Big Girlz Runnit presents Miss Voluptuous

MVP 2013 delegates

We are only one week away from the 4th Annual Miss Voluptuous Pageant and I got to chance to chat with founder and owner of Big Girlz Runnit, Michelle Caldwell. I am glad to have known her and worked with her for almost 4 years. I am so proud to have been crowned the first Miss Voluptuous 2011. This organization is for the everyday plus size woman. The woman from all over, from the hood to the suburb, the single mother, the wife, young and "seasoned" women. This organization and the Miss Voluptuous Pageant system encourages all women of all walks of life to join. For me it was good to be a part of something where I could look to my left and look to my right and identify with them. Be sure to get your tickets to this year's Miss Voluptuous Pageant May 31 at 7p at the King arts complex in Columbus, Ohio.

1. What is the name of your organization? Your pageant system? The name of my organization is Big Girlz Runnit Inc. The name of my pageant system is The Miss Voluptuous Beauty Pageant.

mynesha hall MVP 2012

2. What sparked your interest in pageants? What sparked my interest in pageants was watching the Miss America Pageant on television, and getting angry looking at all of the contestants. All of them were small and petite. I got upset because these images on my tv screen were what society deemed as beautiful, and not one of them looked like the reflection I see in my mirror every morning.

3. What made you start your pageant? What made me start my pageant, was my husband witnessing my anger and frustration during the Miss America Pageant. I was complaining and yelling at the tv, saying "Why don't they have any big girls on that stage? They didn't even have a female with the average body type! This is why our young girls feel so insecure about themselves! I should have a plus size beauty pageant." My husband said to me, "Well, why don't you? What is stopping you?" That was the day that Big Girlz Runnit Inc was born.

Julianna Delise MVP 2013

4. When did you start your pageant? Our first Pageant was held on Saturday, May 21, 2011 in Columbus, Ohio 

5.What does your pageant promote? Our pageant (and the BGR Inc. organization) promotes self love, self confidence, and societal awareness of the plus size community. We aim to erase "sizeism" (prejudice against overweight people) 

6. What sets your pageant apart from other pageants out there? What makes BGR Inc. unique from other pageants, is that we try to relate to people from all walks of life. We have affordable fees to participate, which always fairs well with the public. We keep it real! No stuffiness and "fru fru" attitudes allowed. While we hold self-respect and class in the highest regard, we pride ourselves on being relatable, and real. The Miss Voluptuous Beauty Pageant is also different, because we welcome ladies who may need some help boosting their self esteem and confidence levels by showing them how to love and appreciate all their curves and edges, and re-assuring them that they are beautiful! If they don't love and appreciate their curves, then they certainly cant expect a love interest to do it. Love you first and the rest will follow. 

The Caldwells

7. What do you hope to gain from this pageant? What I hope to gain from this pageant, is to help at least ONE person come to know herself, and identify herself as beautiful and worthy of everything life can bring. If what we are doing reaches at LEAST one person, then our job is done!

8. Being a director, have you ever competed in pageants? No, I have never competed in pageants. Not because I am afraid to. I have never competed in pageants because I am a "behind the scenes" type person. Not to mention, other than the Miss Plus America pageant, our pageant is the only one of its kind that is built around plus size women. Me competing would be conflict of interest.

9. How/where can people register to compete? Reistration is closed for this year, but for next year people can connect with us on our Facebook page BigGirlz Runnit-Inc or visit our website Biggirlzrunnit.com Registration opens every year on January 3. 

10. What type of delegates are you looking for to represent your pageant? We are looking for women ages 18 and up who are no smaller than a size 14. We are interested in diversifying the pageant. BGR Inc. welcomes all races and ethnic backgrounds. We are not a "black only" organization.

Me, MVP 2011

11. What is your pageant’s motto? Hmm, that's a good question. We don't have a motto for the pageant per se, but BGR's motto is "I Put On For My Thickies" and "The Thicker The Berry, The Sweeter The Juice"

A true Buckeye Beauty: Toria Lee

This buckeye beauty is a newbie to the pageant world but that's not stopping her from getting all the way to nationals.Not only does she compete in pageants, but she is a plus model. Check out the exclusive interview with Toria Lee and don't forget to show your support by hitting that GO FUND ME link and donating to help get her to nationals for that grand title.
http://www.gofundme.com/8979h4

1. What is your current title? MS OHIO ROYAL IMAGE USA QUEEN 2014

2. How did you feel when you were crowned? I WAS EXCITED AND HAPPY THAT I WAS CHOSEN TO BE A DELEGATE AND TO GO ON AN COMPETE IN NATIONAL IN JULY.

3. What does being Ms. Ohio Ryal Image USA 2014 mean to you? THIS MEANS THAT I AM A MATURE YOUNG WOMAN THAT HAS GOALS IN LIFE TO OBTAIN, PURSUE AND ACCOMPLISH. I HAVE TO SET THE STANDARD OF BEING A POSITIVE INFLUENCE AND ROLE MODEL IN PEOPLES LIVES.

4. Do you have a platform or charity? MY PLATFORM IS BEING A VOLUNTEER FOR THE COMMUNITY WITH STEM BEING THE CAUSE, WHICH IS SCIENCE TECHNOLOGY ENGINEERING AND MATH. IVE BEEN VOLUNTEERING THROUGH MY JOB AT TIME WARNER CABLE AS A PART OF THE CAMM INITIATIVE CONNECT A MILLION MINDS.

5. How has being a title holder helped your charity/platform? THIS IS MY FIRST CAMPAIGN, THERE ARE MANY THINGS IN PROCESS NOW. I'M EXCITED TO GET THE WORD OUT AND PEOPLE INVOLVED.

6. What do you hope to gain by your participation in pageants? I HOPE TO GAIN NEW EXPERIENCES BEING A PART OF THE PAGEANT SYSTEM, MAKE NEW FRIENDS, NETWORK AND MOST OF ALL, INSPIRE SOMEONE AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR OTHER PEOPLE. THIS WILL GIVE ME THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHOW WHO I AM AND WHAT MY DREAMS AND GOALS ARE.

7. Is your family/partner supportive through your journey? YES THEY ARE VERY SUPPORTIVE EVEN IF ITS JUST WORDS OF WISDOM AND ADVICE.

8. How do you feel about title holders who pose nude, semi-nude? I PERSONALLY WOULD NEVER DO THAT MYSELF. ITS A WAY OF EXPRESSION FOR SOME PEOPLE THAT CAN SHOW THAT THEY TRULY EMBRACE WHO THEY ARE LITTLE OR BIG.

9. What titles have you held? THIS IS MY FIRST TITLE 2014 MS. OHIO STATE ROYAL IMAGE USA QUEEN

10. Has competing in pageants helped you grow as a person? as a woman? mother? how so? COMPETING IN THIS PAGEANT WILL DEFINITELY HELP ME GROW MORE AS A WOMAN AND EMBRACING MORE OF BEING CONFIDENT IN MYSELF.

11. Do you watch "Toddlers and Tiaras"? How do you feel about children in pageants? I HAVE WATCHED A FEW EPISODES OF THE SHOW AND I SEE HOW SOME MOTHERS TRULY LIVE THERE LIVES THROUGH THEIR KIDS AND SOMETIMES PUSH THEM TOO MUCH. THERE WERE A FEW SCENES I SAW WHERE THE LITTLE GIRL LITERALLY JUST WANTED TO REST, ACT LIKE A NORMAL KID AND GET ALL THE GLITZ AND GLAMOUR DONE TO HER HAIR, FACE AND CLOTHES.

12. How do you feel about "pageant hopping", going from state to state within the same pageant system to compete? ITS A GOOD LEARNING EXPERIENCE AND TO GET YOUR NAME AND FACE OUT THERE. I WOULDN'T WANT TO DO TOO MUCH, BECAUSE THEN PEOPLE WHO GET TIRED OF SEEING THE SAME THING.

13. What made you compete in your first pageant? SINCE THIS IS MY FIRST PAGEANT I AM VERY EXCITED, NERVOUS, AND HAPPY ALL TOGETHER. I WANTED TO STEP UP AND GET MY FACE AND NAME OUT THERE TO SHOW WHO I AM AND WHAT MY DREAM IS. IVE ALWAYS THOUGHT ABOUT PAGEANTS, BUT WAS ALWAYS SHY.

Junior Queen: Evyn Mills

This week's queen is my first junior queen, Evyn Mills. I met Evyn in 2013 at a few fashion shows and was amazed at her talent and her presence. For someone so young and still with a whole lot of growing to do she is way ahead of the game. She was nominated and won 2013 POSED Fashion Awards, The rising star award. This year she is also nominated for the 2014 POSED fashion awards Rising Star. This young lady is in sports, dance and pageants and shes not even 15. Watch out Naomi Campbell little miss Mill is going to give you a run for your money.

1. What is your current title? I am the 2013/14 American Royal Beauties Pre-Teen Talent title holder and I just recently won the Jr. Miss Midwest Galaxy Title

2. How did you feel when you were crowned? I was relieved, excited, happy, and I cried a little.  

3. What does being Jr. Miss Midwest Galaxy mean to you? OMG! It means so much because I have competed in other pageants and because I'm so tall for my age and so much taller than the other girls in my age category, I believe I get judged harder; even unfairly sometimes. Midwest Galaxy focuses on model types. So I knew this competition would be a better fit for me and to win it the first time ever competing was just so exciting!  

4. Do you have a platform or charity? I love animals so I will be doing more things and volunteering to help with abused animals and animals that need loving homes. The charity I promote with my other Galaxy sisters is called Hannah's Socks. We collect socks for the homeless and underprivileged children.   

5. How has being a title holder helped your charity/platform? People see how hard I work to be able to compete so they always help any time I ask.  

6. What do you hope to gain by your participation in pageants? College scholarship money and I want to be Miss Universe one day.  

7. Is you family supportive through your journey? OMG yes! My mom is my stylist for all my pageants and she stays up until the wee hours making sure I'm prepared. She also does my makeup and hair. Because of my age, I can't wear much makeup but my mom has just the right touch to keep me looking fresh and young. My dad attends everything I do! I also have lots of my parents friends who also comes to support me also.  

8. How do you balance school and and competition? It's hard but I make sure I do all of my homework right after school and on my breaks when I'm at the dance studio.   

 

9. What other titles have you held? 

• 2004 Tiny Tot Glamour Model

• 2006 Sunburst International Top 5

• 2007 & 2008 AAMTC Cameo Girl and Model of the Year

•2009 Ohio Cinderella Tot and AAMTC Model of the Year

2011 AAMTC Model of the year

2012 Chocolate Girls Ball Winner

2013 American Royal Beauties Talent Winner

2014 Miss American Girl Cover Model and Ohio Pre-Teen Title 

2013 Posed Awards Rising Star award

2014 Jr. Miss Midwest Galaxy

10. Has competing in pageants helped you grow as a person? how so? 

Yes. It has taught me how to do interviews and hold conversations with adults. It has also helped me with public speaking and poise.  

11. Do you watch "Toddlers and Tiaras"? How do you feel about children in pageants?

 Yes. I watch it for entertainment only. Some of those mothers and little girls are CRAZY!

12. I see you are very active, what other activities and/or sports do you participate in? I am a competitive dancer in Tap, Jazz, Contemporary, and Lyrical and I do ballet also.

13. What made you compete in your first pageant? My mom put me in one when I was about 3. She said every time someone picked up a camera I would smile. 

14. How long have you been competing? Since I was 3 yrs old

15. What was your first title? Glamour Model Toddler at 3 yrs. old