The Curvy Coach

Whether you believe the plus size media love is a fad or not, prepare yourself to see more real sized people featured on television, radio, internet, etc. The plus size market has been untapped for quite some time, but within the plus size market, there is a group of people who you really don’t hear much from. Obesity in children and teens are always talked about but rarely do you get a chance to know what the plus size teens think and feel. Well it looks like that time has come for plus sized teens to get their 15 minutes of fame. As a business owner, pay special attention to the possible opportunities that lies ahead:

Plus Teen USA

Plus Teen USA is a teen pageant that believes plus size girls should be afforded the same type of pageantry participation as their smaller peers.  Most plus size girls would prefer to compete in a pageant with girls who share similar body types and experiences. The 2010 Plus Teen USA will be selected amongst plus size teens (sizes 12 and up,13 in juniors) ages 13-19. If crowned, she will be a role model for plus teens across the nation as evidenced by her confidence, positivity, poise, style, interview skills, and good moral character.  This royal beauty will reign as Plus Teen USA, 2010 for one year, and in that year, will represent Plus Teen USA through her desired platform in a variety of settings which may include, but not be limited to modeling and speaking.

Last year’s pageant was a huge success with guests Sharon Quinn, the Original Runway Diva and Style Network’s Ruby (which taped a live show during the pageant). This year, you can expect it will this pageant to be bigger and better!

Business Opportunities: If you own a clothing store that sells plus size clothing for teens, then becoming a sponsor, advertiser, or vendor is an absolute no brainer for your business. Visit www.plusteenusa.com for details. You can also follow the Assistant Director, T. Marlene on twitter @modeltmarlene Plus sized teens have other wants and needs, so think about how your products and services could appeal to the teens and others in attendance.

ABC Family presents Welcome to Fat Camp

ABC Family is currently casting acting roles for a new scripted TV pilot featuring plus size kids to play 15-16 year olds.  If you’re older but can pull off that teenage look then you might get get a spot. Here’s the storyline as printed on their website:

“A reluctant participant at a summer camp for plus sized kids, defiantly overweight WILHELMINA clashes with AMBER, the size 12 hottie who lords it over the bigger girls. But during the course of the summer, the two sworn enemies begin to realize they have more in common than they ever realized…”

Can you smell the drama or what? I have a feeling this show is going to generate a lot of buzz (good and bad) when it airs.

Business Opportunities: Again, if you’re target market is plus sized teens then you should definitely report on the happenings of this show and share your opinions on your blog, newsletter, youtube channel etc. so that you stay relevant. This helps to build a stronger repoir with your market and builds trust in the buying process. For weightloss companies, you can potentially create workout programs/clothing specifically for the younger market or if you’re into web tv or online video, think about producing programs similar to this; just looking at the comments on the site, there’s a huge interest!

As a plus size business owner, blogger, professional it’s important to not only observe what’s going on in the plus community but to also identify the opportunities that are available to you and make things happen for your business.

On that note, I’d like to share with you the following quote: “I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.”  ~Mark Twain

P.S. What do you think of plus size teens being featured in the media?