Most of us are familiar with the Miss America pageant, which has been crowning winners from all over the country since 1921. There is another pageant you may not be as familiar with, but is no less important in its concept. The Miss Plus America pageant is dedicated to celebrating the inner beauty of women, along with their commitment to the communities in which they live, and the 2011 Miss Plus America Elite winner lives here in Austin.
Spruce Dickerson competed with women from all over the United States last month to capture the Miss Plus America Elite crown, which is the highest honor in the Miss Plus America pageant system.
I first met Spruce several months ago, when we were paired as co-emcees for the Statewide Independent Living Council Convention. Her positive, energetic personality and passion for advocating for the voice of plus-sized women is both refreshing and unmistakable.
"All women are worthy, and all women have a voice," she told me as we talked in my office recently. "It doesn't matter what our size is. All women are beautiful." Her mantra: "love who you are, where you are."
All contestants are required to choose a platform, and Spruce chose volunteerism, because, as she put it, "I already do that. It's not a hat that I put on and take off. My life is volunteerism."
Spruce is excited about her opportunity to represent the Miss Plus America Elite crown, which is not affiliated with the Miss America contest. She will have numerous opportunities throughout the year to promote her volunteerism platform, and her theme, "give... so that others can live." In December, she will travel to Nigeria to speak and emcee at the Miss Plus Nigeria pageant. While there, she will visit orphanages and schools, where she'll be passing out school supplies. She is also currently working on a campaign called Flip Flop To Nigeria, to collect flip flops to hand out to people during her visit.
For more information about Spruce, or to line her up for a guest appearance, email Melissa Stamper at:
director@missplusamerica.com
You may also visit Spruce's website at:
http://www.sprucedickerson.com/
William and Kate are about to hire a housekeeper-dresser for their new London home. To find out more on that, and other goings-on with the Royal Couple, click the article below:
http://www.people.com/people/package/article/0,,20395222_20500584,00.html
Birchbox is a new and fun way to try beauty products before you buy them!!  They carry so many wonderful brands and you pay only $10 a month and get fabulous large samples!!  You can collect points and use them toward the purchase of your favorite products too!!  Check out my appearance on "Good Day Austin" with Keri Bellacosa  below.  You can become a member of Birchbox and check out their website here!
I can't talk enough about nail polish!!  It can change your look in minutes , it's affordable and there is no size required!!  Here is a look at the hottest nail colors for spring!!  As you can see there is something for everyone.  Keri Bellacosa and I will talk about the latest nail colors on our Fabulous Friday's on  "Good Day Austin" this coming Friday at 9am!! Above, from left to right: Orlyâs Nail Lacquer ($7.50) in Basket Case.
OPI introduces the Femme de Cirque collection, a selection of muted pastel shades with a hint of shimmer. The collection includes four shades (from left to right): I Juggle⦠Men, a sheer eggshell-blue hue; In The Spot-Light Pink, a pastel pink hue; Step Right Up, a pale sandy pink hue; and, So Many Clowns, So Little Time, a nude pink hue. Think of this collection as a playful and lighthearted way to try the nude nail trend. The OPI Femme de Cirque collection will be available in early April. Each bottle retails for $8.50.
From the today showBeauty pageants evoke images of flawless women in amazing shape, perfectly made up and coiffed, right?
Yet one beauty queen vying for the Miss America title in Las Vegas this week has barely any hair on her head.
Kayla Martell, Miss Delaware, has been bald for half of her 22 years â she has alopecia areata, a rare condition that results in unexplained hair loss. But thatâs not stopping her from competing for her lifelong dream.
âBy the time I was 13, my hair was out completely,â she explained. âThe thought of getting a wig never crossed my mind at all. My mother first brought up the suggestion and brought home this awful brown wig. I donât know why, because Iâm naturally blonde and everyone in my family is blonde.
âI wore it to school, but took it off in the middle of the day, put it in my backpack and never looked back.â
Most of us are familiar with the Miss America pageant, which has been crowning winners from all over the country since 1921. There is another pageant you may not be as familiar with, but is no less important in its concept. The Miss Plus America pageant is dedicated to celebrating the inner beauty of women, along with their commitment to the communities in which they live, and the 2011 Miss Plus America Elite winner lives here in Austin.
Spruce Dickerson competed with women from all over the United States last month to capture the Miss Plus America Elite crown, which is the highest honor in the Miss Plus America pageant system.
I first met Spruce several months ago, when we were paired as co-emcees for the Statewide Independent Living Council Convention. Her positive, energetic personality and passion for advocating for the voice of plus-sized women is both refreshing and unmistakable.
"All women are worthy, and all women have a voice," she told me as we talked in my office recently. "It doesn't matter what our size is. All women are beautiful." Her mantra: "love who you are, where you are."
All contestants are required to choose a platform, and Spruce chose volunteerism, because, as she put it, "I already do that. It's not a hat that I put on and take off. My life is volunteerism."
Spruce is excited about her opportunity to represent the Miss Plus America Elite crown, which is not affiliated with the Miss America contest. She will have numerous opportunities throughout the year to promote her volunteerism platform, and her theme, "give... so that others can live." In December, she will travel to Nigeria to speak and emcee at the Miss Plus Nigeria pageant. While there, she will visit orphanages and schools, where she'll be passing out school supplies. She is also currently working on a campaign called Flip Flop To Nigeria, to collect flip flops to hand out to people during her visit.
For more information about Spruce, or to line her up for a guest appearance, email Melissa Stamper at:
director@missplusamerica.com
You may also visit Spruce's website at:
http://www.sprucedickerson.com/
