Tanisha Malone is ready for her big, F.A.T. close-up; 'Hot Feet' runs cold; MegaFest up and running.
By Karu F. Daniels, AOL Black Voices
Oxygen Media
(l-r) The newly crowned ‘2006 Miss F.A.T.’ Tanisha Malone and super-sized super-diva Mo'Nique strike a pose backstage at "the first full figured reality pageant." "Life hasn't changed too much since the show aired, but I will say that it feels good and I've gotten a lot of [positive] feedback from people saying that they're happy to have somebody represent them," Malone told Black Voices.
Big Time
Tanisha Malone is ready for her big, ‘F.A.T.’ close-up.
As the latest winner of '
Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance' --the first and only televised full figured reality pageant-- the Newark, New Jersey native said she's looking forward to the opportunity to spread the message of elevated self-esteem to plus-sized women all across the country.
"With this role, you just don't wear a crown and a sash," the forensic morgue technician told Black Voices.
"It's getting to talk to women [primarily] because we are in the plus-sized generation. My goal and my main focus is to talk to women and to just let them know that yes we are plus-sized, and we should love the way we feel about ourselves and we should love the skin that we're in and we should just be ourselves.”
The 27-year old beauty, who serves as a motivational speaker for teens, originally auditioned for the show --which aired on the Oxygen networklast weekend-- last year but didn't make the grade. "I was too fabulous last year," she chuckled. "I had the drop pearls on, I had the make-up on."
For this year's competition --which consisted of multi-city casting calls in Miami, Baltimore, Seattle, Los Angeles and New York where over 2,700 women auditioned-- Malone said she wore a baseball cap and adorned a more natural look.
And not only did she get chosen as one of the 10 finalists, she captured the 2006 ‘Miss F.A.T.’ crown, (which stands for Fabulous and Thick).
"Life hasn't changed too much since the show aired," she added, "but I will say that it feels good and I've gotten a lot of [positive] feedback from people saying that they're happy to have somebody represent them."
As the winner, Malone was awarded a $50,000 cash prize and modeling contract with LA Management. Her first public appearance after being crowned was at a Newark YMCA this week, where she spoke to a group of children about body image and peer pressure.
Additionally, 'Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance' has proven to be a ratings juggernaut for the
Oprah Winfrey-launched women’s network.
According to a spokesperson, 8.6 million viewers watched the premiere and encores over the weekend.
"'F.A.T. Chance' is a hit because everything about it is big, from our successful and full-figured host to our overwhelming viewer response," offered the network's President of Programming Debby Beece.
Read more about 'Mo'Nique's F.A.T. Chance' here. 
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