Big is in

The concept of a beautiful woman has for the longest time been about being tall, young, pretty and slim. Someone told us this sometime in our youth. Was it Nanay, or Tito, teachers or a beautiful soap TV commercial or a magazine cover or a boyfriend who complained about your baby fat and who furtively looked at long-legged girls even when you were together?

On TV and magazines, we see reed-thin ramp models who sashay and pout in catwalks quietly screaming that this is what is sexy and beautiful all are about. If you have humps everywhere, there are style tips on finding the right cut and fit to create an illusion of sexiness and to hide saddle hips. Due to exorbitant costs or fear of pain, others don’t resort to surgical enhancements but seek alternative physical activities to achieve thinner arms and flatter abdomens. Some of the workout activities such as yoga, pilates, zips, badminton are in-style nowadays. Not to mention the different kinds of diets like South Beach, Mediterranean and Atkins.

The challenge lies not so much in losing the unwanted pounds but in keeping them from coming back. A person might be dieting and exercising like mad yet unable to eliminate the excess baggage. But to many, the key is to have the right motivation in life. And people have redefined beauty in this generation. It has become more diverse and more respectful to individual choices.

Queen Latifah is a Grammy Award-winning American rapper/singer and Academy Award-nominated actress. Her stage name Latifah which means nice in Arabic was given by her Muslim cousin. Her hit single, U.N.I.T.Y. won her a Grammy Award for Best Rap Solo Performance. She portrayed leading and supporting roles in films that received critical and box-office citations. She gained mainstream success after portraying Matron "Mama" Morton in the Oscar-winning musical Chicago in 2002. She received Best Supporting Actress nominations in the Academy Award and Golden Globe for her performance in the said movie. Earlier this year, Latifah voiced Ellie the mammoth in the animated film, Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. She is one of the two hip-hop artists to receive an Academy Award nomination in an acting category.

Aretha Franklin is an American gospel, soul and R ’n B singer but she is adept at jazz, rock, blues, pop and opera. She is called "The Queen of Soul" or "Lady Soul." She has two No. 1 hit songs on the Billboard Hot 100, Respect and I Know You Were Waiting (For Me) with George Michael. Aretha has won 19 Grammy awards and holds the record for most Best Female R ’n B Vocal Performance wins with 11 under her belt including the eight consecutive awards from 1968 to 1975, the first eight ever awarded in that category. Some of her famous songs are You Make Me Feel (Like a Natural Woman) and Chain of Fools.

Patti Austin is an R ’n B and jazz music singer. Patti crosses all musical genres, has numerous solo albums and performed her award-nominated hit songs on the Grammys and Oscars. She endeared herself to the public with her comedic flair and brilliant impersonations. Her most remembered songs are If I Believe, All Behind Us Now, Say You Love Me, and her two duets with James Ingram Baby, Come to Me and How Do You Keep the Music Playing.

Angela Bofill is an American R ’n B, urban contemporary, dance-pop and jazz-fusion contralto vocalist and songwriter. She began her solo recording career in 1978. Who could forget her songs You Ought to Know by Now, Angel of the Night, This Time I’ll be Sweeter, Break It to Me Gently and Tonight I Give In? Angela is an American Music Award nominee, Bammy Award and Blackbook Award recipient, to mention a few.

In the local music scene, we have the 2004 Star in A Million Big champion Frenchie Dy. She discloses, "I was thin when I was in high school but I gained weight in college. My sisters became fat when they all got married. Ironically, I’m still single and fabulously heavy. I am happy and contented with how I look right now. I don’t mind if others say I am big as long as I am enjoying and doing the things that make me happy such as singing," says Frenchie. Frenchie is one of the hosts of A.S.A.P.

Then there’s Mau Marcelo, the first Philippine Idol. Frenchie only has good words for Mau. "I saw her on TV during the finals in Araneta. She is good. If I will be asked to perform with her in a show, I’ll gladly accept . Nakakatuwang tingnan para kaming sumo wrestlers," Frenchie says, laughing. Another addition to the "big" league is Panky Trinidad, the 20-year-old rocker and Pinoy Dream Academy fourth placer of Cebu. Her good voice and stage performance even made her the star scholar of the week several times in the Academy.

Indeed, big is in.