Whitney Thompson, the plus-size winner of cycle 10 of America’s Next Top Model, just launched an online dating sight for full-figured women. Thompson says the purpose of TheBigandtheBeautiful.com is to get the whole “big girl elephant” out of the room because potential mates will already know what they’re getting into.
“[When] I would [call myself] a ‘plus-sized model’ . . . guys would expect me to be a really big girl. But if I said, ‘I’m a model,’ [they were] disappointed that I’m bigger. Either way, I wasn’t what the guy was looking for,” she told Page Six.
She told Radar Online,“I created this site so people don’t have to stress over their profile, but can focus on the fun and excitement of meeting and dating other incredible people of all shapes and sizes.”
I get what Whitney is saying. With all the backlash over black women’s use of the word thick to describe a wide variety of sizes, it’s not surprising that “plus-size” is seen as equally ambiguous. No one wants to be badgered with a million questions from someone trying to figure out “just how big are you,” so perhaps this site eliminates all that drama.
Do you think online dating sites tailored specifically to plus-size women are necessary? Have you ever had trouble with people’s expectations about your body when you described yourself as plus-size?
Brande Victorian is a blogger and culture writer in New York City. Follower her on Twitter at @be_vic.
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