Perhaps it’s genetic. While my sister, Sue, does include pumpkin pie in the family holiday dinner menu, one of the things I adore about her is that she also concocts a to-die-for chocolate dessert. Recently, Sue and I reminisced about our mother, who once spent two days trying to create chocolate ravioli for her gourmet club’s Italian-themed dinner. The concept was sound: the “pasta” was white chocolate, softened and placed in a ravioli mold; the filling was chocolate mousse; and the sauce was dark chocolate. But the execution of this concept was another matter. While Mom eventually got enough “keepers” for the dinner, it took several pounds of white chocolate and repeated outbursts of “Jesus, Joseph and Mary” (our mother’s strongest epithet).

If you share my family’s passion for the fruit of the cacao tree, the holiday season presents abundant opportunities to indulge in a revelry of chocolate. Instead of having an eggnog-and-hors d’oeuvres party this year, tempt the palates of your friends with a chocolate tasting party. In her book, The New Taste of Chocolate, Maricel Presilla suggests that, when doing a taste test, you should select chocolates with similar cacao counts – in other words, don’t present both milk chocolate and dark chocolate. Buy chocolate from a variety of manufacturers, break each chunk into small pieces and use a eye-catching display to arrange each brand on its own plate. Provide each of your guests with a scorecard, so they can rate the color, aroma, taste and texture of the chocolate. Then compare notes and reveal the true identity of each chocolate. For added pizzazz in a group of true chocolate lovers, develop a chocolate trivia quiz, and give out prizes for the top scorers. (Q: Who was the first European to come in contact with cacao? A: Christopher Columbus.)

Another option for the holidays or any other time of year is a chocolate dessert party. Each guest brings a chocolate dessert, which is then divided up among the other guests, who then take home a veritable smorgasbord of chocolate. For true chocolate lovers, this is a very egalitarian party – there’s no need for everyone to spend hours in the kitchen trying to make the perfect chocolate soufflé. That’s because, in our eyes, a rich chewy brownie is just as delectable as the most delicate Sachertorte.

If you want to go one step further – or to non-chocoholics, one step overboard – you can create a whole dinner out of chocolate. With a pasta machine, chocolate noodles are a snap; create a light, fruity sauce and your guess will swoon. Use a hint of chocolate in sauces for beef, or go south of the border and whip up a mole sauce of chiles and chocolate for a Mexican feast. If eggnog is a must for your holiday gathering, melt semisweet chocolate into the milk before combining with the other ingredients. One piece of advice: pass on trying to make the chocolate ravioli!

Even if you won’t be hosting a holiday party this season, chances are you’ll be a guest at one. Chocolate can make for intriguing variations on the typical hostess gifts. Instead of sending flowers the day after the party, why not send a dozen strawberry roses from Shari’s Berries (www.berries.com)? Gourmet chocolate-dipped strawberries are their specialty, but they also offer other delightful hostess gifts.

Likewise, Pinterest offers a variety of gorgeous and intriguing “flower” arrangement ideas, including some made from Hershey’s Kisses and Ghirardelli chocolate bars.

Or instead of arriving with a bottle of wine in hand, why not bring a bottle of Godiva Liqueur (www.bevmo.com)? Over ice or over ice cream, the dark original liqueur or the white chocolate version will leave them screaming for more.

This holiday season, let’s put pumpkin pie in perspective, pass on the sugar cookies and dump the fruitcake. Instead, let’s deck the halls with bouquets of chocolate.

Delve Deeper
Chocolate Bits

• The cacao tree, from which chocolate is derived, grows near the equator
• White chocolate really isn’t, since it is made from cocoa butter, rather than cacao beans
• The difference between bittersweet, semisweet and milk chocolates is the ratio of cocoa solids, sugar and total fat content. Bittersweet has the highest proportion of cocoa solids (60% or more) while milk chocolate has about 36%
• Eating chocolate may make you feel good because it contains the neurotransmitter anandamide, which has a similar effect on the brain as the active ingredient in marijuana
• The scientific name for the cacao tree, Theobroma cacao, means “food-of-the-gods cacao”

Sources: www.exploratorium.edu; The Chocolate Bible, by Christian Teubner; The New Taste of Chocolate, by Maricel Presilla

Greenhalgh, who is a professor of anthropology at Harvard, presents a collection of 45 narratives gathered from college students about their concepts of weight, fat, and body image. She finds that decades of “fat talk” has damaged and shamed young people in a variety of ways.

Greenhalgh notes that it’s been 15 years since the public health campaign has been launched, but in reality it’s been 21 years since Hillary Clinton and former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop launched “Shape Up America” in the White House Rose Garden. I remember that day well, since Lynn McAfee (one of the foremothers of the fat acceptance movement) and I protested the announcement on the sidewalk in front of the White House.

The other bookend to weight shaming is First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign, launched in February 2010 to specifically target fat children. In an email exchange between Greenhalgh and NPR contributor Barbara King, Greenhalgh wrote, “All of us are making war on fat through constant fat-talk. Yet because very few people can lose weight and keep it off, the pervasive fat-talk does not have its intended effect; instead, it is causing terrible, yet often, invisible harm.”

She continues, “The harm to individuals includes emotional distress and, often, physical injury from trying too hard to lose weight. The war on fat is also damaging critical social relationships, especially the crucial bond between mother and daughter. The stigma and discrimination against fat people are now well known; what isn’t known is that the human costs of the war on fat itself are harmful to people of all sizes and to us as a nation.”

Fat children don’t have a safe haven. Schoolmates bully fat kids, but parents often don’t rally to their children’s defense. In fact, many parents are embarrassed by their fat kids and view bullying as further evidence that their child should redouble his or her efforts to lose weight. The education system reinforces fat shaming. When my son was in elementary school, the school had an annual assembly featuring “Mr. Slimbody Goodbody” – at least until I managed to stop it by pointing out that fat kids were getting the message that fat bodies were bad bodies.

In ninth grade, California high school students are required to pass five of six physical fitness tests. If they don’t, they must continue to take P.E. and be retested each year until they take it. Here’s the catch. One of the six “fitness tests” is “body composition,” using skinfold measurements, body mass index (BMI), or a bioelectric impedance analyzer. In other words, if a child fat, s/he already has one strike; s/he must pass each of the five other tests: one mile run, curl-ups, push-ups, trunk lift, and shoulder stretch. Then, of course, there’s the humiliation of being weighed or having your fat pinched at school.

Nowhere is there a recognition that fit bodies come in all sizes; on the contrary, high schools are reinforcing the idea that the only good bodies are slim bodies.

Resources

(Click on an image to buy or learn more)

The prevailing belief of the mainstream scientific community can be summed up as “fat-is-bad/thin-is-good.” While being larger than average was once seen as a positive attribute, Twiggy-esque ideals began to haunt the public’s and medical community’s consciousness’. Indeed, scientists now view someone with a high body weight as having a chronic disease requiring lifelong treatment. Dietary and behavioral changes, along with pharmaceuticals, have been promoted as the way to achieve and maintain thinness, which is now equated with health and longevity. As a result, a weight loss industry with annual revenues of $33 billion now exists in the U.S.

However, the anomalies to the mainstream belief that extra weight is harmful are accumulating, with a growing body of research demonstrating that permanent weight loss is achievable by only a small percentage of those who attempt it (approximately 3-5%); that some methods of weight loss can be harmful (remember Redux and fen-phen?); that for some people, conditions associated with a higher weight (high blood pressure, gallstones) may actually result from weight loss attempts; and that large people can improve their health without ever losing a pound.

Thus, the scientists who conduct the research that results in this new information are challenging the current paradigm about weight. In addition, this renegade research rings true for a growing number of nutritionists, health educators, therapists, physicians and other health care professionals, who find that these theories validate their clinical experience.

The question then becomes, why haven’t we, the public, heard about the theories and research that may point to an alternative view of weight? Is there a coven of diet industry bigwigs out there, cackling around a cauldron of Slim-Fast and conspiring to keep this research suppressed? Has media bias resulted in the underreporting of important scientific findings? Or is it something far less sinister – simply a number of factors that make changing public perception a Sisyphian task? In fact, there appears to be evidence to support all of the above.

But before we start, let us first review the machinations of the world of research publishing. In order for a study to be considered legitimate by both the scientific community and the media, it must be published in a peer-reviewed journal. The Journal of the American Medical Association and the New England Journal of Medicine are examples of these. After a researcher’s study is completed, s/he must write a paper on the subject and submit it to a journal. That journal editor then sends the paper out to experts in the field to be critiqued. No one receives payment of any kind: not the writer or the reviewers. If the paper doesn’t receive the amount of favorable commentary the journal requires, it is returned to the sender unpublished.

Being published is the lifeblood of researchers. Publication or lack thereof impacts whether or not they receive funding for future research, their standing at the academic institutions at which they’re based, and their level of credibility within their field. “Publish or perish” is the axiom of those who inhabit this world.

The experience of psychologist David M. Garner, Ph.D. may support the conspiracy theory. Dr. Garner, who is widely published in the field of eating disorders and is an adjunct professor at both Bowling Green State University and the University of Toledo, as well as the director of the Toledo Center for Eating Disorders, says, “For many years, there has been a problem with research that led to conclusions that are critical of the traditional weight loss industry.”

About a decade ago, Garner and his colleague, Susan C. Wooley, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, submitted an article to a major scientific journal for review. The article, which was used as a background document for the House of Representatives’ 1990 committee investigation of the diet industry, was critical of the traditional dietary and behavioral treatments of obesity.

“The scientific review process for our paper was disturbing, to say the least,” Garner says now. Their paper was sent out to three experts for review, and came back with mixed conclusions. Garner and Wooley addressed most of the concerns in what they considered a thorough fashion and resubmitted the article. According to Garner, “Apparently, the journal editor could not make up his mind and sent the paper out to other experts in the second round of reviews.”

Eventually, the article was rejected, in part on the basis of another expert’s review. “We were sent this review as support for the editor’s decision,” says Garner. It was only later that they found out that a highly favorable review of their paper, written by Paul Ernsberger, Ph.D., a biomedical researcher at Case Western Reserve University, had been suppressed by the journal editor, in that Garner and Wooley never received a copy. “Dr. Ernsberger later sent me a copy of his review, which was one of the most scholarly and complimentary reviews I have ever received – or in this case, not received,” recalls Garner. “Clearly, the failure to forward a copy of this review reflected editorial policies rather than fair and impartial science.”

Ultimately, their article, “Confronting the Failure of Behavioral and Dietary Treatments for Obesity” was reviewed by the editor of Clinical Psychology Review and was accepted with editorial accolades. It was published in that journal in 1991.

Esther Rothblum, Ph.D., a professor of psychology at the University of Vermont who is the preeminent researcher on weight and social stigma in this country – if not the world – had similar experiences. “One expert reviewer wrote that the findings in one of my obesity studies were not valid ‘because they differed from those currently held by psychologists,’ and went on to cite Glamour magazine – in a prestigious medical journal! – to back up this point,” she says, incredulously.

As for how the mainstream media reports studies that go against the mainstream, Dr. Susan Wooley’s experience suggests that they often simply dismiss it. When she was interviewed on 20/20, for example, the ever-combative John Stossel’s response to her findings was “Why should we believe you? You’re fat yourself. Couldn’t you be biased?” Wooley (who, when asked for a photo to accompany this article responded, “Oh, I don’t have a new one. Just tell them I look like a queen-size Sandra Dee with brown hair”) recalls, “I was introduced on the program as an expert, and it took them three minutes to discredit me.”

According to Wooley, for many decades research has revealed that diets really don’t work and the reasons why, and that powerful genetic influences affect body size. However, she says, “We’re just beginning to hear about it from major media sources.”

Ed Silverman, a reporter for the New Jersey Star-Ledger, articulates the trap that many journalists fall into when he says, “There is a working assumption that all fat is bad, along with a cultural bias. This is just more justification for harping on the dangers of fat, and reporters tend to turn to sources who validate that belief.”

To Glenn Gaesser, Ph.D., an associate professor at the University of Virginia and a fellow of the American College of Sports Medicine, one of the more annoying falsehoods endlessly repeated by the media is the statistic that “300,000 people die each year from obesity.” That sound bite originated with former Surgeon General C. Everett Koop during the launch of his organization, Shape Up America. Gaesser resolved to find the source of that statistic, and discovered it in a study done by Foege and McGinnis. Much to his surprise, the study never mentioned weight. Instead, it said that 300,000 deaths each year were related to a combination of dietary factors and sedentary lifestyles.

Why has this bogus statistic become a media mantra? According to Silverman, “The average reporter…often (doesn’t) have time to really delve into the subject. As a result, you miss the more sophisticated nuances that lurk behind the machinations, and you get people in the media who take Koop’s pronouncements for granted, not knowing his non-profit organization is funded by grants from the weight loss industry.”

Silverman knows something about the way that economic interests may influence the manner in which research is promoted or suppressed. In 1997, he and a colleague at the Star-Ledger completed a year-long investigative report, “Fat Pills, Fat Profits,” which, among other findings, clearly demonstrated that “Some of the doctors, researchers and scientists who shape the public’s perception of obesity and what the government should do about it accept money from companies that profit from weight loss pills and programs.”

From a startling diagram accompanying their series of articles, one can clearly see how some might view the mainstream obesity research community as incestuous. Almost half of the members of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Task Force on the Prevention and Treatment of Obesity (the federal government’s weight-related public health policymaking committee, which we – as taxpayers – support) are affiliated with the diet-industry-funded American Obesity Association. Two of these scientists are members of a council funded by Knoll Pharmaceuticals, makers of the diet drug Meridia. And both Koop and Shape Up America’s executive director are on the advisory council of the American Obesity Association.

In the early ’90s, a NIH panel reviewed all of the studies on weight loss, and found that, instead of improving health, weight loss actually increased mortality. Dr. Glenn Gaesser recalls being told by a reputable source that, “one of the panel members actually said, ‘I don’t believe it, and even if it’s true, we can’t let the American public know about it.'”

Given that the vast majority of research money is provided either by the National Institutes of Health or by pharmaceutical companies, one may wonder whether the policymakers’ potential conflicts of interest has an impact on the types of research that are funded.

When discussing the molasses-like speed of change in shifting the weight paradigm, some authorities also point a finger at the public. “The diet industry doesn’t want to hear this, but people don’t want to believe it either,” says Pat Lyons, RN, MA, director of Connections Women’s Health Consulting Network. “So instead of promoting a healthy lifestyle for people of all sizes, we have an unenlightened ‘fat-is-bad/thin-is-good’ consciousness.” Lynn McAfee, director of the Medical Advocacy Project of the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, says, “People have to change, too. We have to be willing to change our perceptions instead of preferring to keep our illusions.”

Despite the seeming damning evidence, most experts don’t see a conspiracy at work. Instead, they feel that mainstream obesity researchers are simply the reigning royalty within the present structure. According to Dr. Cheri Erdman, “Research (from the new weight paradigm) isn’t so much suppressed as ignored.” Dr. Gaesser concurs, saying, “There is very selective use of literature with regard to size. Pharmaceutical companies quote directly from findings in their favor and dismiss any study that shows otherwise. If it’s anything about improving health independent of weight loss, those references are not publicized.”

Dr. Esther Rothblum attributes the difficulty of getting published less to conspiracy and more to cultural bias. “It’s always very hard to be at the vanguard of anything,” she says. Her theory is that it takes people time to ‘get it,’ regardless of the subject. “Years ago, I was asked questions like, ‘Why would you be studying women?’ and ‘Why bother to analyze gender?’ That’s funny now, but that’s how people think.”

Lynn McAfee also doesn’t believe there’s a conspiracy at work. She says with conviction, “As for an organized effort on the part of the diet industry to prevent the public from finding out the truth, that is not happening.” She believes that, “They make individual attempts to ignore the research, but they’re not ‘in it together.’ They hate each other too much to do anything together, even something this vital to their survival. The diet business is that competitive.”

Instead, they suggest that perhaps the fact that we haven’t heard as much about the alternative theories of weight is due less to collusion, and more to a collision of cultural bias, a lazy media, economic interests and a public clinging to the old “truths.” Time will tell whether the “anomalies” to the current dogma about weight will reach critical mass, and thus crash the belief system. If they do, it will be interesting to see what new truth rises from the ashes.

Whatever The Truth may be, we consumers should probably bear in mind that science is Big Business, and therefore, not always as objective as we might assume. Ultimately, we should keep in mind that our health is individual and that what works best in our lives is our own personal choice.

This article was originally published in a 1999 print issue.

Delve Deeper

Books

(Click on an image to buy or learn more)

But this time, instead of feeling hurt and victimized, Emme got mad as hell. She realized, “I wasn’t wrong…. The world…was wrong for not accepting me.” Her life-altering epiphany was that “I had to make a place for myself; I couldn’t sit around waiting for the rest of the world to let me in.”

Flash forward 15 years, and Emme’s new clothing line is proof positive that she’s still making a place for herself. Calling herself “the missing link” who falls between the cracks of the Missy and Plus departments, Emme says her motivation for creating her own line of clothes is “a very selfish thing. I found I didn’t have enough choice in the department stores. Instead of always trying to cover, cover, cover, I was looking for a great pant – not one that binds and gathers. I wanted to have a graceful duster.”

With a bit more nudging, though, it becomes clear that Emme’s motivation for designing her own line isn’t selfish at all. She is equally frustrated in finding clothes for her gig as the host of E! Entertainment’s Fashion Emergency! Revealing the tricks of the trade, she says, “You should see my back (when I’m) on TV. I have clamps. The clothes are cut. I have tape.” Her discomfort with projecting an image that didn’t reflect fashion reality for plus-size women collided with her realization that “If I have a hard time being at the lower end of the (size) spectrum, what are my larger sisters doing?”

When she began her quest to design her own clothing line, Emme envisioned the collection going from sizes 4 through 24, all carried in one department. “They looked at me like I had a third eye,” she says wryly. So, she thought, “Let me start in my own backyard,” and design a line in sizes 14-24. In a unique twist for the fashion industry, where plus-sizes are usually the Johnny-come-latelys, Emme expects to expand her line to include straight sizes within the next year and a half.

As this issue goes to press, Emme is plowing full steam ahead to adhere to the bizarre calendar of the fashion industry. She and her design team, led by Cynthia Pseng, have already nailed the trends for Fall 2001, and are discussing design concepts and fabric selection. Her Resort and Summer 2001 lines are in the design stage, and are set to have a 1940s feel. “Look for dots in very different patterns and arrangements,” she reveals, “and wrap-front tops and flounce skirts.” What else is in store for the future? “Cowgirl crocheted sweaters, double layers with fringe, geometric shapes, bell sleeves, wonderful necklines, and skirts at knee length or a smidgen above,” she says.

Emme has a clear vision of her endeavor. “The purpose of the line is not to be a trend setter,” she declares. Instead, her goal is to interpret the trends for plus-size women, and provide “An element of style that has a trend feel, but very sophisticated while at the same time being useful.”

Saying that “it’s not an issue of size, it’s an issue of style,” Emme stresses that her line is a wardrobe system designed for “every kind of woman who is on the go – a mother who wants to pick something up and run, or get together with girlfriends, or go on a special date with her husband.” With its emphasis on separates, Emme says that it’s important that the line have “a great pant that fits, so that you don’t always have to wear a long jacket…. A waist area that has shape to it, so that you feel good, and so your personality comes through.”

Emme’s personality is evident in all aspects of her clothing line, since as Creative Director, she’s contributing much more than simply her name. “You have to have the right partner to create wonderful things,” she says. And she feels that she’s found that partner in the manufacturer Ivy, a division of Kellwood Co. In addition to Emme’s line, Ivy manufactures for JCPenney and QVC, while Kellwood produces the Fern Bratten plus-size line, as well as Sag Harbor and Koret of California.

While Elisabeth, Liz Claiborne’s plus-size division, reportedly turned down collaboration, Ivy embraced Emme’s vision. “Once we signed the agreement with Ivy,” she says, “we were running at the speed of sound.” Instead of the restrictions usually imposed on the rigid retail industry, Emme says Ivy welcomes an approach that is outside of the box. The attitude is “let’s try it, let’s create,” she exclaims.

That’s been Emme’s motto since her revelation back at the NBC studios, but for years prior, she struggled with feeling as though she didn’t fit in. The übermodel we know as Emme was born “Melissa” to Sally Lamar Owens and Tom Miller. Her parents divorced when she was an infant, and she and her mom lived in New York on the Upper East Side until a new man walked into Sally’s life. When her stepfather Bill entered the picture, “I went from being the center of my mother’s universe to a self-conscious kid who was never good enough.”

When Emme was about eight, her family moved to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where Bill had landed a job as a junior high music instructor for the Aramco oil company. In True Beauty, which could be described as both an autobiography and self-help book, Emme describes the devastating effect that Bill’s feeling about his own weight had on her. “He couldn’t do anything about his own weight,” she writes, “so he set about controlling ours.”

There were weigh-ins, there were food control issues, and at one point, Bill even took a black marker to Emme’s adolescent body, drawing circles around “trouble spots” on her thighs, hips, arms and stomach. “My entire relationship with Bill, and eventually with my mother, came to be about food and weight. It defined me. It defined us.”

When Emme was 15 and preparing to go to boarding school in the States, she was hit with the devastating news that her mother had been diagnosed with lung cancer. Her family, which by now included brother Chip and sister Melanie, moved back to Houston, while Emme went to boarding school in Kent, Conn. When her mother died, Emme found solace in athletics. Rowing on her school’s crew team was “a critical watershed” in how she felt about herself. Not only did she discover that her size was an asset in her chosen sport, but “My success…left me feeling good about myself due to tangible achievements unrelated to how I was feeling about my body.”

Emme’s success ultimately led her to a full athletic scholarship at Syracuse University, where she majored in communications. After graduation and her yearlong stint as an NBC page, Emme moved on to Flagstaff, Ariz., where she was a general assignment reporter for KNAZ-TV. After two years of long hours and low pay, she decided a future in news broadcasting looked grim. Around that time, “A friend of a friend had just signed on with the prestigious Ford modeling agency in New York, in their large-size division.” Although dubious at first, Emme moved to New York, where she landed a job as a secretary at an investment firm. During her lunch hour one day, she went on a cold call to a small modeling agency. The rest, as they say, is history.

These days, Emme doesn’t have time to wait for history to catch up to her. She shares her multi-faceted life and New Jersey home with her husband and manager Phil Aronson. Emme has appropriated part of that home to begin rowing again. “I turned half my garage into a rowing boathouse, so I crank my music and row for at least a half hour,” she says. Calling rowing a “godsend” after spending sleepless nights stressed over her new clothing line, she maintains, “I have to get back down to basics again. If I row every day, I’m cooking. If I can’t for three days in a row, I miss it.”

Saying that “the concrete jungle is great, but…,” Emme finds rejuvenation in nature. She and Aronson vacation at both the ocean and the mountains, and cross-country ski in the winter and camp in the summer. Emme also spends time with her brother and sister, who live in the greater New York area. “We’re extremely close, and we have our own way of reaching out to one another,” she says with feeling.

While she’s cut down her traveling from 150 days a year to about one week a month, Emme revels in her role as the star of Fashion Emergency! “You get to meet all these different people,” she says, “and it’s so fun to share the resources of the show with them, to see their eyes light up.” From her perspective, “We all have personality pies, a full 360 degrees,” and Emme delights in encouraging people to think outside the box. “I love to say, ‘Hey, Mr. Banker, have you thought about leather lately?’ Or ‘Hey, Ms. Stay-at-Home Mom, have you thought about the latest duster style?'”

Although fashion is her passion, “Being in a democratic society, I take my citizenship very seriously, and use my voice when I can.” Most often, that voice is utilized for issues close to Emme’s heart. Because her biological father had multiple sclerosis and was confined to a wheelchair for over a decade prior to his death from a heart attack, and two other people in her life have MS, Emme is the celebrity spokesperson for the Multiple Sclerosis Society’s Bike-a-Thon. She’s also actively involved in eating disorders prevention efforts.

As for the future, Emme is looking to break into acting. To date, though, she reports that when she goes to auditions, “Either I’m not big enough or I’m too pretty to be the big girl.” With conviction in her voice, she says, “Until casting directors can see beyond the size issue, I’m not pining away. I’m keeping myself busy with areas that are suited to me right now.”

One suspects, though, that it won’t be long before Emme will be making a place for herself in the world of acting, and not waiting for the world to let her in.

Q & A with BBW

BBW: What’s the most fun, funky item in your closet right now, and when was the last time you wore it?
Emme: I’m wild about my full-length zebra coat with fuschia lining from my collection. I just wore it to my friend’s birthday party.

BBW: If you were chief of the fashion police, what would you outlaw?
Emme: I would outlaw girdles for now and forever!

BBW: If you had a magic wand and could change one thing in this world, what would it be?
Emme: I wish that every child would be given the opportunity to understand and develop his/her own unique abilities.

BBW: Which historical figure do you most admire?
Emme: I admire Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. for his peaceful yet passionate approach during an adverse time in history.

BBW: Which living person would you most like the opportunity to meet?
Emme: (Secretary of State) Madeline Albright.

BBW: What legacy do you want to leave the world?
Emme: No matter what your size, weight or ethnicity, we are all beautiful!

BBW: What’s your most treasured childhood possession that you still have?
Emme: Pictures of my childhood years.

BBW: When was the last time you had a good belly laugh, and what caused you to laugh?
Emme: At a gabfest with my girlfriends over wine and good conversation.

BBW: Where to you want to be on December 31, 2000 at 11:59 PM?
Emme: In my honey’s arms.

This article was originally published in a 1999 issue of the print magazine.

Mo’Nique and her co-stars quickly clear the stage to prepare for their first scene while the audience watches and howls at yesterday’s pre-taped footage of a scene where Mo’Nique’s character, Nikki Parker, is preparing to attend her high school reunion. Meanwhile, crew members are bustling around, putting everything into place for the long evening ahead. The caterers are setting up food service trays for the cast’s dinner break. One of the prop mistresses surveys the two tiny black purses hanging on a rack between a red hat adorned with feathers and a gray shrug and declares, “This bag’s not big enough for Nikki,” and is off to find a substitute.

It’s not surprising that Nikki Parker would need a bigger bag, as she’s a character who defines the term “larger than life.” As does Mo’Nique, a stunningly beautiful woman with flashing eyes and a mischievous smile who freely admits that the personality of the character she portrays is very much like her own. “They just changed the name to Nikki Parker,” she says. “Because that’s Mo’Nique.”

Like her vibrant character, Mo’Nique exudes self-confidence. And when she relates the story of how she came to star in her own sitcom, it’s clear that Mo’Nique is a woman who, through sheer force of will, can make things happen.

A Star is Born

Mo’Nique’s journey to the spotlight began with a dare. Her brother, Steve, did a comedic turn at an open mic night at a comedy club in Baltimore. “He did so bad that he was booed,” Mo’Nique recalls with a laugh. “They turned the lights off and they turned the mic off. I teased him so bad that he dared me to do it.” The next week, it was Mo’Nique up there on stage, receiving a standing ovation.

When she was offered $25 to emcee a hair show the following week, Steve negotiated the price up to $30. “So, he became manager, I was client, and we were off on that big road to stardom,” Mo’Nique says, relishing the memory.

Although Mo’Nique had done plus-size runway modeling for Jessup Plus in Baltimore, she says comedy was the bigger payoff. “When I found out what I could make doing standup, I thought I’d just mix it all together – I’d wear my lovely fashions onstage while I was doing standup.”

While garnering accolades as a standup comic, one day Mo’Nique’s agent sat her down and told her that her career had reached its pinnacle in the Baltimore area, and that it was time to make a decision about going to Hollywood. “I went home and told my husband,” Mo’Nique recalls, “and he said, ‘What time do we have to leave?'”

The support of her husband, Mark, was crucial to Mo’Nique’s subsequent success. “I have a wonderful husband,” she says with a grin. “He’s a barber, and had been cutting hair for 15 years and had a huge clientele. But he said, whatever you need to do, I’ll do it.”

They left Baltimore on New Year’s Eve in 1997 with their two children, Mark Jr. and Shalon, now 13 and 9 respectively. Four days later, they hit the West Coast. “We stepped out on faith,” Mo’Nique confides. “It was just like whatever happens, happens.”

The family pooled all their nickels and dimes and went to a coin redemption machine at Food 4 Less. Mo’Nique says she was praying, “‘God, I just have to feed my babies.’ I don’t want to call home because everybody’s going to say, ‘She made a mistake.'” Their cash totaled $77, with which they bought “tuna fish, Oodles of Noodles and Kool-Aid. And I just said, ‘God, I know you’re going to make a way.'”

Within three months, Mo’Nique says, snapping her fingers, “everything just went boom-boom-boom.”

Initially, the comedian tried for a talk show deal, and had three possibilities in the works, two with Disney and one with Fox. Although she shot the pilot and the suits at the networks liked it, Queen Latifah came on the scene with her own talk show and the deal fell through.

But two weeks later, Mo’Nique was back out, pitching the talk show to Larry Little, president of Big Ticket Television. “I put the tape in, he sees it, and he says, ‘You’re a sitcom star, you’re not a talk show host. If you can act, you have your own show.” By 5:00 that evening, the deal for The Parkers was sealed, and within a month, Mo’Nique was shooting the pilot.

Brave New World

Just because Mo’Nique swept into television stardom, it doesn’t mean she’s bought into the Hollywood mentality. Indeed, the comedian become intense, even fierce, when talking about The Industry. “This is not my world,” Mo’Nique emphasizes. “This is my first job. I found that, in Hollywood, people are treated ‘less than.’ And I can’t deal with that. I don’t think, ‘I’m the star.’ And I don’t think, ‘You’re the janitor.’ You get on just like I do.”

Passionate about fairness, Mo’Nique explains that there is a hierarchy on a television show, and the stars get special treatment when it comes to things like the food service on the set. “Even (on The Parkers), there are signs that say ‘No extras,'” meaning that the food is for the regular cast only. “No!” she exclaims. “They’ve been on that set just like me, for ten hours. Damn it, if there’s a plate and a fork, go fix you something to eat!”

During an interview in her dressing room, Mo’Nique clearly enjoys the perks that her position brings, but her feet are planted firmly on the ground. “All of this will go away one day,” she says, gesturing to her surroundings. “I don’t like people saying, ‘Mo’Nique, are you okay?’ I’m fine,” she says with exuberance. “How are you doing?”

Indeed, Mo’Nique walks the talk, as evidenced during a recent taping of The Parkers. In the VIP section near the studio audience, a monitor sits atop a table, around which this writer has to peer in order to see a particular scene being shot. Mo’Nique has just flubbed her lines and is between takes. She glances over and mouths, “Can you see?” genuinely more concerned with this writer’s comfort than with her own worries. And just a few moments later, Mo’Nique is back “on,” playing with the studio audience, saying, “We’re going to do it again, and you’re gonna laugh, damn it, like you just heard it (for the first time).”

At first glance, her humility – in the truest sense of the word – is seemingly at odds with her rollicking personality. Yet in utmost seriousness, Mo’Nique says, “I tell people we (actors) should be lowest on the totem pole, because we do the least to make (the show) happen. I get to go in and say, ‘Hey, how you doin’? I’m Nikki Parker and I’m beautiful and fabulous” and I walk away. But you have writers who are here for 23 hours. You have sound people. You have so many other people that make The Parkers happen other than Mo’Nique, Countess and Dorien. But nobody knows that.”

Family Affair

Mo’Nique’s down-to-earth nature means that she’d much prefer spending her time off with her family than attending Hollywood functions. While she says, “I’m always willing to make the show grow, and I will go out and scream from the mountaintop, ‘Watch The Parkers,’ once I’ve done that, it’s goodnight and I’ll see y’all later.”

Her feelings about the glitterati come in part from her experience with nightlife as a standup comic. “Every party is the same party,” she proclaims. “I don’t care what party you go to, it’s the same party.” Instead, Mo’Nique would rather spend time with her family. Indeed, she says, “When I leave this world, I have a whole other world. And I don’t put the two together – at all. When I leave (the studio), the phone is cut off, the cell phone is cut off…. Whatever you need me for, it can wait until tomorrow morning.”

While Mo’Nique is currently the family ping-pong champ, she, Mark and their sons also bowl, and play football and basketball. She and Mark Jr. delight in skating and playing tennis. When the spotlights dim, she says, her family “will always be right there. So I have to really make sure I’m aware of my family time.”

Mo’Nique attributes her family values to her clinical psychologist father, Steve, and her mother Alice, who is retired from working at Westinghouse. “They’ve been married for 40 years and I adore them,” she exclaims. “My mom taught me how to be a woman and how to be a mommy. My father gave me all of my strength.”

Mo’Nique’s body image and her resulting self-confidence were also shaped by her father. The youngest of four children, Mo’Nique says, “My dad told me from the time I could understand words, ‘You’re the prettiest girl in the world.’ And even now, after 31 years, he still says, ‘You’re the prettiest girl in the world.'”

“I never went through that phase in my life where I felt like something was wrong with me,” Mo’Nique continues. “My father wouldn’t allow it.” As evidence of her comfort with her size, Mo’Nique proclaims, “When I walk into a room, I could walk in with Naomi, Tyra or Beverly Johnson and feel that ‘Y’all don’t have anything on this size 22!”

Large and In Charge

Mo’Nique doesn’t hesitate when she says, “It’s okay for you to say I’m fat. Yes, I am.” But, she adds, “I’ve never been looked at as a ‘fat girl.’ Named “Most Popular” and “Best Dressed” in high school, Mo’Nique’s advice to plus-size women is that “We need to put ourselves in the space where we can say, ‘Yes, I am gorgeous.’ And you have to have that attitude. Because once you have it, other people won’t know how to look at you any other way.”

Without a trace of arrogance, Mo’Nique declares, “I’m very sexy and I love being glamorous.” With a wicked gleam in her eye, she describes her beauty routine as consisting of “Lots of sex.” After a pause, she adds Neutrogena soap and cocoa butter and water to the list, but she’s made her point. Her fitness routine? “Lots of sex,” she says playfully, then adds that she takes Tae Bo classes from time to time and walks for fitness.

After years of traipsing through plus-size stores in search of a certain look, Mo’Nique says “I was still feeling like, ‘You know, you’re still giving us the fat girl clothes. There’s nothing here that’s sexy. I want to be sexy.'” To solve the problem, Mo’Nique began to design her own clothes. And now, she says, “God has blessed me and put me in a position where” she can share her designs with the rest of us. Mo’Nique says that her designs – which she characterizes as “what a size 5 would wear that a size 22 could wear and still be very tasteful” – will encompass careerwear, casual, eveningwear and lingerie. Her plans are to distribute a catalog in May 2000, as well as to sell her clothing via her website.

Mo’Nique’s passion about living fully as a plus-woman naturally spills over into her feelings about show business. Four years ago, when she did some commuting between Baltimore and Los Angeles, Mo’Nique recalls, “This one agent I had says to me, ‘You’ll never be the lead. You’ll always be the neighbor or the funny cousin.’ I said, ‘You know what? Watch me do my thing. Because it’s time. It’s time for a big girl to be the lead.'”

And this big girl is going for it. As for what the future may bring, Mo’Nique is philosophical. “Where God will have me, that’s where I’ll be. Yes, I would love to do big screen. Yes, I would love to do motivational speaking. I would love to publish lots and lots of books. I want to do it all, but I have no control over that. If God says, ‘You’re gonna be here,’ I’ll be right here, saying, ‘Hey, baby, how ya doing?'”

And that, as they say in the business, is a wrap.

Q&A with BBW

BBW: What’s the most fun, funky item in your closet right now, and when was the last time you wore it?
M: A sheer leopard teddy, which I wore last night.

BBW: If you were chief of the fashion police, what would you outlaw?
M: Plastic shoes!

BBW: If you had a magic wand and could change one thing in this world, what would it be?
M: To make it so everyone could have self-assurance.

BBW: Which historical figure do you most admire?
M: Madame C.J. Walker, the first African-American female millionaire.

BBW: Which living person would you most like the opportunity to meet?
M: Lena Horne

BBW: If you were to design one article of clothing that most truly reflected your personality, what would it look like?
M: A swing coat with a mini skirt or dress.

BBW: What’s your most treasured childhood possession that you still have?
M: A play I wrote when I was seven years old entitled “The Blue Hair.”

BBW: When was the last time you had a good belly laugh, and what caused you to laugh?
M: When I saw comedian J.B. Smooth

BBW: If you could go back in time, which comedic movie or television role would you have jumped at the chance to play?
M: Etta May in the movie Ghost (played by Whoopi Goldberg).

This article was originally published in a 2000 edition of the print magazine.

Christofferson may not be singing in the rain, but she’s making a name for herself in Hollywood with guest shots in shows like Chicago Hope and Ally McBeal, and co-starring in movies such as Wild Wild West and Mouse Hunt.

Her road to success-like that of many actors-has had its share of ruts and bumps, and even a detour along the way. The warmly genial Christofferson initially planned to go to college, then move to New York and do theater. But seeing Star Wars had such a profound impact on her life that she instead moved to Los Angeles to become an actress. “I wanted to make the kind of magic that I’d seen in Star Wars,” she says with feeling.

While she didn’t partake in the typical actor gig of waiting tables, Christofferson did work as a legal secretary for a dozen years. “I’m grateful to all the lawyers who put up with me,” she says, her face forming a dimpled smile. Her employers allowed her to schedule her work around her auditions and performances. “One or two (acting) jobs a year isn’t very much, but I had the stubbornness and tenacity to keep going and never give up.”

Her perseverance paid off when, in 1995, she auditioned for a guest role in Murder One and got the job. Her critically acclaimed performance as a crazed fan who confesses to a murder was so inspired that the producers suggested Christofferson submit her performance for Emmy consideration. Although she didn’t get the nomination, that role was a turning point for both her career and her self-concept. “When I saw (the show) on TV, it was an epiphany. It was the first time I saw myself as the character, rather than seeing myself acting,” Christofferson recalls. Likening her experience to that of her father, Bob, who is both a farmer and a construction contractor, she says, “I finally saw myself as a craftsman. My dad can create something like a beautiful staircase, and can admire it apart from himself. This wasn’t about me as a personality, it was about my work.”

Murder One aired in January 1996; six months later, Christofferson auditioned for a recurring role in another Stephen Bochco production, NYPD Blue. “I was the only one they saw for the part,” she says, adding, “It was very flattering.” Her portrayal of Geri-an assistant who sexually harasses Dennis Franz’s character-was so compelling that the producers kept Christofferson on. “Originally, the character was written for only three episodes,” she says, “but I ended up doing six or seven.”

Christofferson lauds both Bochco and David Kelly (producer of Chicago Hope and Ally McBeal) for casting actors who look like real people. “They’re wonderful in their diversity of casting,” she exclaims. “I played roles in Chicago Hope and Picket Fences and there was nothing in the description about (the character’s) weight. To me, that says there’s a smart casting person who wants the best actor, and doesn’t have limitations on size, color, age or anything.”

Still, Christofferson says, Hollywood has a long way to go before plus-size women can tune in and see characters that look like them on a regular basis. “When Camryn (Manheim) won the Emmy, I thought there would be more opportunities (for large actresses) opening up, but that hasn’t happened. That’s been disappointing.” Indeed, she asserts, that while there’s been a lot of talk in show business circles about diversity of casting, “The thing that gets me is that they only talk about diversity in terms of color. What about size? A group of people that represent a majority of the nation is excluded from being considered a minority in the industry. You look at TV, and where are the fat people?”

In Christofferson’s eyes, it’s even worse when producers take what could be a positive plus-size role and distort it. A couple of years ago, she was being considered for the lead in a TV movie. “I was the only one that the directors, producers and lead actors were considering. I was the only one they took to the network for approval,” she says. In the end, the part, which was written for a large woman who comes to realize she can be beautiful, was played by a thin woman. Christofferson was irate. “They have a terrific movie where she discovers she’s fine the way she is, but they cast a thin woman and padded her and ultimately dressed her so that she looked unkempt. It was heartbreaking for me to see a project that had so much potential to touch people become a travesty.”

Saying, “That’s what people of size are up against in the industry,” Christofferson notes, “I know the industry is a business of illusion, but the more that film and TV become real, the more they need to incorporate real-looking people into those stories.”

Even when Christofferson auditions and doesn’t get the part, she’s philosophical about it. While there are weeks when she has three or four auditions, “It’s such a rare chance that you’ll book the job that I don’t look at it like auditioning. I look at it as performing. If I get the part, I get to perform it again, and if not, well, I’ve done it.”

She’s been fortunate that, for the most part, when she does book the job, her character is well dressed. “I have been blessed with costume designers who are really sharp, where my size isn’t an issue,” she declares. Christofferson especially enjoyed wearing “the most beautiful suits and gorgeous fabrics,” in a recurring role on Picket Fences. Yet, she says, “I have worked on other shows-not many, but some-where they don’t have a clue about how to dress a woman who’s not a size 2 or 4 or 6.”

Costuming Christofferson could take an adventuresome turn, should roles come up where she can utilize her swashbuckling skills. Calling fencing “a lifetime love,” Christofferson recalls with a laugh, “When I was a kid, the first letter I learned to make was a Z for ‘Zorro.'” She’s also NRA certified in pistol shooting, which she thinks may come in handy for police shows, and is a concert whistler. “I can whistle in pitch, harmonize and whistle without breathing,” she reveals.

After her stint at NYPD Blue, Christofferson was hired for her first major movie, Mouse Hunt, and three years ago was finally able to “leave secretarial work behind me.” These days, when she’s not performing or auditioning, Christofferson can be found puttering around the house in Southern California she bought a year ago. “I’m a big HGTV fan, and in my spare time, I’m in decorator heaven.” She’s also landscaped her backyard, putting in “plants, an herb garden, rock trim and stepping stones. It’s been a fun experience.”

Christofferson also spends time with her circle of friends, who run the gamut from industry types to real estate agents and healers. Her closest friends, DeeAnne Santos and Craig Campobasso, share Christofferson’s love of film and theater, as well as her deep interest in metaphysics. Of Campobasso, a casting director and writer-director, she says, “We attend lots of screenings and other industry events together, and have taken some wonderful spiritual treks to Mt. Shasta, California and Sedona, Arizona.”

Spirituality is a central part of Christofferson’s identity. Along with brothers Bob and Steve and sister, Jane, Christofferson was raised by her father and kindergarten teacher mother, Carol, in the Pentecostal Four Square Church. No longer affiliated with a particular religion, Christofferson believes that “Everybody’s individual way with God is the right way for them. My personal quest for God is the right way for me, and that involves accepting everyone and everything as it is.”

A spiritual light bulb went on when Christofferson saw Star Wars. “When they talked about the Force binding us all together, I thought, that’s what God is-not an old man with a long beard on a throne. God is everything. It’s the awareness we all have as a Wholeness.”

For Christofferson, part of spirituality means believing in yourself. She says it took her years to internalize the message that, “Whatever you look like, you are perfect just the way you are,” especially working in an industry where appearance is everything. Nonetheless, she says, “If you can look at that as a possibility, it can change your life.”

And Christofferson’s life is only changing for the better. While her cat, Obiwan Kenobi, is her companion these days, Christofferson says, “I would like to be in a loving relationship.” As an actor, she also wants to be on a successful series, and to “touch people’s hearts and souls.” Her star is on the rise, and there’s no doubt she will achieve her dreams.

Q & A with BBW

BBW: What’s the most fun, funky item in your closet right now, and when was the last time you wore it?
DC: A silver and black zebra striped Carole Little vest and jacket. I wear it for auditions when I’m supposed to be way over the top-it’s great!

BBW: If you were chief of the fashion police, what would you outlaw?
DC: Tongue piercing.

BBW: If you were the gardener of Eden and were allowed to plant only three varieties of flowers, which would you choose?
DC: Roses, lilacs and night-blooming jasmine.

BBW: If you had a magic wand and could change one thing in this world, what would it be?
DC: Judgments. I’d wish for everyone to stop making judgments.

BBW: Which historical figure do you most admire?
DC: Collectively, explorers-who face the unknown and go for it.

BBW: What legacy do you want to leave to the world?
DC: To have been inspirational.

BBW: If you were to design one article of clothing that most truly reflected your personality, what would it look like?
DC: Lots of silky, shimmery, flowing fabric in turquoises, teals and purples.

BBW: What’s your most treasured childhood possession that you still have?
DC: A sterling silver Tinker Bell necklace I got at Disneyland when I was four.

BBW: When was the last time you had a good belly laugh, and what caused you to laugh?
DC: I recently saw the movie “Bowfinger,” and howled throughout it!

BBW: If you could go back in time, which classic movie role would you have jumped at the chance to play?
DC: Kathy Seldon (Debbie Reynolds’ character) in “Singin’ in the Rain.” (Or
Princess Leia….)

This article initially appeared in a 2000 issue of the print magazine.

For the next three hours, this writer searches (discreetly, she hopes) for some – any – slight imperfection in Christine Alt’s appearance, demeanor or character, to no avail. Alt shatters every stereotype about models: she is sincere, intelligent, compassionate, witty, warm and anything but narcissistic.
Beyond those qualities, Alt is a woman on a mission. She immediately launches into a discussion of what is wrong with plus-size fashions. Given that she’s been in the industry for 18 years, Alt has had plenty of time to come up with her list of pet peeves. For one thing, she doesn’t care for the way most plus-size clothes are cut. “I can go to a Missy department if they carry a size 16. If (the outfit’s) too tight, I go up to the plus-size department and try on the same garment in the same material and in the same color. But they cut it differently. Why would they think that because you’re plus-size, you’re straight up and down, you have no waist and you have no shape? (They should) cut it the same, just cut it bigger.”

In Alt’s scenario, there wouldn’t be a plus-size department at all. “It would be nice to have a size 2 next to a size 28, all in the same area. Why can’t you have a rack of Jones New York that has all the sizes on it? Why do we have to go to a different floor and have different dressing rooms and different cuts of clothes?”

She also doesn’t condone the way many plus-size fashions are marketed. “I think you should actually fit the clothes to be a plus-size model,” she says emphatically. “It bothers me that clients will book somebody who’s a size 8 for a plus-size catalog.” Alt wants this to change, but is cognizant of the fact that change doesn’t happen overnight. “A lot of times (visitors to my website) think that I’m not even big enough to be used in a catalog,” Alt muses, “but it’s taken us 15 or 20 years to get plus-size women in catalogs. Even if it takes another 10 or 15 years to get bigger women in there, at least we’re moving in the right direction.”

Alt’s complaints, though, are far from overbearing or shrill. She’s a woman who speaks with authority and who speaks from her heart. And Alt’s vision of the plus-size fashion industry is crystal clear, as is the role she wants to play in transforming it.

In between her gigs modeling for, among others Ulla Popken, Carol Little II and August Max Woman, Alt keeps her fingers on the pulse of the plus-size woman through dozens of personal appearances, including those at Nordstrom flagship stores in Seattle, Portland, and San Diego. What she’s learned has helped shape her ultimate goals and future plans, which revolve around improving the lot of the plus-size community. “Whether it’s helping (women) with better fashions and better design for plus-size, or whether it’s helping them achieve their goals and not be ostracized and criticized because they’re plus-size, it will be something that will help the plus-size population,” Alt says with passion. “We are the majority of the population, not the minority, and I don’t feel that we deserve to be treated like minorities and made to feel poorly.”

The Model

Christine Alt didn’t arrive at this conclusion overnight. In fact, it’s been a long – and sometimes painful – road to self-acceptance. Alt began modeling the summer after her high school graduation, with the encouragement of her father, xxxxx, and following in the footsteps of her supermodel sister, Carol Alt. Christine thought modeling would be a stop-gap while she decided what courses she wanted to take in college. “Eighteen summers later,” she says with a laugh, “I’m still doing it!”

Alt began as, in her words, a “straight size.” She was a size 10-12, and under pressure from the modeling agencies and clients, got down to a size 4. In the process, however, she developed an eating disorder, which led her to withdraw from the fashion world and move to Texas. At the end of her recovery, Alt found herself at a size 14, and after losing weight for her wedding seven and a half years ago (“not consciously; it just happened,” she stresses), became a size 16. “I would probably still be a size 10-12, if I never went on that initial diet,” she says convincingly. “I think that half the women in this world who are plus-size would not be if they never went on a diet.”

To Alt, making the leap to plus-size modeling felt like coming home. “When I stopped (modeling) between straight- and plus-size, I felt lost,” she says in a subdued voice. When she resumed her modeling career, “I had a friend who said to me, ‘I’ve never seen you look so happy,’ and it was that I missed it. But I couldn’t stay a size 4. It just wasn’t me.”

But just because she was happy doesn’t mean that the path was strewn with roses and littered with accolades. “Fifteen years ago, there was a stereotype about plus-size models,” Alt says. “We were ostracized and treated differently than straight-size.” Not only were photographers unwilling to shoot plus-size models, but Alt wasn’t always welcomed by her thinner counterparts. “They figured, ‘I have to keep my figure to work in this industry, why can you let yours go and still work?'”

The fashion industry has come a long way since those days, and now plus-size modeling is on par with straight-size. Over time, photographers finally realized the money that was passing them by with the burgeoning plus-size industry, and, according to Alt, “A lot of the straight-size models got older, got heavier or had children, and they entered the plus-size field.”

Luck, Professionalism and Hard Work

Alt, too, has come a long way in the modeling world, and is a sturdy perennial among annuals that often explode onto the fashion scene and disappear after their first bloom. She attributes her longevity to luck, professionalism and hard work.

Alt’s luck involved more than being born with good cheekbones; she comes from a family of models. Her grandmother was a milliner’s model in the roaring ’20s and her mother was a showroom model on New York’s Seventh Avenue in the ’50s. And, while the luck of having supermodel Carol Alt for a sister certainly opened some doors for Christine, it was she who walked through, and who has used the wedges of professionalism and hard work to keep those doors open over the last 18 years.

According to Alt, professionalism means doing the job, keeping the client happy and never copping an attitude. She says, “Photographers and clients look toward the model to set the pace for the day. I describe it, as like being the hostess of a party for eight to ten hours. You have to come in happy and peppy and bursting with love.”

It’s not always a cakewalk. Alt describes what this writer would term “photo shoot from hell” when she relates her experience on a ten day photo shoot in Miami. The clients wanted her to join them for dinner at 8:00 p.m., even though her call time was 4:00 a.m. each morning for hair and makeup. They didn’t want to spend money on a Winnebago, which meant, she says, “We had to get dressed and undressed on the street. This guy was driving by, stopped at the light, and tried to take a picture of us changing our clothes.” Searching for the sun, the crew also drove to Ft. Lauderdale. Connect the dots: no Winnebago means no bathroom. “That was definitely the hardest job (I’ve had),” she says, but then dismisses it with a wave of her hand. “Fortunately, after a couple of years of modeling, you become immune to things like that.”

A modeling career such as Alt’s involves more than getting into the makeup chair on time. “This is a business,” she says authoritatively. “Days that I am not shooting in front of the camera, I am home working.” The at-home work involves everything from writing proposals to answering email from her website (www.christinealt.com) to planning future projects with her manager. “People say, ‘Oh, you had off today.’ No, I didn’t. Lots of models sit home and don’t do anything and (therefore) don’t work. Plan your next (composite) card. Make up a mailing list. Because it’s not going to come to you. You are a business.”
Christine Alt, Inc. is really a partnership of four people: Alt, her husband Steven (whose last name she declines to state), her manager Thomas Dover, and his wife, plus-size model Angela Bormann. “There are four of us involved in this career,” muses Alt. She further explains that within her team, there’s a corporate component (husband Steven is an architectural designer for a major U.S. bank); a legal component (manager Dover is an attorney); an emotional component, which Bormann provides; and an artistic component, which Alt brings to the table. “We have four great personalities and opinions coming into what we are trying to create,” she states. “And we are trying to create a more positive atmosphere and lifestyle for plus-size women.”

Beyond the partnership, the four are also close friends. Says Alt, when Angela and Thomas are in town, they always stay with us.”

Kids and Animals

When she’s not smiling at the camera lens or strategizing about her next career move, Alt can be found at the home on Long Island that she shares with her husband and their three “kids,” Woody, Max and Simon – cats adopted from the local animal shelter. She regales this writer with the tale of Woody’s disappearance, when the cat ran away and “I was a basket case.” After a month, Alt tracked down a woman who had seen a cat resembling Woody around her house. “I’d just come home from a bridal shower and was wearing a linen suit, walking up and down the road where this woman lives in the pouring rain, screaming for my cat.” The upshot of the story is that, the week before Alt found Woody, she and her husband adopted two shelter kittens from the same litter; Max and Simon are mirror-image twins, similar in markings to the First Family’s cat, Socks. “Max is the troublemaker,” Alt says affectionately. “Woody is just the sweetest little thing, and Simon cannot get enough attention.”

Animals have always been a part of Alt’s life. “My father was a battalion chief with the South Bronx Fire Department, and at one time, we had a rabbit named Sooty, an Irish Setter named Flame and a Siamese cat named Smokey. We’re big animal people.”

Her passion about animals, though, extends far beyond simply caring for pets. Alt says that, while she took horseback riding lessons over an extended period of time, she gave up riding completely when she saw how the schools’ horses were overworked. “They are out there over and over again with riders on them in the hot sun.” Likewise, although she and Steven are fans of the Triple Crown, “Whenever they start hitting the horse to make it go faster, I can’t watch. They’re beating that horse so we can be entertained.”

The lacto-ovo vegetarian states forthrightly, “Unfortunately, I made the mistake years ago of not having an opinion, and I have a fur coat that sits in my closet as a reminder to me of the mistake I made.” While she’s not an animal rights activist per se, her passion about animals is deeply felt. “One day, I would love to buy a big farm, and open up all the animal shelters and take care of all the animals,” she says.

The Girl Next Door

Beneath Alt’s strong feelings about the community of plus-size women and her passion about animals lies a woman who comes across as having her head sitting squarely atop her shoulders. Given that hers is an industry based in illusion and one where insiders can be mistaken for chameleons, Alt is surprisingly clear on who she is and where she came from. She attributes this to coming from “a happy, well-adjusted family.”

This family is also her inspiration. “My mother was able to raise four children, complete college and work full-time. My father’s men looked up to him. They said he was tough but he was fair.” While she was raised as a Roman Catholic, she says that her parents taught her about helping people in need and respecting people. “If they’re in distress and you can help, you give them the shirt off your back. If they’re not like you, you accept them for their differences.”
The moral fiber instilled in Alt by her parents has affected her life and career in many ways. “I had my real estate license for awhile, but it wasn’t a good experience for me,” she recalls. “My mother brought me up to be honest and moral, and when you’re working for commission, people lie to you and tell you the things you want to hear.”

Although her father passed away in 1983, Alt and her family remain close. “We’re very close spiritually, though logistically we’re not.” Her sister, Karen, lives about two hours away from Alt, while her sister Carol lives in California. Her brother, xxxxxx, is only a half hour away, though he used to live in New Zealand. “That was a nightmare,” she exclaims. Her in-laws and her mother live within a mile or two of Alt’s home. “My mother has become a friend,” Alt says with emotion. “She helps me sort out my feelings, but she doesn’t come right out and say what I should do.”

At home, Alt plays it casual. “My husband is very much a homebody,” she laughs. “We invested in a DVD player, so we’re big movie watchers.” According to Alt, they’re also avid magazine readers. And having bought a fixer-upper before their marriage, Christine and Steven also spend a lot of time puttering around the house. “We never went on a honeymoon,” Alt reveals. “Since it’s where we’ll spend the rest of our lives, we decided to put our money into the house, instead of looking at photos in an album.”

On weekends, the couple might be spotted driving by the grand mansions of Long Island, shopping at a local farm for fresh fruits and vegetables, or taking in the local dog or cat show. Whatever they do in their leisure time, it’s a sure bet that it’ll be close to home. “With traveling so much for business, I don’t like air travel for pleasure,” she says.

There’s another side to Alt that is both playful and down-to-earth. She shuns a regimented fitness program, preferring to “incorporate exercise into my everyday routine.” When she’s working, she’ll take the stairs rather than the elevator or walk instead of taking a cab. But at home, Alt might have a hammer in hand, working with her husband to finish the basement in their home. And while she doesn’t care for gardening, “If you need a tree cut down, call me,” she says with a laugh. “I like the real physical labor of doing something like that.”
A favorite childhood hangout of Alt’s was the apple tree in her parents’ backyard. As she got older, her love of tree climbing never faltered. “I still, to this day, can look at a tree and say, ‘This would be a great climbing tree.” And her inner child gets to play with the other kids on the block from time to time. “I like getting on the lawn with the neighborhood kids and the neighborhood dog, rolling around on the grass,” she laughs.

Beauty, brains, ethics and good humor. Christine Alt is the All-American Girl, with a twist. She’s using the gifts she’s been given, and those that she’s earned, to make the world a better place for plus-size women. But come to think of it, what could be more American?

Q & A with BBW

BBW: What’s the most fun, funky item in your closet right now, and when was the last time you wore it?
CA: Every season it changes. Right now it’s a pair of black stretch Capri pants from Nordstrom. I wear them at least once a week.

BBW: If you were Chief of the Fashion Police, what would you outlaw?
CA: Mini skirts and cropped tops. Enough said.

BBW: If, for the remainder of your life, you were only allowed to watch three videos, which three would you choose?
CA: “A Christmas Carol,” “A Bug’s Life” and “The Usual Suspects”

BBW: What legacy do you want to leave the world?
CA: I would like to encourage a world where there is no distinction or separation between “regular size” and “plus size.”

BBW: If you were to design on article of clothing that most truly reflected your personality, what would it look like?
CA: A pair of cotton Disney pajamas!

BBW: Where do you want to be on December 31, 1999 at 11:59 p.m.?
CA: At home with my husband and cats, sharing a bottle of good champagne. (No champagne for the cats, though!)

BBW: What’s your most treasured childhood possession that you still have?
CA: A medallion of the Mother Mary that was given to me by my great, great Uncle Eugene for my Baptism.

This article originally appeared in a 1999 edition of the print magazine.

Never hesitant to offer an opinion or give a straightforward answer, the woman born Starlet Marie Jones exudes self-confidence. While Life has thrown her a few curves, Jones has a way of turning challenges into opportunities, and opportunities into achievements.

Jones, 37, who was born in North Carolina and raised in New Jersey, was embraced by an extended family, from which the seeds of success were sown. While Jones attributes her success to “hard work and strong family values and an abiding faith in God,” she reserves the most credit for her mother, Shirley. In her 1998 autobiography, You Have to Stand for Something or You’ll Fall for Anything (Bantam, $22.95), Jones writes, “She filled me with such a tremendous sense of purpose and faith that there’s no situation I can’t face head-on…. I am vested with the notion that the world is mine.”

Jones displayed that sense of purpose and focus early on, when she decided that she wanted to be a lawyer. When Shirley learned of her plans, she sat Star down and helped her determine what it would take to accomplish her goal. Jones recalls, “I was seven or eight years old and she had me planning, and keeping my eyes on the prize, and the funny thing is I never lost sight of that goal.”

Despite a brush with mortality at the age of 20, the prize was eventually hers. Jones developed a thoracic tumor requiring rarely performed surgery, and in spite of the odds, she never gave up on her goals, and instead feels the experience gave her a new impetus to succeed. “I came out of that ordeal a driven young woman…. All of a sudden, my life had a purpose.”

After receiving her law degree, Jones’ ambition led her to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office, where she prosecuted lower level cases before being promoted to the Homicide Bureau, and eventually to Senior Assistant District Attorney. She chose to be a prosecutor because “In the end, (it was about) being the only person standing between justice and injustice.”

Jones’ entrée into the world of television occurred by happenstance. In 1991, when Court TV was only a concept, her coworker at the D.A.’s office turned down the opportunity to be their live-action commentator, instead suggesting that Jones participate. She shot the pilot with F. Lee Bailey and Harvard law professor Arthur Miller, and the rest, as they say, is herstory.

During the William Kennedy Smith rape trial, Jones made a provocative comment about the alleged victim’s seeming inability to remember who removed her pantyhose and where and when they were shed. In commenting upon Patricia Bowman’s credibility with the jury, Jones asserted, “It’s been my experience that women know where they take off their underwear. When they don’t, they have a credibility problem.” This created quite a buzz in the world of talking heads – unaccustomed to such a blunt, forthright approach – and prompted a booking on the Today Show, which led, six weeks later, to a contract as NBC’s legal correspondent.

Later, as chief legal analyst and senior correspondent for Inside Edition, Jones covered the O.J. Simpson trial, always keeping in mind that journalism is a “sacred trust,” and that “(People) deserve a media that’s straight and fair and objective.”

Jones, a self-defined “news junkie” who reads six papers every day, is deeply concerned that there are those in the media who care more about the bottom line than the integrity of their reporting. She is disturbed that, in the wake of the sensationalistic coverage of the Clinton-Lewinsky scandal, the line between traditional journalism and tabloid journalism is growing ever fuzzier. “We’ve turned the corner in terms of journalism in this fast-food era,” Jones says with distaste. Even traditional journalists are tackling stories that they otherwise would not tackle, and taking positions as more of a commentator or analyst than an information source.”

As for the argument that the media just gives the public what it wants, Jones rebuts, “There’s a difference between what people want and what people have a right to know. We may want to know the gossip about everybody, but we don’t have a right to have the gossip about everybody. We now live in a world where public people can no longer lead private lives, and I think that’s a shame.”

Jones, however, keeps firm boundaries between reporting and commentating. “When I was covering the Simpson trial, I was very clear on the fact that I was a reporter,” she says with conviction. “Even to this day, it would not occur to me to give my personal opinion (on his guilt or innocence). What I thought was irrelevant, because if you think I’m coming from a bias, it colors how you take in my information.” Now, she says, “You see people covering the White House, then on Sunday (morning TV shows) they are sitting there giving their own opinions.” Jones is vehement in her belief that, “there’s a line that shouldn’t be crossed.”

She also has definite opinions about politics and the implications of the President’s impeachment on the 2000 elections. She feels strongly that “the public is sick of the whole lot – both the Republicans and the Democrats…. If a candidate tries to bring that up, they may feel the backlash.” It is evident that Jones has her finger on the pulse of America when she says, “We want to talk about the issues that impact on our daily lives. The impeachment, the allegations against the President, that doesn’t… put any extra food on the table; it doesn’t get one criminal off the street; it doesn’t give our children any extra books or computers in their classrooms; and doesn’t provide health care for one additional person in America. Those are the things that matter most to us.”

Jones believes that, in light of the impeachment, the prospect of a woman president “is moving from a possibility to a probability. America might say, ‘You know what, let’s give a woman a try.'”

While she has no aspirations for political office (“I’m too honest”), Jones would support Hillary Clinton’s run for a U.S. Senate seat in New York. “Every issue that matters to me, I’m completely on all fours with the First Lady,” she asserts. “She is so dedicated to children’s issues, victims rights issues, issues that involve families and communities, and more traditional women’s issues. I wish that she would run, so that she’d be my senator.”

As co-host of ABC’s The View along with Meredith Vieira, Joy Behar and executive producer Barbara Walters, Jones has a daily opportunity to proffer her candid opinions about everything from the day’s headlines to the latest cultural phenomenon. It’s clear that Jones embraces and enjoys the opportunity to be a pivotal player in this critically acclaimed show, which this year was nominated for ten Daytime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Talk Show and Outstanding Talk Show Host.

While the relationships among The View’s coterie were initially a product of Barbara Walter’s design, Jones says they have turned into genuine friendships. “We love each other,” she declares. “When the four of us get together, we’ll be gossiping and we don’t want the door open. Barbara will bark, ‘We’re in a meeting!’ We’re not in a meeting,” Jones laughs, “We’re having a great time. You could not come to work here everyday unless (the relationship) was as genuine as you see (on TV).”

Her deep admiration for Walters is evident when she firmly states, “Every woman in journalism right now owes something to her, because she opened all the doors. She fought all the battles. Her creation of this show, which celebrates the diversity of women, and the minds of women, and the whimsical nature of women and the intelligence of women, is a wonderful example of her bringing women along.”

Working with her co-hosts isn’t the only thing Jones adores about her career; she clearly enjoys the fashion perks. Jones says, “I am dressed everyday by Saks Fifth Avenue Salon Z. Those people are the love of my life – they take such good care of me.” She is nothing if not a diva with style. She owns 400 pairs of shoes, she shops at outlet stores, and feels that “Clothing, shoes, jewelry, makeup, hair – all that goes into your positive self-image. I’m not the least bit concerned about how other people see me. I’m concerned with how I see me.”

Jones attributes her flawless skin to being blessed with “good genes,” citing as evidence, “My grandmother turned 80 in September, and she has minimal lines. My mom is 57 and she is a fox.” Her beauty routine varies, although her cardinal rule is never to go to bed with makeup on. She never puts alcohol on her face, and says, “Half the time, I wash with soap. The other half of the time, I take baby wipes and wipe off the makeup.” Jones uses clear cucumber gel cleanser or witch hazel to remove the remainder of the makeup, and uses a heavy cream, such as Nivea, at night.

Her beauty – both outer and inner – also comes from a healthy lifestyle. At least three mornings a week, you’ll find her at her apartment on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, exercising on her treadmill while reading a newspaper or watching the morning news. While she affirms that, “I enjoy the gym experience when it’s one on one,” she’s adamant that, “If you tell me I have to jog around a track, I’d rather lay down on a railroad track and die.”

Jones exercises because she enjoys it, and makes it clear that she doesn’t want to participate in the diet culture. “I have no desire to buy into this whole diet mentality of America, or to buy into this skinny-is-the-only-way,” she insists. “I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it. If it’s you, then go for it. It’s just not who I am.”

But at the same time, Jones doesn’t identify with the size acceptance movement, asserting, “I don’t accept that we’re the last safe minority that it’s politically correct to abuse.” Nor does she feel that discrimination based on body size is a legitimate arena for legislative or legal intervention. Calling Michigan’s statute prohibiting discrimination based on weight “ridiculous,” she states, “I’m the kind of person who does not believe that size holds me back from anything. I’m the size I am, and I’m confident in who I am. I don’t need the legislature to hold my hand and make me feel better because I’m one size and not another.”

That belief and her feeling that size is irrelevant have their roots in her upbringing. In her autobiography, Jones recalls, “I was never made to feel as if my size determined my worth in any one area…. My dress size didn’t matter to me because my dress size didn’t matter to (my mother), and it didn’t matter to my daddy either.” Indeed, Jones said in an interview for this article, “You all have made this an issue. I haven’t. If this magazine did not exist, I’d never classify myself as a Big Beautiful Woman. I, quite frankly, don’t see the need to do that.”

While Jones is aware that her fuller figure means, “I may not have as many fashion choices available to me as some women,” she continues to define her own personal style. She writes, “The top designers don’t even bother with the likes of me, so why should I care what a bunch of predominantly gay white men think about the way I look?”

Her choices in fashion may soon expand, as Jones is making plans to design her own clothing line. Although she says, “If I had my druthers, I would do a private label for Saks Fifth Avenue,” she also sees the need for apparel with a lower price point. “I’m also thinking about a lower-range line, maybe something for Target.” She continues, “Remember, I didn’t always have a TV show, but I always had to dress. (As) an assistant D.A., I made $22,500, which is more in line with what regular everyday Americans make. And I looked good everyday.” Indeed, in those days she wore Chanel knockoffs and accessorized them with fake Chanel buttons, which she sewed on herself.

Her forthcoming clothing line is sure to complement the Star Jones Wig Collection. Because Jones’ hair tends to be dry, she uses oil on it, and shampoos and conditions with Optimum. Nonetheless, she wears wigs most of the time, but adds, “You never know where my hair ends and where the wig begins.”

There are currently six wigs in the Star Jones Collection, including those with trendy waves, chic layers and dramatic highlights. Made by Especially Yours, the collection is available through mail order (www.especiallyyours.com or 888-679-8657), and 14 more styles will be added in the coming year. As Jones proclaims, “Wigs give us divas a whole bunch of fashion options.”

Whether Jones is entertaining friends at favorite restaurants like the Four Seasons or Mr. Chow’s, travelling to Paris – a place that she loves, or attending a charity event, she always goes in style, wearing suits by Anne Klein, Ellen Tracy and Due per Due, or eveningwear by Oleg Cassini, Brian Bailey and Nahdrée. She’s matter-of-fact when she says, “I have such a sense of style. I don’t know where that comes from, but I know what looks good on me. I know what feels good on me.” Jones adds, “Style is not just looking in a magazine and saying, ‘I’m gonna buy that.’ It’s buying that and putting something with it that makes it say you.”

This woman of style also has a streak of practicality. “Seventy percent of my lingerie comes from Lane Bryant,” says Jones, “and 95% of my underwear and bras come from Lane Bryant because I think they do it better than anyone else. I will take a pair of black stretch leggings from Lane Bryant with a pair of black suede shoe boots and top it with a cashmere sweater from Saks, and you wouldn’t know the difference.”

Jones isn’t all high-glam, however. You may spot her at the White Castle in Harlem, at one of her favorite New York jazz clubs, or shopping for pieces to decorate her new home in the Hamptons. Her home is one of the places where the softer side of Star surfaces. “Every part of my life is always movin’ and shakin’, full of colors, and big, loud and busy. So in my house it’s very soft and comfortable,” she reveals.

On that rare night when she’s home alone – about once every two weeks – Jones takes the opportunity to relax and reflect. “I light a wonderful scented candle, sit quietly on the couch and listen to (jazz musician) Cassandra Wilson. I think I’m happiest right there,” she says softly.

Jones also spends time with her beau, whom she declines to name. She does confess, however, that in their personalities, “We’re exactly the same – so much so that it’s scary.” Jones describes him as a businessman in the entertainment-publishing arena, and as “the smartest man I’ve met recently.”

To Jones, brains are important in a mate, as are a veritable laundry list of other qualities. In her autobiography, Jones candidly notes that she wants a man who is as tall as she is in four-inch heels (for the record, that would be at least 5’10”); who is smart, passionate, handsome, fun-loving, and adventuresome; who has a sense of style, a good heart, a good relationship with his family, and a place in his life for God; and who “is kind and gentle and treats me like I hung the moon.” While she has a preference for strong African-American men like her stepfather and her grandfathers, she sets no racial boundaries for a mate, writing, “I decided a long time ago to play with all the crayons in the box.”

While she is known for her blunt approach and candor, Jones can also act as star-struck as a teenager can. She’s an avid fan of All My Children, and cites one of the characters, Erika Kane, as “My favorite daytime diva of all time.” Upon meeting Susan Lucci, the actress who portrays Kane, Jones felt out of her element. “I can sit with the President of the United States and have a conversation and not be intimidated, but with Susan I was speechless.” She adds, “(To this day) Susan will tell you I’m more a fan than a colleague. I cannot get a grip.”

As a diva-in-training, one of her mentors was Diahann Carroll, who Jones refers to as “the quintessential diva” and “my special godmother,” adding that Carroll is “the single most classy, most elegant woman I have ever met.” According to Jones, Carroll also gave her the best advice she ever received, at a time when she was concerned that people might be put off by her confidence. Jones relates that she said to Carroll, “I don’t know if America is ready for a black woman who is not afraid to be proud of who she is, who likes who she is, and who is not concerned with pleasing everybody.” Carroll responded, “Darling, they will get used to it.”

America has not only gotten used to Star Jones, but has embraced her. This 21st century diva is an original who first, last and always relies on her belief in her own talents, intelligence and style. As she writes in her book, “If you define yourself, other people’s opinions won’t matter. You’re no longer subject to fashion, or to the whims of taste.”

BBW Q&A with Star Jones

What’s the most fun, funky item in your closet right now, and when was the last time you wore it?

Brown leather pants by Emmanuel…. I wore them to the Knicks game when they beat Indianapolis!

If you won lifetime subscriptions to three publications of your choice, which would you choose?

The New York Times, Vanity Fair and Essence Magazine

Which historical figure do you most admire?

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. His work in the area of equality in education formed the foundation for a whole race of people to achieve

If you were to design one article of clothing that most truly reflected your personality, what would it look like?

A long black sexy sheath dress (It’s classic and will never go out of style) with ostrich feathers at the cuffs (for pizzazz!)

As a diva, what’s the most outrageous thing you’ve gotten away with?

Flirting with Michael Douglas on national television!

Where do you want to be on December 31, 1999 at 11:59 p.m?

Drinking champagne with the man I love

What’s your most treasured childhood possession that you still have?

A portrait of my sister, Sheila, and me when she was four and I was eight

Quick… What would you wear if you felt…feisty?

Quelques Fleur perfume by Houbigant…. There is nothing feistier than a woman who smells like she is sure of herself!

This article is a throwback from a 1999 issue of the print magazine.