15Oct

Have You Always Wanted To Be A Model?

Filed in Behind the scenes | Plus Size Models 2 Comments

I’m so excited about Love Your Body Day!   I get to (judge a modeling contest with Plus Model Mag, Brand, etc  The model wins a contract with Brand and a chance to join ranks of the famous Hips & Curves faces and to have her curves seen by millions of people around the world.)
I can’t wait to meet all of the contests and find out who we’ll do our shoot with.   I love working with sensual, vulnerable, curvy women.  I love how our lingerie looks on soft, feminine bodies.   I love the strength and vulnerability our models show when they get under the lights and stand (or sit or lie down) in the middle of our studio in lingerie, and bare their souls to me, the camera and the world.
What I look for in a model is someone who is totally comfortable in her body.  When she puts on a piece of lingerie she commits to the look and makes it happen.   When she’s wearing our products she can’t be timid or afraid or concerned about how her stomach, hips, arms – whatever – look.  She has to love and accept all of herself – even what she might perceive as her flaws.  She doesn’t just put on a piece of lingerie and pose – she lets who she is come through her eyes, her face, her body and the way she moves.   She gives 100% of herself and doesn’t withhold anything from the photographer or the camera.   She embodies strength and vulnerability.  During a shoot, we give everything we have – and the model has to give everything she has to make it a success.
Being a Hips & Curves model is not for the faint of heart. But it’s a wonderful experience for the brave, daring, sensual – or even the timid, who want to break out of their comfort zone and do something truly incredible.    Our models inspire people to be proud of their curves and their sensuality.  They are role models and powerful examples of embracing their feminine power   I’ve read the emails from customers and seen the faces of the crew during the shoots.  I’ve seen perspectives shift and eyes being opened for the first time. What could be more inspiring than seeing soft curvy figures, moving to the music and being free, confident and amazing?
If you’re curious, excited, confident (or want to be more confident) send us your pics!   Sign up for the contest.

I’m so excited about Love Your Body Day!   I get to judge a modeling contest with Plus Model Magazine and Brand Model and Talent Agency.  The model wins a contract with Brand, a cover and editorial in Plus Model Magazine and a chance to join the ranks of the famous Hips & Curves faces and to have her curves seen by millions of people around the world!

I can’t wait to meet all of the contests and find out who we’ll do our shoot with.   I love working with sensual, vulnerable, curvy women.  I love how our lingerie looks on soft, feminine bodies.   I love the strength and vulnerability our models show when they get under the lights and stand (or sit or lie down) in the middle of our studio in lingerie, and bare their souls to me, the camera and the world.

What I look for in a model is someone who is totally comfortable in her body.  When she puts on a piece of lingerie she commits to the look and makes it happen.   When she’s wearing our products she can’t be timid or afraid or concerned about how her stomach, hips, arms – whatever – look.  She has to love and accept all of herself – even what she might perceive as her flaws.  She doesn’t just put on a piece of lingerie and pose – she lets who she is come through her eyes, her face, her body and the way she moves.   She gives 100% of herself and doesn’t withhold anything from the photographer or the camera.   She embodies strength and vulnerability.  During a shoot, we give everything we have – and the model has to give everything she has to make it a success.

Being a Hips & Curves model is not for the faint of heart. But it’s a wonderful experience for the brave, daring, sensual – or even the timid, who want to break out of their comfort zone and do something truly incredible.    Our models inspire people to be proud of their curves and their sensuality.  They are role models and powerful examples of embracing their feminine power   I’ve read the emails from customers and seen the faces of the crew during the shoots.  I’ve seen perspectives shift and eyes being opened for the first time. What could be more inspiring than seeing soft curvy figures, moving to the music and being free, confident and amazing?

If you’re curious, excited, confident (or want to be more confident) send us your pics!   Sign up for the contest here.

rebecca-sig-3

, ,

10Sep

Goodbye Summer…

Filed in Behind the scenes Leave a comment

Hey Curvy Girls!

Summer is almost over, can you believe it? On Friday I left the office a little early to go to the Hollywood Bowl to see John Williams and the LA Philharmonic. For anyone who’s never been, the Hollywood Bowl is a huge outdoor amphitheatre nestled at the foot of the Hollywood hills. You sit outside under the stars (we had a gorgeous full moon that night!) and eat a picnic dinner and listen to amazing music. I went with my sweetheart, Dennis, and his boss and her husband. The four of us have gone to the Bowl together for the past few years and it’s now become a tradition. It’s a great way to celebrate the end of summer and welcome in the fall.

The beginning of September, in my opinion, is the best time of year to go to The Bowl. The days have been hot and humid in LA, but the evenings cool down to somewhere in the high 60’s. It was especially perfect timing this year since we had just launched our new site on Monday and I could finally kick back and relax. It had been a stressful few months for all of us at Hips & Curves. Everyone worked really hard and put in extra hours to make this launch a success – and it was!

We sat in one of the boxes near the front and had a three-course picnic dinner served to us in our seats. The three of them had grilled lamb sirloin and I had pan-seared salmon that was so tender and moist it melted in my mouth. Good friends, good food and good conversation. It was a perfect evening!

To top it all off, I had ‘borrowed’ a sample from the last photo shoot on my way out the office Friday afternoon. It’s actually a bathrobe but I wore it as a long sweater over my lightweight t-shirt, jeans and high heels. Although I loved the music, I was even more in love with this robe and had to write about it. I carried it with me because it was still too warm when we got there but I put it on around 9:00’ish when it was starting to cool down. Not only was it the most comfortable thing I’ve ever worn in public, but I got tons of compliments on it too. Dennis asked me when I’d gotten it – and was surprised when I whispered to him it was actually a bathrobe from our photo shoot. We don’t have it in stock yet, but we’ll be getting our first shipment the beginning of October. The one I wore was black, but I’m gonna have to get a white one too. The thing I love about it is you can wear it out as a sweater/jacket – as well as a soft, comfy robe at home. It’s all about value these days. A robe that doubles as a sweater or a jacket? I’ll take two!

rebecca-sig-3

,

10Mar

Skinny vs. Curvy

Filed in Plus Size Models | Pop Culture 29 Comments

I was reading one of the lingerie trade magazines on Sunday morning and saw page after page of skinny, boney women in lingerie. This particular publication isn’t always that bad, and to be fair, more and more companies are heading in the direction of “real” women. However this issue was extreme. There was one model that was bone-thin with almost nothing between her skin and her skeleton. The angles of her body were almost freakish as she would thrust out a hip or turn her body at a certain angle. I sat back and thought of all the Rubens paintings and how being round and healthy was considered attractive in sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and how people today, especially in the fashion world, would disagree. They might look at a Ruben and wonder how those voluptuous figures were ever considered attractive or desirable.

I wondered if our kids or grandkids would look back at our old magazines years from now and see the models with protruding hip bones and rib cages and hollow cheeks and be amazed by what we thought was “sexy”. Throughout history the feminine ideal was curvy, fleshy and plump. Now we’re into this skinny = sexy phase, with no room to appreciate the incredibly rich and vast array of differences. Different body types, different shapes, different hair and skins colors.

Whether we like to admit it or not, the media still influences trends and tells us what is “in” and “attractive”. As I was trying to step back and look at these pictures from a totally objective stand point (i.e. an alien landing on Earth and being shown a series of photographs, or someone from the past time-traveling into the future) I wondered, would they pick out these skinny, angular, women as the most attractive? Or would they pick the ones who were rounder and curvier? Of course in my opinion, the fuller figures that are luscious, sensual and soft and feminine would be the obvious choice. But then, it’s hard for me to be objective. I love hips and curves!

, , , , ,

26Feb

Staying up in a down economy

Filed in Behind the scenes | Pop Culture | Self Love 2 Comments

Wow! We got a ton of emails from the last post. We’re alll affected in some way by this strange economy. It made me think. There are some things we can control and some we can’t. Maybe we can’t control the economy, but we can control our attitude and the things we do to take care of ourselves and make ourselves feel more optimistic. I know I feel more productive and empowered when I’m taking positive actions and doing things that are good for me and keep me healthy emotionally, spiritually and physically.

Here are a few of my tricks for staying up in a down economy:

Starting my pole-dancing class again. I’d kind of burnt out on it after a couple of years, but I’m ready to go back, to reconnect with other sexy, empowered women. Talk about brave! We may not get naked in the class but we do bare our souls. Pole dancing is emotional, powerful and raw. If you’re doing it right :) If you don’t have a pole dancing class nearby or if you want something less formal and less expensive, have your own sensual dance party! Invite a few girlfriends. Pass out flyers at work. Buy one of the DVD’s. I like the Chair Dancing and Developing Your Routine DVD’s the best, but for someone who’s NEVER done anything like this The Art of Exotic Dancing I is a good start. Whichever friend has the biggest living room gets to host the party. Move the furniture to the side, cover all the mirrors (so people can really let loose and not worry how they look – it’s totally about feeling!) and toss red or orange scarves over the lamps for a warm sensual glow and low light. Pop in the DVD and follow the instructions. After a month or so, when you’ve seen the DVD a few times, you you may want to watch it just for warm-ups, but bring your own music and dance for each other. Remember the cat calls! Yell, whistle, encourage and support each other. Now, that’s empowering!!

Reconnecting with my spirituality. I listen to positive motivational messages when I’m driving to work and at night when I’m drifting off to sleep. Not motivational, pump me up hype, but things that go deeper and help me reconnect with what’s true – something deeper than appearances of a world in panic. If you’re religious listen to podcasts or DVDs of your particular religion – anything that counteracts the fear-based messages we get throughout the day. Try to take in as much positive information as you do negative. If you watch 1/2 hour of news a day, listen to 1/2 hour of something inspirational. I want to be aware of what’s going on, I just want to balance out the information I get. I’m into Reverend Michael Beckwith these days. I don’t agree with everything he says, but listening to him or someone like him, zaps me right out of fear and into faith and possibilities. This is an incredible time to be creative. Remember that. Continue Reading

, , , ,

19Feb

Happy New Year!

Filed in Behind the scenes | Pop Culture | Self Love 7 Comments

Happy New Year everyone!  Looks like it’s going to be a bumpy ride.  Yep, it’s true. We are going through a recession. Chances are, most of us are feeling the effects both professionally and personally.  I don’t know anyone who isn’t.  It’s easy to get stuck in fear and depression if we’re not careful.  I’m like a sponge if I listen to news more than five to ten minutes I can buy into the fear.  But does being in a recession mean we can’t be happy and successful?  Looking at the glass as half full, I’m actually kind of excited…. “Necessity is the mother of invention,” right?  Some of our best ideas and most creative outbursts have come when our backs are against the wall.  (We can’t give away any trade secrets but we have some exciting changes happening this year!) 

My New Years resolution?  I’m going on a “mental diet.”  I’m not going to deny that our country is going through some major upheavals, but I am going to make a conscious effort to watch my thoughts. Author, James Ray, talks about a recession being like winter.  It may be dark and cold but it’s seasonal and it will pass.  Worrying obsessively, being depressed and miserable won’t make spring come any earlier.  How we choose to see the situation and deal with it can affect our well being and inner peace.  We can use this as a time to grow, to look at our choices, to reconnect with our friends and family.  And eventually spring will come again. The question is, how can we get through this wintry time and keep our sense of peace and optimism and gratitude?  Can we see the beauty in a cold, dark winter night?  
 
We’ve tightened our belts and are being extra careful with our expenses, but I’m happy to say people are still buying lingerie!   The super sexy stuff like corsets  and costumes are really popular right now.  People need a little fun, fantasy and escapism.  Some of the things people are buying aren’t cheap - but we’ve found our customers are looking for ‘value’ rather than ‘cheap’.  The Steel Boned Dutchess Corset came in and went out faster than anything we’d ever seen.   We’re also selling a lot of panties, cotton tanks and Damn Sexy T’s.  We might as well make ourselves comfortable and sexy!    Our country is in for some big changes and a bright future.  We’ve gotta hold on to our hats (or panties) and enjoy the ride!
rebecca-sig-3

, ,

TOP