Africa’s first plus-size beauty pageant is set to hold in Asaba, Delta State. This pageant which is designed for women that are large in size is meant to cap the sensitization programme on the awareness campaign on fibroid and fertility which is common among the plus-size women.
According to the principal consultant and CEO, Vichiano Services Limited, organizers of Plus-Size African Beauty Pageant, Victoria Iheakonye, “Dr. Alabi, a renowned fertility doctor, would be teaching women in seven selected cities across Nigeria about fibroid and fertility because a lot of women don’t really know much about it. Some think only fat women do have fibroid, but that is a wrong notion.
“We are going to move round seven different cities in Nigeria, starting from Ibadan on Sunday, July 29, 2012. Three diagonized affected women would be selected and taken to Lagos where free surgery would be done for them”.
Concerning the Plus-Size African Beauty Pageant, she said: “The beauty pageant is set to promote plus-size women, help them to understand how to feel confident about themselves and give them a sense of belonging. I am a plus-size woman as well and I want to promote the confidence of people in my category, educate them, empower them and give them a reason to be happy. I’m not encouraging women to be fat, but if you are, you need to know the thing to do, what to eat and all other things that will keep you healthy”.
The initiative that started about four months ago will visit cities like Ibadan, Delta/Asaba, Port-Harcourt, Owerri, Abuja, Akwa Ibom/Uyo and Lagos with the grand finale of Plus Size Beauty Pageant which will see the winner going home with a car, a cash prize of 3 million naira and the chance to become the face of this awareness campaign for one year, set for Grand Hotel, Asaba. The contest is free for all fat women with a registration fee of only N2,000, which will be used for the awareness campaign for women with fibroid.