"Plus Size"

Spending time shopping with my Mom is one of my favorite pastimes. Although our styles may be different, we always have the best time playing dress up. She's a beautiful mom and wife; truly one of the most amazing women in the world. Mom is the most selfless person and is always there with guidance and unconditional love.

On one of our recent trips, we were in a department store and looking for outfits for her to wear in Charleston for Internationals. While wandering through the store, we realized we'd have to go downstairs to the "Plus Size" section. Once there, you would have thought a large percentage of the clothing options were for funerals. There was so much black and very few cute and flirty dresses. We had to search to find things that we liked. Options were limited in comparison to half a floor found for people sized 00-12.

Here's what really gets me fired up... why do we have to have "plus sized"? Why do different sizes have to have labels? Why can't we all shop in the same section? Why does my mom have to go downstairs to what seems like a dungeon almost to find clothes?

My mom is beautiful and perfect exactly as she is. All women are beautiful, regardless of what size is on the inside of their dress! It seems unfair to separate or exclude women based on their size. I understand that, business wise, it's not always the most fiscally sound decision to do so - but there has to be a happy medium.

Further, did you know that I was once a "plus size model" at a size 10? This has been on my heart for quite some time, but I'm finally ready for us to get the conversation going! We can't expect all women to feel beautiful and equal when we are separating them every chance we get.

Forget about size - it's about heart health and being intentional about our choices so that we can live a long and prosperous life in His name. Let's work on being inclusive instead of judgmental! Support companies that represent all sizes as beautiful and who a woman truly is instead of who society says she is based on a measurement.

Our value is in no way correlated to the size of our dress but in every way solidified through Jesus Christ. Our beauty is not in question, we were made in His image - fearfully and wonderfully.

Join me and True Beauty Movement as we work to celebrate all sizes of beauty. To all the women out there who have to shop in a tiny little section because of a measurement, you're worth it. Never doubt that. You are beautiful - it's society that can be ugly. Stand tall and proud in who you are as we all consistently strive to live a happy, healthy, and purpose-driven life.

Redefining Beauty Worldwide,

Amanda Moreno
Miss International 2016