The Must-Have Text for the Plus Size Girl

It's official! The Plus Academy CHARLOTTE has gotten their hands on the incredibly popular "Curvy Girl's Guide to Style".  Author, Chastity Garner, gives you tips, tricks, hints, and straight talk in her book about dressing full-figured you. This is "the" book for plus size style!

Literally a crash course on having fabulous style at any size, this book explores several areas of style that the average curvy girl struggles with. Dressing your body type, shopping, and much more can be found and not from the perspective of a person who has never been in your shoes, but from a stylista who has always worn your peep toe pumps. Combine this with a little good humor, a dash of tough love, and whole lot of style and you have The Curvy Girl’s Guide to Style, Volume I

Grab yours now! Limited quantity. $15.00 and only $3 shipping.

Mind-blowing Day 1

We're in "The Fresh"

Meet the Fresh, Charlotte's full-service media outlet stopped by The Plus Academy CHARLOTTE on Saturday, October 9th at Spirit Square to see what the Queen City's plus size models were up to.  

Read the story they wrote on us and check out the images.

Meet the Fresh provides on-staff video and photography services to cover your most exciting events.  

Get The Fresh at www.meetthefresh.com.

2010 SHARE IT Scholarship Winner, Christina Brown

On September 18, 2010, we launched the SHARE IT Scholarship contest on Facebook.  These were the rules:

1. Go to www.plusacademycharlotte.com
2. Choose any post and SHARE it. Do this once an hour for a chance to win! 
3. Tag Tiffany Jones in each of your posts (by placing "@" symbol with a space before her name).
4. Attend the Open House.

How do you win?

It's simple. The individual who posts the most between 9/17 and 9/24 wins.

What do you win?

FREE registration for Fall 2010 ($525 value)

How many winners?

Only 1.

Ms. Christina Brown is the recipient of the 2010 SHARE IT Scholarship.  This is the letter she wrote after attending the Open House.

I hope you got some well needed rest after the amazing event. You did such an awesome job girl. You are off the chain! There is something my mother brought to my memory when I told her about me receiving free instruction...

As a young teenager I always wanted to model and look pretty. Even to this day I love watching Project Runway just for the fashion shows and America's Next Top Model. I loved the idea of walking in front of people with total confidence of knowing, "yeah, I look good and no you can't have any of this" plus I got to wear designer clothes. Also I love being in front of the camera and posing. When I was 15 years old, weighing 260 punds, I went to this free casting in Columbia, SC for plus size models. My mother and I prayed and she said, "Lord if this is of you and it is truly your desire for Christina to pursue modeling let her be selected to learn more."  Well, I was selected but there was a fee that we were unable to pay and I believe it was around 500 dollars or more. So after that I never looked more into modeling because I thought it wasn't what I was suppose to do. Although it was my heart's desire, we didn't have the money so I believed it just wasn't for me. But God!

 
I did the SHARE IT contest, at first wanting to support you and get the word out to everyone I knew. But, I also wanted to win the contest and part of me said I wasn't going to win because I have NEVER won ANYTHING! Of course that didn't stop me from doing it though! So when you called my name (at the Open House) it did something to me that I cannot explain. For once I was actually a winner. I came out on top for the first time in my life all because I was diligent and did not give up on something I believed in. Then I win a t-shirt from 7 Figgaz Clothing Company and a custom made dress from UR Tight because I registered and my ticket number was called. I not only won one thing for the first time, I won 3 different things in one day!!

Our God is so faithful! Nine years later, he answered a prayer that was prayed by a young, broken-hearted, teenaged girl and her mother. I know my calling and I am operating in it. But Tiffany, modeling and just learning more about it from experts has been my heart's desire since I was 10 years old. And I didn't try to pursue it until I was 15 and God opened the door for me at the age of 24. 

Lastly, I have been telling the Lord I want to go to school. I want to learn more about the things that I love! I was talking about one thing but he put me in another thing!! "He may not come when you want it but he will be there right on time. HE is definitely an on time God!"  I am so excited that words can't explain what I am going through and I am still in shock of what happened at the Open House. Now I know why I went through so many obstacles and challenges before the event that tried to get me to give up, but I couldn't. I had come too far!

Many thanks to Christina for her participation in the SHARE IT Scholarship Contest. We look forward to hearing about your experience at the end of the semester.

Would you like to win a scholarship to The Plus Academy CHARLOTTE? 

Become a Facebook Fan and tell us why you should win

Fall is in full swing and Spring is already in!

Today was the 1st day of Fall 2010 classes and we had an incredible time!  Many ladies have called, emailed, and "inboxed" on Facebook about the Spring semester.  As the Fall session concludes over the next few weeks, you can pre-register for Spring with just a $100 deposit!  Grab your seat now before the rest of Charlotte and the surrounding cities catch wind of this opportunity.  Your plus modeling career awaits...
Learn more

Watch This! The Open House Recap

Now, SHARE THIS!

The "Thank You's"

The Open House was an absolute success.  Sponsors, vendors, and attendees alike were excited to be a part of The Plus Academy CHARLOTTE Open House.  However, the true judge of our success was none other than Executive Director, Gwen Devoe, who flew in from New York to meet the Charlotte interests.  Ms. Devoe was incredibly satisfied with the turnout, the energy, the instructors, and the venue.  (Thank God! Lol.)  (Quick plug for Spirit Square, a division of the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center:  It is a wonderful and reasonable place to have an event with galleries, auditoriums, classrooms, and dance studios to accommodate even the most diverse event.  Visit them at www.blumenthalcenter.org.)  Now let's get started with these "thank you's".  So many people were responsible for the success of the Open House and will continue to use their talents to assure we have a wonderful Fall program.

Thank you:

• Gwen Devoe for giving me the honor of Affiliate Director of Charlotte.  We promise to continue to do it big!
• Diamond Sponsors: Sylvia Fierro of Mary Kay and Latta Jones of Latta Health for your contribution and support of this event.  It wouldn't have been the success that it was without your inclusion.  
• Tiffany Fant, you beat the streets with me to promote the event, made phone calls, paired us with WGIV, provided sound, remembered everything I had forgotten, helped set-up and break-down, and a bunch more innumerable tasks.  Spring is about to be a blast!!!
• Joshua Craig, owner of HelpfulNerd.com, for constructing The Plus Academy CHARLOTTE website.  
• Wendy Brown, owner of Plush Boutique in Atlanta, GA.  In less than 12 hours, I had 2 dresses to choose from plus accessories Fedex'ed to my door.  Everyone loved the dress by Dukes and Dutchess.  The jewelry was amazing.  Let me know how I can own it all! :)
• Kenny Boyd of Tailormade Graphics and Give N Go, Inc.  Thank you for donating your time and talent to design the fliers and business cards and for allowing us to support your non-profit.
• Joy Randall, owner of Flawless Makeup Art, for the divine glow you gave me, my mom, and Jay Jarvis.  My confidence was right where it needed to be because I felt good and looked great. Go Joy! 
• Wanda of Noda Nail Salon for hooking up my manicure and pedicure.  Ladies, visit the salon and ask for the "rockstar" polish. Once you try it, you will fall in love. 
• Tanisha Fant for transporting precious cargo, Ms. Gwen Devoe, from the airport to the hotel to the venue.  You have no idea how big of a help that was.
• Ashley Andrews, Spirit Square Operations Coordinator, for responding expeditiously to emails, confirming that we had all the supplies we needed, and making yourself available on several occasions.
• Jay Jarvis for playing the role of my personal assistant, confiscating and answering my phone, and emceeing the event.  Like slouch socks and high tops. You rock!
• Raymona Tanner aka Mommy for helping everyone feel comfortable, handling registration for your baby girl, and simply being a presence.  
• Johnatha Camp of Eventions by J. Camp, for your ingenuity and willingness to work with what we had.
• Yeng Moua for donating your time to capture the campaign, "I Wish I Was a Plus Size Model", on camera.
• Jameka Whitten of Charlotte Style Magazine for bringing your staff to cover the event.
• CINTHE Magazine and Andre Michael for being a part.  We look forward to the November issue.
• Loretta Spearman and the team at UR Tight for launching your women's line at the Open House and sponsoring one of your custom undergarments.  
• Will McGlenn, owner of 7 Figgas Clothing Company for designing and sponsoring the "I Love My Figure" t-shirts and donating to Give N Go.
• Gerwood Shephard of Bestram Productions for recording all of the Academy's classes, events, and developing promotional videos.
• And all of the instructors for delivering your spiels concisely and confidently.  The fullness of the program is up to us and it is clear that you all are the right choices to get the job done. 

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.