Today I watched Regis and Kelly with breakfast. Regis was on hiatus and they had a special visit from the new Miss America, a beautiful red head named Jennifer Berry from Oklahoma who was crowned on Saturday. While I think she will be a great role model for a certain segment of the country I don't feel she represents the majority of women because of her slight size. Now I know I'm being sizist but is there a weight restriction for entering the Miss America Pageant? And is it me or is Miss America becoming slimmer and slimmer?

There is hope for the plus size woman who feels she's being misrepresented (or not represented at all) at beauty pageants. There are separate pageants out there for plus size women alone, albeit small. It is unfortunate we have to resort to a separate organization for plus size role models, considering the majority of the population is plus size (sorry for repeating myself).

While the alternatives have been around for three years they are still growing and in need of support. I'm not a huge fan of the whole beauty pageant competition as I think all women are beautiful in some way. I also believe one's beauty doesn't define one's worth in society. Yes, pageants do have pluses. They encourage community involvement and volunteering and most importantly education and pursuing a career. Maybe one day a woman plus or otherwise won't have to strut her stuff in evening gown's or bathing suits to prove she's got the stuff.

Until then...

Miss Plus America is run out of Monroe, Louisiana and has been crowning real American women since 2003. You can visit their website and learn how to enter to represent your state.

* Visit Miss Plus America.

Miss Canada Plus is run out of Toronto, Ontario and has been crowning real Canadian women since 2003. You can visit their website and learn how to enter to represent your province.

* Visit Miss Canada Plus.

It's important to help these venues grow. Attend the proceedings in your area and write to your local and regional newspaper about these events. If you're a fan of Regis and Kelly you could also drop them a line and ask them to invite the next Miss Plus America. You don't know until you ask.

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