Jenice Armstrong: Miss Big Beautiful Woman Pageant entrants line up for plus-size contest

CHIQUITA MCKENZIE, an aspiring mortician who finished first in the Miss Big Beautiful Woman Pageant two years ago, is coming back, this time with an arsenal of new tricks in her wardrobe, which she doesn't mind letting you know includes sizes 18 and 20.

She's a big girl and proud of it. At 5 feet 7, the 37-year-old weighs a hefty 250 pounds, and plans to win the crown an unprecedented second time on Sunday afternoon at the Renaissance Hotel near the airport by strutting onstage during the lingerie competition in a corset, booty shorts, fishnet panty hose and 6-inch high heels.

"I love every curve, every roll," Mckenzie told me yesterday. "If I'm 350, I'm still going to carry that like I'm 150 pounds because I have that confidence to believe that I'm beautiful the way God me."

"If somebody comes to me and says something like, 'Why would you strut around in lingerie when you're a fat girl?' I would say, 'Girl, you don't know how I look in lingerie. I look good.' "

You have to love that kind of confidence in a woman.

Because, truthfully, most of the rest don't have it. A study by Nutrisystem revealed last week that most women would rather go without sex for the entire summer than gain 10 pounds. The female respondents also admitted that they would rather shed 10 to 20 pounds than get promoted at work.

Clearly, no one bothered to poll Mc-kenzie or the other plus-sized beauties who'll be competing against her on Sunday. The contest, in its 11th year, is all about embracing the beauty of plus-sized women. No size 6's need apply. To enter, you have to be at least a size 14.

"I am very comfortable with who I am and what I look like," said Karen Montgomery, a social worker for the Department of Human Services, who won in 2003.

"We do not have to conform to what society says is beautiful," added Montgomery, who weighs 220 pounds and is 5 feet 6.

Yeah, but I have enough overweight relatives to know that it's not easy being plus-sized in America, which is ironic considering that nearly two-thirds of American women are either overweight or obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The average clothing size for American women is size 14, a size many designers continue to balk at creating clothing for, even though the demand is clearly there.

There's a huge disconnect between Madison Avenue and Main Street. Designers and stores push the tall, willowy model aesthetic. But the average American woman weighs 164.7 pounds.

Last spring, Lane Bryant aired a commercial during "American Idol" featuring a full-figured woman in a bra and panties to advertise Cacique, its lingerie line. Before the commercial aired, Fox asked that it be tweaked to show less skin, and Lane Bryant issued a release accusing the network of size prejudice.

But that's not to say we're still in the dark ages when Lane Bryant was almost the only choice for plus-sized women. There's a Full-Figured Fashion Week now. Saks Fifth Avenue announced last month it would stock Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana and Yves Saint Laurent in size 14 and some even in 16 to 20. If it sells (and I bet it will), Saks will make the sizes available around the country, not just in its Manhattan store.

"Plus-sized women have been pushed aside. They have to come to

the forefront," explained Dave Wilkes, a West Philly-based promoter who organizes the Big Beautiful Woman Pageant. "It's kind of like a passion of mine to make sure that plus-size get its recognition."

"People have to be made to know that it's not bad to be plus-size. Being plus doesn't mean you're unhealthy," he added. "It's not the size that makes you sick."

While it is possible to be both healthy and overweight, studies show that increased weight ups your risk of a whole host of illnesses, including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and certain cancers. And then there's the social stigma of being fat.

"The more we try to get thinner as a nation, the heavier we get," said Stacey Rosenfeld, a psychologist who specializes in body-image issues.

"Our society is so swayed in a particular direction that fat is bad and thin is good. [Plus-sized pageants] are just to me a little bit more inclusive of the everyday woman out there, given that the average woman is a size 14."

The Big, Beautiful Woman Pageant, 2 p.m. Sunday, Renaissance Philadelphia Airport Hotel, 500 Stevens Drive. Advance tickets are $40 (includes dinner) and $30 (pageant alone). For more information, log onto wilkesproductions.com or call 215-222-7127.