Let us tell you a little somethin' about Kate Betts:

The woman was editor in chief of Harper's Bazaar, fashion news director of Vogue and editor of Time Style & Design.
Now she continues to write as a contributing editor for Time and, oh,
she was also recently named one of Forbes' Top 10 Fashion Editors.

So, yeah -- you could say that Ms. Betts knows a thing or two about fashion ;)
Which is why we're all abuzz about her upcoming book,
"Everyday Icon: Michelle Obama & the Power of Style"!

What is it about Michelle Obama that somehow screams, "I barely try, and it's really the least of my concerns as First Lady... but girl, I know I look good!"? We think it's her handle on the less-is-more mantra, and from the looks of it, big-time designers agree with us!

Calvin Klein comments on the book, saying:

"You can put almost any woman in beautiful clothes and she will look amazing. But if you put an amazing woman in even the simplest clothes, you redefine style completely. Kate Betts reminds us that grace, confidence and intelligence add up to true radiance."

It's true -- Michelle knows it isn't about what you wear, but how you wear it; how you accessorize it with a beaming, feelin'-good soul. That's something you can (and should!) wear everyday. Add the fact that she's a minority woman handling her high-powered position with grace and humility, and it's a wonder why there aren't more books on her. 

Then again, it's Kate Betts -- we know she'll lay out the fashion facts than anyone else could! Grab a pre-order of your own copy & be patient; the book will be released in February 2011.

Now, you!

• Who else do you consider an "everyday" style icon?
• What outfit would you wear if you were invited to the White House? ("Invited to," not "crashed!")
• What kind of clothes reflect both your style and substance?

Yup.
She went there.

Our recent We're Fans spotlight girl Whitney Thompson took to the Post in an amazingly fierce interview -- done by our good friend & fabulous editor, Sunny Sea Gold (Yes, that is her real name!).

Here's the kicker:
"I applaud Vogue for having a shape issue,
but screw Vogue for not having shapes in every issue."

Whitney, who is known around the industry as the successful plus model who makes her own rules, bares all about the definitely-not-glamorous side to modeling.  There are too-too-too many delicious quoteables, but there are three points she made that really hit home for us:

Do not envy the dangerously skinny supermodels' "glamorous" life:

They have to do drugs, they're doing cocaine, they're smoking cigarettes all day every day, they're doing the lemonade cleanse because if they don't then they get shipped back to wherever they came from, and that's just how the industry works.

A lot of girls get depressed, some girls commit suicide, some girls starve to death, literally, and we kind of just don't pay attention to it in the industry. We don't really talk about it, but it's very common.

Plain-and-simply do your own thang:

I said, you know what, it's not worth it, I want to eat pizza, and I want to be normal, and I just think that life is too short to not have dessert. And so I did, I quit. I've kind of made my own decisions. I am a "bad" model if you will. [laugh] I live where I want to live and I work with who I want to work with and that's kind of what I do because I got tired of being told what to do which is not what models are supposed to do.

And I'd rather be outspoken than the Chanel girl, you know? And have people listen to what I say and be allowed to say something. Because most models aren't.

...And if we want to change the industry, we all need to do work:

If you don't like girls who are size two with breast implants being waved around in front of your daughter and being told to them that that's what's beautiful, then don't support it. Cancel the magazines. Write them letters and say I don't want these girls in the magazine. Tell them if you're not going to put a size six, if you're not going to put a size eight, forget it.

I think we have to keep fighting. We have to celebrate and pat ourselves on the back for what we've done, but we have to do more.

There's no excuse to not make your voice heard.

...Bee, Vee, we couldn't have said it any better. We are in need of more honest & courageous role models like our girl Whitney -- not just for the modeling industry, but for all girls, everywhere.

Read the complete interview here!

Okay. Stop the presses.
We really mean it when we say:
We've found the real-life Bee!

Her name is Leona Palmer, and get this -- she went to college in New York, and while there, she was discovered on the sidewalk by a modeling agent!

And now?
She's a hot-totty plus model currently represented by Wilhemina Models and poses on the regular for Nordstrom, Macy's, Bloomingdales, Kohl's and more.

We found her because she recently wrote a fantastic article on Huffington Post (yep, she's got it goin' on!) about Wilhemina's First Annual Curves for Change 5K Walk -- raising funds for the empowerment of women & girls everywhere. 

Could she Bee any more perfect?!

Leona tells us all about her newfound passion of running, newfound appreciation for her body, and how that's helped her along the road to supermodel stardom. Read on:

In the end, we're all caught in the frenzied tug-of-war between the fads of the diet and exercise world and our bodies. It doesn't make any sense to be constantly waging huge battles on a tightrope with our desires, our biology and our lifestyles, all the while feeling unhappy with where we are.

It's not about numbers, it's not about the finish line, it's about creating the feeling you want in the body you have right now: strong, powerful, buoyant, and invigorated. The body you want will follow.

We're mad about how she's mad about her body. We think (& Bee would, too!) that if all girls were as respectful to and fascinated by their true bodies as Leona is, not only would we all take care of ourselves a little better, but loving exactly who we are would be that much easier.

Read the whole shebang and the warm fuzzies will take full effect -- your body (& mind) will thank you!

Wondering where author Veronica Chambers got the fodder for Plus's many romantic moments?

Well. For starters:
She's the kind of lady who'll surprise her man...
With a weekend getaway to Japan.

Vee, a celebrated magazine editor & writer for numerous maga-giants including Everyday with Rachael Ray, tells us all about how she surprised her hubby Jason with a two-night getaway to Tokyo.

And for this couple, Tokyo isn't just Tokyo -- it's the setting for one of their shared favorite films!
Read on for the good stuff:

Before I met Jason, I used to watch films like "Lost in Translation" and dream of having my own great romance. Now I watch them and think, That's what it's like when things between us are good. It's exactly like that. So I took him halfway around the world to tell him: "Thank you for making my life like a movie."

(Break out the Kleenex & read the whole thang, here)

Only a gal with this much romantic gusto could think up the crazy-but-sweet love plots for Plus.

Say it with me, chicas: Awwwwwwwwwww!

-------------------------

Three mo' reasons to <3 VC?

• She's in the NY Daily News
• She's in the Huffington Post
• She's in with the Bee-utiful J.Lo

What would make a statement in today's beauty-obsessed world?

Nothing.

That's what 12 teen gals from Colleyville Heritage High School in Texas intend to accomplish: They've vowed to wear absolutely no make-up, one day a week, in order to encourage girls to resist appearance-based stereotypes.

The movement began as a new student org this past August, called Redefining Beautiful. Every Tuesday, the original 12 girls came to school clean-faced & donning matching "Redefining Beautiful" tees to show their solidarity.

Now, the girls are scrambling to order the same shirts for the 183 new recruits they've gathered these past few months alone, not including the 20 boys that have signed on as a "support group" (Note: Those are the kinds of guys Bee should be looking out for, no?).
And they've caught the attention of major media outlets, like Jezebel, Stylist & even HuffPost!

We (& Bee, & Vee!) think that they've definitely got the right idea:

"That's all we're trying to prove -- that girls can be just as confident with or without makeup." - Lauren, 17

"It's wanting to share our story that no matter what has happened to you, you're beautiful and you should love yourself." - Caroline, 17

"It's the way our culture is; image and what you look like, what you wear," [School counselor, Robin] Davis said. "It contributes to the incidence of teens with eating disorders and other ways of changing their appearance, whether it be tanning or makeup."
[From the Star-Telegram]

You know what they say: It's all fun & games until someone gets hurt...
Or, y'know.
Gets their modeling contract taken away.

Such is the life only our Bee can claim -- but as Bee finds out, when reality bites, she bites hard.

"It was like when I was a kid and my father used to take me to this bowling alley in Philly that had really old video games. I loved to play Mrs. Pacman, and sometimes, I could make one quarter last for hours. But inevitably, there came a point when my luck ran out, and I always hated the moment when that bright blue message came on-screen:
GAME OVER.
Could I have really lost my modeling career and my best friend in one fell swoop, just like that? Was it really game over?"

-- Plus

Oh, how we dread that needle-scratchy sound of a record stopping; that moment where, just when you think things couldn't get any better, they get worse.
And worse.
And worse.
(And when you can't text your bestie about it all... Don't even go there.)

It happens to everyone, true... But not everyone is Bee, and not everyone has to watch their fancy supermodel life -- and the one BFF who can tolerate it -- slip away!

Have you ever fell from the top & hit rock bottom?
What'd you do to climb back out?

We'll just give you a second to let you drool over this week's spotlight,
Whitney Thompson!

Résumé:

• Whitney's the winner of America's Next Top Model, Cycle 10 -- the first plus-sized model to win the famous supermodel-jump-starter competition 
• You might say she's got a good portfolio: She's graced the covers of Seventeen Magazine, Plus Model Magazine, 5 Jacksonville Magazines, Animal Fair Magazine, and Supermodels Unlimited... to name a few.
• Not to mention, Whitney's done campaigns for Elle Magazine, Target, JC Penney, People Magazine, Diana Warner Jewelry, Forever 21, and Saks Fith Avenue, AND is a spokesperson for Converse One Star, Torrid, Smile Stylists and Fashion Bug. 
• ...Oh yeah, and then there was that Covergirl commercial.

Why She's Got "Do You" Down:

Whitney shot into stardom by winning Cycle 10 of ANTM, and the plus-model crowd went wild -- she didn't just win, but she beat out thousands of non-plus aspiring models as the first plus model to snag that trophy. Since then, Whitney's made a Bee-line for super(model)stardom while carrying get-em-girl causes the whole way. She was a spokesperson for Multiple Sclerosis in 2009 and this February, she became an official ambassador for the National Eating Disorder's association (joining the ranks of another Plus-featured fem, Jess Weiner!). Whitney has been seen as such a curvy-girl crusader, MSNBC named her as one of 2008's "12 Most Influential Women of the Year."

What She's Up To Now:

Oh, these jaw-dropping pictures you may have seen 'cross the Net? That's just a shoot promoting Whitney as the celebrity host for the Hollywood Chapter of National Organization for Women's 5th Annual Love Your Body Day, Wednesday, October 20th (and you know there's gonna be a Bee-blog post dedicated to that!). Whitney poses alongside the ridiculously gorg Chenese Lewis, LOB-Day's creator, and we cannot get enough of these (slightly NSFW!) pics. National Love Your Body Day is just what it sounds like -- a day dedicated to encouraging everyone to embrace exactly what they've got.

In other words, it's Bee's new favorite holiday ;)

Bee couldn't be prouder, girl. We don't even have to tell you, but Chela would want us to say it anyway -- DO YOU!

Well this certainly brings more meaning to the title of her memoir...
Appropriately -- or unfortunately -- named Hungry.

Today, the internet has been in a crazy buzz about one of our fave (if not our total fave) plus model... and it isn't necessarily the best buzz.

It's only natural that real-life Bee & the "it girl" of plus models, Crystal Renn, got in on the fun of French Vogue's 90th issue, Oct. 2010. But have you taken a look at the thing?
The premise behind the shoot: Crystal, designer jewels and clothes, and a smorgasbord-like buffet where there's a curious lack of utensils.

Yup. That's her.
(You need to check out the rest!)

The spread features Crystal all decadently decorated for fall, but wrist-deep & open-mouthed with spaghetti, chicken, raw meat, even squid.

And to make things even more dramatic, the gluttonous shoot was photographed by the notorious Terry Richardson, whose sexually graphic spreads are eclipsed only by his sexually inappropriate behavior with the models themselves.

How are readers responding?
We read through the comments, and some people are saying:

CRYSTAL, YES!
"It's a work of art!"
"It's artistic license."
"It's a showcase of royalty and privilege."
"It's a statement that models eat, too."

CRYSTAL, NO!
"It's nauseating."
"It's insulting!"
"She's tearing down her already-shaky reputation, again."
"She's putting the spotlight back on her weight instead of her potential as a professional model!"

And our take?
We've been searching and searching for more artistic and model-related merit in this spread, the way you try to find something nice to say when your BFF takes a wrong turn down Not-A-Good-Look-Lane... but we're just so distracted by how vulgarly she's eating. What was likely supposed to have been edgy, ironic and blunt instead seems backwards, distracting and just plain too much.

We know (and love) that Crystal's been trying to equalize the playing field between "regular" models and plus models, but it seems like this shoot has done the complete opposite. It has very little to do with the fashion, the model or the magazine, and everything to do with the fact that she's plus; this could've been great for the cause, if it wasn't portrayed so... gluttonously. Someone's being made fun of here; we're just not sure whether it's Crystal, the plus-modeling world or both.

We have a feeling this will not fare well for her reputation.

We know you've got an opinion on this:
Spill it!

Have you been keeping up?

We're GaGa (and we may/may not mean in the Lady sense) over what Plus readers have been saying about us lately!
And this week, you can see and hear the fanfare.

First:

The famed New York Public Library was kind enough to Bee-stow upon us a dazzling review to add to their collection. We're super humbled!

..It’s easy to suspend disbelief and get pulled into Bee’s glamorous adventures!  Yet, throughout the book, the issues of body image, insecurity and self-acceptance are portrayed very honestly.  Also, there are diverse characters which is so important and appreciated when setting a story in NYC.  Pick up Plus if you are in the mood for some true to life fiction with just the right touches of glamorous fantasy.

Got us down to a tee -- we think Plus is a perfect mix of real and surreal, too. It's a lot like the Big Apple herself: Gritty and in-your-face, of course, but even natives can't deny that it's as sparkly and go-get-em energetic as in the movies. But hey, big things happen in the big city everyday, right?

And I think Bee would agree that our purple-covered Plus would add just the right amount of function-and-fab to the shelves of the historical NYPL!

Second:

Remember that dude's-perspective review we spotlighted? We just stumbled upon this video-version of it -- we won't spoil it, but you'll be LOLing for sure.
We love watching Alex's fleshed-out personal review... and we think Chela would appreciate his hate for Brian & liberal use of words like "d-bag" :)

Hit play & Bee enlightened!

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Mo' Raves:

• If Plus Were a Movie: Selena Gomez as Bee?
• Bee-in' on Time
• Guilty Pleasures (& how Bee deals!)