Meet Plus Pageant Editor, Chenese Lewis
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Each month, I will interview and share with you one of the amazing curvy women who represent the plus pageant world... women who are dedicated to a platform and posses strength and curvy beauty...

This month, meet...

Name: Tameyer Evans

Location: Beautiful Atlanta, GA

Pageant titles you've held?

Global America Classic Ms. 2009 and Global US Classic Ms. 2009
 
When you won your title, how did your crowning moment feel?

I was nervous at first but once my name was called I was elated, relieved, thrilled and ecstatic.  I surely didn't think that I had moved past some of the greatest women I had ever met but to have lightening strike twice was amazing. One of my favorite parts was the hugs, cheers and smiles I received from the other contestants.
 
What is your platform? 

"Having CLASS: Classy Ladies Appear Sophisticated and Stylish"-Promoting Positive Behavior in Adolescent Girls.  I use this platform to promote healthy and positive behavior changes in girls in Metro Atlanta.  I speak to groups and participate in various community service projects to relay my message.  Making a big impact is important so I normally partner with other service organizations for specific events to allow my message to reach more girls.
 
Why do you enjoy participating in pageants?   

Pageants give me the opportunity to meet people from around the country who can inspire me to be a greater woman while giving others hope that pageants now embrace the beauty of all women.  I enjoy the surprise on a young girl's face when I'm introduced as a reigning queen.  I feel like at that moment they have an epiphany.  They realize that many pageants are much more than just about outward beauty, rather some competitions emphasize and pinpoint the inner beauty of women. 
 
Why do you think pageantry is beneficial to plus size women?

Traditionally, the spirit of plus size women had been broken with continuous views of beautiful women who never looked like us-particularly in pageantry. Now, with pageantry including women with hips and curves, we are gaining momentum in the realms of personal acceptance and increased positive self perception.
 
What do you do to prepare for a pageant?

SHOP!  Getting the right attire is important to the overall success of the competition.  In addition to shopping, I pay more attention to current events and practice walking in the new shoes.  Poise is essential to looking confident on-stage and becoming familiar with the shoes can greatly increase how you look out there.  Believe it or not, the best thing that I did to prepare for Global America was to reach out to a fellow contestant to form a friendship.  Outside of winning the crown, it was one of the greatest things to come from the pageant.
 
Did winning a national title give you opportunities and exposure you otherwise might not have had?

Absolutely!  I had never dreamed that I would be featured on PlusPageantry.com or VenusDivaMag.com!  Through my titles, I've had the pleasure to rub elbows with some of the pageantry elite and meet movers and shakers in Georgia and around the country.  I've also been able to inspire some and uplift others and that is most important when wearing the crown.
 
Most cherished pageant memory?

As with any pageant participant, I have numerous memories that I will cherish forever.  Personally, I cherish the connections that I make with people and the bonds that are formed over the course of the competition.  One of my most cherished memories is the prayer that was held on the beach by a contestant in my division.  Right when the nerves were kicking in and we all had butterflies, she called us together and brought us into a circle and prayed that we all did our best and that this would not be the end of the friendships and connections that we had formed.  I am a true believer that prayer works and, one year after the pageant, many of us are closer than ever!
 
Funniest pageant memory?

Oh my! Where do I start?  There have been SO many good times!  I have one and it requires me to be very candid.  For my state title, I wore a hairpiece to help give my hair a little more lift in the top.  I had forgotten about it until the reigning queen at the time went to pin my crown on me.  I had to whisper to her to be careful as it would have been a disaster had something went wrong with the hairpiece.  It all ended well but I think she and I shared a few chuckles about that for the remainder of the night because she had no idea it was a piece!
  
Where do you keep your crown?

These two titles were my first national titles so I wanted to be very careful in preserving the two beautiful crowns that I had acquired.  I keep them carefully places in a container that's lined on the inside with bubble wrap.  It's not pretty but it keeps the crowns safe and secure from bumps and bruises.
 
What advice would you give to a plus size woman interested in competing in a pageant?

I would say that they should definitely go for it.  My pageant experiences have all been fabulous and I wouldn't trade them for the world.  I would also suggest that the contestants have an open mind and an open heart because you want to be receptive to the different people and experiences that can enrich your life in ways you would have never thought of.  Finally, I want women going into plus size pageants to remember that  there's more to being a plus size queen than just wearing the crown.  Wearing the crown means doing your part to make the world a better place. If you keep all of those things in perspective, then I would say that you're already a winner!

For more information on the pageant world, visit www.pluspageantry.com