This is what 14 very brave collegiate and alumnae women did at Tri Delta’s 54th Biennial Convention in Orlando, FL. After months of planning, conference calls, emails and favors, it was finally time to sit back and enjoy the show.

Let me back up for a moment. Last year, during Fat Talk Free Week 2009, Tri Delta had the opportunity to work closely with the women from Colorado State University in planning a fashion show that focused on real women rather than on the clothes they were wearing. Models were chosen based on who they were on the campus rather than the size clothes that they wore. Models ranged in size, ethnicity, age and backgrounds, and instantly the show was a hit.

Soon after, chapters and members showed their support and interest in the show and began asking how they too could host one.  Just like that it was determined that with the success of the program, the success of Fat Talk Free Week, and the success of the Colorado State Show, that maybe there was an opportunity for more women to participate in a similar opportunity.

A couple of months later, fourteen models of all shapes, sizes, ages, and ethnicities were on board with the program…and so was Macy’s!!!!

Macy’s, established in 1858, is the Great American Department Store and they found our program to be one that they were intrigued by!  Macy’s provided clothes for our models from their signature lines, agreed to work with us throughout the entire process and every step of the way.

So, there I sat, backstage, with Rob the tech guy, several television monitors, laptops and buttons that he made very clear I wasn’t allowed to push.

Stacy Nadeau, one of the original models who posed in her underwear in Dove’s headline making Campaign For Real Beauty kicked off the event by sharing her journey with the audience. I was in awe as she told her story and I watched as people cry and smile and laugh at every word she said from the tiny monitors behind the stage.

And then the music started.
Loud…fun…fast…and engaging.

Stacy introduced our models, not for the clothes that they are wearing on the runway but for who they are, why they love Tri Delta, providing us a piece of their story and making every person in the audience realize…”She’s just like me.” One by one they danced down the runway, waved, blew kisses and the crowd clapped and cheered for the liberating message that the show made them feel.

Halfway through the show I noticed I was standing, clapping and dancing. I felt great.

I was so proud, not because the show was going so well but because people loved it. There was a feeling of confidence in the air.

I turned to see our phenomenal representation from Macy’s, Terry, who just a few of hours earlier was steaming clothes and teaching the women how to change outfits without getting makeup on anything.

I saw the tremendous smile on her face. She looked back at me as she was now also dancing to the beat and said, “This is just so fun.”

And it was. It was just so fun.

The models visited the stage one last time.

They joined hands and paraded the runway one last time in their Fat Talk Free Week shirts, infectious smiles and sassy attitudes.

Just as quickly as it began the show was over, but there was something about the way it ended that you could see that the way people would continue to spread the message was just beginning.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 13th, 2010 at 9:37 am and is filed under Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.