“I used to be size 8, now I’m a size 20.. and I love it”
I thought this was an excellent body positive story and just had to place it on the website to let you all know that happiness comes in all shapes and sizes. We should all adopt a healthy body image and be proud of who we are. Here’s the story.
When Mandy George first lost her size 8 figure, she hated her new shape and the jibes that came with it. Once too ashamed to leave the house, she fought a battle with herself – and won.
Today, the mum-of-two is so proud of her size 20 curves that she shows them off as a kissogram. And she has been named one of 12 finalists in Miss Big Beautiful Women (BBW) UK, a beauty pageant for women who are size 20 and above.
Mandy, 31, said: “It gives us the chance to showcase ourselves and say yes, we’re big, but that doesn’t stop us from being beautiful, attractive women.” Wearing a red and white polka dot swimsuit, Mandy strutted down the catwalk, impressing the judging panel with her body confidence.
She was the only Scot in the contest which aims to prove “that beauty pageants are not just for the waifs in our society”. The promoters added how “we can also be extremely beautiful and don’t have to skip lunch to prove it”.
Mandy hasn’t been large all her life. At 19, she was wearing a size 8-10, but that soon changed as she got older. She said: “When I left home and went on the pill, I seemed to put on an awful lot of weight very quickly. “At first I really hated it. I was on a downer and when I went out, the odd person would say, ‘Check out the heifer,’ or, ‘Watch out, the ground’s shaking’.
“My ex-partner also wasn’t very helpful or supportive. He would make little comments about what clothes I was wearing. That made me not want to go out.”
Instead of hiding away and moping, Mandy eventually came to terms with her figure. She said: “It took until I was 25 or 26 years old to start accepting my body the way it was. I slowly began to accept myself and start loving myself. My attitude about my weight changed.”
She now proudly wears bikinis on her holidays to a UK caravan park and has a career as a plus-size model in addition to her kissogram work. And she is determined to tackle society’s size-obsession head-on.
Mandy said: “I have modelled for a couple of fashion magazines in America but I want to do some more modelling work. I would also like society to be more accepting of all women. We are obsessed with size and I don’t think it’s right that it is still acceptable to make a joke about people who are fat. You are not allowed to make jokes about people because of their colour or religion or being gay, but you can make a joke about a fat person. It’s just as hurtful and I would like to see society being less judgmental.”
Critics claim beauty pageants like Miss World and Miss UK are demeaning and degrading to women and that Miss BBW UK even “promotes obesity”. Mandy insists that, on the contrary, it gives bigger women a platform to celebrate who they are. She said: “I don’t feel I am being exploited at all. I am getting the chance to dress up in some lovely clothes, have people focus on me and talk about myself.”What woman wouldn’t want that?”
“If someone says we are being exploited, that actually demeans the intelligence of the women taking part. It’s not promoting obesity, it’s promoting size acceptance, accepting people for who and not what, they are.”
While waiting backstage at the Miss BBW semi-final in London, Mandy was surprised at the generosity and kindness shown by her pageant rivals. She said: “It was not anything like I’d imagined. It was a really nice atmosphere. There was no backbiting or bitchiness, we all helped each other out. We did each other’s make-up and lent our hairspray. And when we got home we added each other on Facebook. It’s not like in America where everyone’s out for themselves.”
After achieving a coveted place in June’s Miss BBW UK final, Mandy has never been so comfortable in her own skin. She eats whatever she wants, guilt-free. Her only concerns are over her long-term health.”I have tried diets, but they don’t really work,” she said.”I try to eat healthily, fruit and veg, but if I want a bit of cake , I’ll have it. I am happy being the size I am, this is the way my body is, and I haven’t got any health concerns.
“I don’t have diabetes, high blood pressure, aching joints or high cholesterol. I do accept there are risks being bigger but if my doctor said I was showing signs of any health concerns, of course I would do something about it – I have two young children. But at the moment I have no problem running up and down the garden after them.”
Mum to daughter Jaymee, four, and one-year-old son Broghan, her family life is a great source of strength. And Sam, her husband of six years, is right behind her as mum, model, catwalk queen – and kissogram. Mandy, who joined a kissogram agency three years ago, revealed: “It’s a great laugh and an ego boost – it’s one of the best jobs I have ever had.
“I love going to a party and making people laugh. I bring the comedy element to the party, I don’t do provocative and sexy. My act is very tongue-in-cheek and the crowd is laughing at the things I am doing to the victim, they’re not laughing at me. And if they are, well I am getting paid quite well to do it, so it doesn’t really bother me. Sam isn’t bothered that his wife dresses up as Miss Whiplash, or a naughty schoolgirl, or saucy policewoman for other men. He even acts as Mandy’s driver and bodyguard when she’s attending rowdy 21st birthday bashes, stag nights and retirement parties. To him, she is the same person he met seven years ago, only she is much more content in herself.
Sam, a petrol station cashier, said: “Mandy did have issues with her weight but now she has a lot more confidence than she used to have and is enjoying what she’s doing. She’s loving it.”What attracted me to Mandy was the person she was inside. She treated me like I hadn’t been treated before. I’ve been out with people of varying sizes and it does not make a difference to me.”Mandy added: “He’s seen the change in me over the years from someone who is down about herself to being a confident women who will give anything a shot. He loves me for me.”
Mandy will be taking part in the final of Miss Big Beautiful Women UK on June 26 in Reading
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Self and size acceptance for somebody who is overweight could be considered as a completely impossible state of mind. For someone who is constantly dieting, judging their appearance and comparing themselves against others, the thought of accepting the way they look can either be seen as a dream, or as a nightmare.
