As much as we all want to believe that BBW's are widely accepted in the industry, the reality is... they are not. A prime example of how BBW performers are treated differently is a recent awards show in L.A. Platinum Puzzy was excited to attend, drove with a colleague 5 hours to be there and arrived right on time dressed for the occasion. The line for the red carpet was about an hour, and she waited patiently until it was finally time to step on the carpet, pose and smile for the camera. She had been watching for an hour, as the other models bent over and showed as much as possible and the flashes went off like paparazzi. It was finally her turn.
As she gave her name to the announcer and wrote it down on the que card, he announces "Platinum Puzzy" and she steps on the red carpet just as smiley and cheerful as possible. 30 photographers lined up, and not one flash goes off. Thinking that maybe it was just a mistake, she poses again and smiles once more. Still, no flashes and no pictures. If that wasn't enough, one of the photographers from a MAJOR industry publication encourages her to get off the red carpet so the next model can be photographed.
Platinum's response was immediately disappointment, and obvious embarrassment. She sucked it up, grabbed her belongings and kindly left the red carpet. I am sure she had some tasteless comments but she kept it professional and removed herself from the situation quickly. This had to be quite a blow for someone who just came all the way from Las Vegas to Los Angeles to attend.
So what do we take from this? This is a PRIME opportunity for the plus sized performers to unite and enjoy the acceptance amongst their peers and community at BBWFANFEST. This is YOUR show!! Your AWARDS! The photographers will be on site JUST FOR YOU! Spend your money wisely! This is the place you need to be!
BBWFANFEST July 13-15th at the Tuscany Hotel & Suites in Las Vegas, Nevada.
For hotel booking please visit: http://bbwfanfest.com/hotelinfo.html
Wow... while I don't excuse the behaviour of that photographer towards Platinum, I cant say I am surprised. BBWs are mostly marginalised in the industry above all things and often times that means we are underestimated amidst the typecasting.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad to see that BBW Fanfest is taking off in attendance and interest from business sponsors. This kind of event *is* possible if, like any other convention, its run correctly. Been a long time coming that we finally get an adult con where we can be ourselves and not get hairy eyeballs in our general direction.