on how I look. I would just care less on things I wear, forcing myself to believe that for me to be able to wear good clothing, I need to get rid of this fats first and I don’t deserve to wear such fab dresses. So basically, tee and jeans is the only thing on my closet. I sometimes buy clothing way too smaller for me just to serve motivation for me to lose weight, then that just lead to a “ pile of never-worn-clothes”. And then I bumped into your website guys (just March). I found myself reading & clicking on “older post” link until I had read all. And I came to a realization of “love thy body” just with 1 site.

It just hit me that I read somewhere, “God created you with His own image, so why would you hate your body?” It may not be as liberating and the bravest but I just wanted to share that there was a complete 360 degree turn around on how I treat my body. Lil by little, I’m now accepting and loving myself."

We're so excited to bond and meet all the girls! It's gonna be a looong and exciting day for everyone. We can't wait to see (and share with you) the before and after photos! ;)

I hope you had an amazing Holy Week! :)

Plump love,

Danah

...AND THE MAKEOVER GOES TO...

After a total of 14 entries submitted by our dear readers (since we posted the very first contest we hosted here on The Plump Pinay last month), we now officially end the anxiety and announce the 5 lovely and inspiring winners! :)

Here are the best 5 plumpies who, according to our right and proper discernment, succeeded greatly in writing their personal experience and their answer to the question:

What's the bravest and most liberating thing you've done since you started your body acceptance journey that makes you a bona fide Plump Pinay?

Paula Nazareno

Her story is really an inspiration to us, and I am sure that many of you will be moved as well. She found her genuine sense of self-worth from the God who created her all special and unique. It was when she realized that God knew what He was doing when he made her naturally big and beautiful that she finally accepted the body she has been blessed with. As a result, her realization unleashed her inner confidence which lead her to fully love and accept her body. Here's a snippet from her essay:

"When I was in Pampanga, I was very unsure of myself. I feel that every time I go out. I’ll be the laughingstock of other people because I’m fat. [...] Then I started going to this church, it’s called His Life. Did I mentioned that I do pity myself and at times I felt that God doesn't love or care about me? Yea, there are times that I just felt like that. I mean, I tried everything just to lose weight, just to look good. But nothing happened…

It was late 2010 when I started to attend there [in His Life Church]. It's different there, it has a different vibe. And people were warm to me; smiling at me, hugging me, and making me feel that I am special. I feel different there; I feel the love that I didn’t receive from my friends. I started body acceptance when I accepted God in my life. It followed; I was smiling, laughing and just being myself. There was a sermon that really moved me… One of the pastors said… “God loves me the way I am, I tried everything just to lose weight. But I think this is my destiny. I have to be proud of what I am. Because God made me the way I am, and I am the apple of His eyes. I am unique.”

That was just it. It was like, BHAM! That day I started to love my body. I don’t care what people would think. Now, I just care how I look through God’s eyes.

P.S. I have found a man that loves me the way I am. :) He loves my curves! He can't get enough of it!"

Maita Lu

Big girl in Big Fashion--this is the title of the essay she sent as a contest entry, which is fitting, considering that she studied college in a fashion school. Her passion for big fashion captivated us instantly. Transforming the feeling of being marginalized in a world where stick thin people equaled "beauty", she decided to be a plus-size fashion designer. Read this small chunk from what she wrote, which is basically the reason that made her decide what and who she is now.

"Worse was what the media repeated over and over--big was not in and less was more. In fact, plus-size fashion was just an assortment of unflattering bright rags. The fitted trendy fashion was slow in the coming and they were not my style. I wanted my style out there. I wanted to wear my style. I loved ruffles, frills and laces. If others keep insisting what they think should be plus-size then I have a right to declare what I design is plus-size.

I wanted to inspire people with my creativity. I didn’t want to be just another fashion school graduate. I wanted my art and designs to influence everyone who felt the way I did. Fun, frilly and romantic was my fashion mantra. I was a big girl with big ideas and so, I decided to combine myself and my works. I decided to be a plus-size fashion designer. Plus-size fashion is actually harder to create because there are these generous curves to consider. Easing, darts and gussets also have to be well thought-out. It was a tough road to declare myself as plus-size designer because there was not much of a market then. But I pursued amidst criticism. In my fourth year in fashion school, I took up the task of having a plus-size fashion show inside a mall. It created a buzz and convinced my peers that plus-size fashion was very much part of the fashion world. I worked for two plus-size fashion brands and now I have a business making creative accessories and made-to-order clothing. I welcome girls of any age and size to model for my events."

Magi*

Magi instantly showed courage through unraveling her story to us. Her past definitely pinched our hearts, being a victim of physical and verbal abuse from her own father. But what makes her a real winner in life is her strength to put all her painful experiences behind, muster the courage to stop believing the lies and free herself from it. This is Magi's story. Be inspired.

"I've been fat my whole life--I was often discriminated and been a subject of ridicule a thousand times, which resulted a huge impact on my personality. I am very much withdrawn, I do no got out or meet new people because I have a very low self esteem, and I often think of myself as an ugly, fat girl who doesn't have a life. And I just hated myself for being fat. My dad hated me [too], because I wasn't the type of daughter he wanted to have. He often calls me "abnormal" for being fat and shapeless, and just

imagine the impact of being called "abnormal" at the age of 12-14 by the man you looked up to, who you were expecting to save you from "evil forces"; the first man in your life, and he beats you up because he doesn't like it that you are plump; and the irony of calling you a pokpok (whore) when you don't even wear skirts and sleeveless and mini shorts.

I almost died from heartache of being discriminated and not being accepted by the society for having an unconventional beauty. Then I decided that the pain just had to stop, they are torturing me because I am letting them torture me. And you know what is the most liberating thing I have done? I accepted who I am, what I'm capable of, and the beauty that I have that not all people can see. That I have a a figure of a "real" woman. I started wearing skirts, dresses. People were surprised, and I gained a few admirers! I have freed myself from the box of pain and torment that narrow-minded people created for nonconformist beauties like us plumpies. I have broke the chains and escaped the prison. We are all beautiful. This is the most liberating thing that i have done. And I give credit to it.

P.S. The second most liberating thing that I have done is I got naked in front of a man, I've shown him how flawed I am, and instead of ridiculing me, he kissed the stretchmark that I have on my arm."

*She requested that her named be changed for privacy purposes.

Retty Contreras

Retty has been featured on this blog before as a big, beautiful ballerina. Her so-called "unconvential" type of body as compared to the usual petite, skinny ballerinas definitely did not hinder her from sharing her gift of being a graceful dancer to the world and pursuing her passion in the art of movement. Below is a little chunk I've taken from her entry, wherein she narrates the most freeing thing that she did that makes her a certified Plump Pinay!

"My coach began his great speech about how I weighed so much and that I was, as the aforementioned, more of a liability than an asset to the [dance] team. I remember clenching my fist and swallowing hard, stopping myself from screaming at him. He ended his speech by dictating to me in front of everyone what I could and couldn’t eat followed by a long list of things that I should and shouldn’t do. But instead of causing a scene, I did both of us a favor and just smiled and stepped off the scale.

The evening that followed was spent discerning and weighing my options. Should I still stay on the team and continue torturing myself because of this man who thinks less of me because of my weight? Or should I just quit and find other options?

Of course we all know that the latter choice won. I decided that I wasn’t going to let that terrible man make me feel like horrible about myself all because I was heavier than everyone else. I concluded that I didn’t need his approval—or anything from him, for that matter to do what I love. In fact, I didn’t need people who made me feel inferior because of the numbers that showed every time I stepped on the weighing scale, at all.

That was the most liberating thing I’ve done in my journey to self acceptance, learning how to stand up someone who belittled me because he was too narrow minded not to see beyond the physical."

Kristel Ocampo

Kristel recognized her beauty when a guy (who is now her fiancée--kilig!!! ♥) loved her completely for who she is. This urged her to come out of her shell of baggy pants and loose clothing and experiment more with stylish and fashionable clothes because she wanted to look pretty for her sweetheart of a boyfriend. Her new found confidence also gave her the audacity to audition as a plus-size model. Below is a portion from the piece she wrote to us about her life experience that turned her heart into one that is fierce and courageous!

"The bravest and most liberating thing I did was to apply as a plus-sized model. I felt the urgency to let everyone know that modeling or high fashion is not just for the "perfectly" measured bodies anymore. It's for everyone else. And I truly believed I can be a model. I researched and emailed my portfolio/resume to all the modeling agencies and fashion companies in Metro Manila. It hurts to receive replies of decline, telling me I don't have the required measurements. But that did not stop me. I kept applying to different companies until I found out about Erzullie, a clothing company that caters to the plus sized women. I was interviewed, and I can't believe they made me their model!!! I was ECSTATIC!! I practiced posing everyday...and the day of the photoshoot definitely gave me a big boost in confidence. I felt like a SUPERSTAR.

Because of this guy who believed in me, I was able to accept myself and take care of myself. My life changed BIG TIME. By the way, the guy I'm telling you about is now my fiancé. :)

What I'm trying to say is, when someone or something has become an inspiration to you, they breathe life into you. And everything changes for the better. And now I get to become the inspiration. If you are plus size like me, I want you to know that you are beautiful and everything is going to be OK. Let's hear it for the women who don't give a damn about the size printed on the label.

I am proud to be a BONAFIDE PLUMP PINAY. :)"

Before I go, I must admit that we had an extremely difficult time narrowing down the entries to the five most-inspiring and well-written essays because all the women had such beautiful and moving stories! And I'm not saying this just to make those who didn't win feel better. If only we could do a make over for all of you we would, because you are all unique and brave women, but we only have limited options. Thanks for joining though! We'll be having more contests in the future so watch out! :)

To all the winners, you all deserve it. Continue being a BONA FIDE PLUMP PINAY, illuminating others that beauty is all about confidence and sexiness is not determined with body size. ;)

Keep loving thy awesome self,

Stacy

P.S. Aside from the awesome full makeover care of Azta Urban Salon (for hair) and Kaycee Lim (for makeup), our mom will be sponsoring fabulous FOREVER21 accessories to our lovely winners! We will contact all the winners soon for further details! :)

MAKEOVER CONTEST!

Hello Plumpies! :)

Want to win a makeover from the trendiest urban salon in the Metro?

All you have to do is answer this question in 500 words or less:

What's the bravest and most liberating thing you've done since you started your body acceptance journey that makes you a bona fide Plump Pinay?

Email your answer including two (2) attached recent photos of yourself (1 head shot and 1 full body) to theplumpinay@gmail.com. Include your full name, age, email address, and contact info. The subject of the email should be MAKEOVER CONTEST ENTRY.

Deadline of submissions is on the 8th of April, Friday at exactly 10:00 pm.

Danah and I will choose 5 Plumpies with the most inspiring and well-written stories! The winners will get a FULL MAKEOVER—we’re talking awesome hair-styling plus color change only from the professional stylists of AZTA URBAN SALON and amazing makeup by the very talented artist, Kaycee Lim! :)

To top it off, the 5 lucky winners will also have a photoshoot for Azta's exclusive style book for plus size ladies sporting their new looks! :)

EXCITING, HUH?

Join now Plumpies!!! :) Start writing and get creative!

Plump love,
Stacy