Want to Reach 65 Million Women Who Wear a Size 12 or Above

V:magazine, the official plus size magazine of VenusDivas.com, is committed to inspiring the 68 percent of adult women in the United States - about 65 million women - who wear a size 12 or above. With the help of the Venus Divas, leading full-figure industry experts, we offer the plus size community the latest information as well as expert advice on style and fashions to fit their curves, beauty, health, lifestyle, relationships and shopping.

(PRWEB) April 19, 2005 -- With the birth of V:magazine, we have recommitted ourselves to curves." says Valery Amador, the magazines editor and co-founder of VenusDivas.com. And the response has been overwhelming! Our readers are ecstatic to see a magazine that fits their life, their dreams, their style and their curves."

The goal of V:magazine is to:
- Celebrate women in all our curvy forms by filling the pages with beautiful curvy women, uplifting stories and achievements
- Design a platform where curvy women and industry professionals can promote growth and influence change
- Introduce ideas and companies that are passionate about design and fashion for the fuller figure
- Build a resource that curvy women can depend on

When deciding to transform our monthly virtual magazine, we consulted not only the curvy community, but also the industrys movers and shakers. We wanted their thoughts on the transformation of the plus size woman in the media and fashion world over the past several years. Here is what we have learned:

Most attribute the birth of MODE Magazine in the spring of 1997 to the start of the curvy transformation. With that first issue, a wave was set in motion that not only shifted the way the plus size woman viewed herself, but opened the eyes of the media and fashion world as well. When MODE ceased publication in late 2001 a hush was heard and fear set in. Without MODE, where was our voice?

But, the curvy community had faith - faith that we would progress - faith that change would continue and faith that dynamic women like:
- Michele Weston, Emme, Catherine Schuller, Catherine Lippincott...
- Actors Camryn Manheim, Kathy Najimy, Lorretta Devine, Kathy Bates, Tyne Daly, Marissa Winoukur...
- Writers Jennifer Weiner, Wendy Shanker and others would continue being our voice to the public and the media.

We continue to be inspired by these women and all of the incredible women who make up the Venus Diva community. As we looked to the future and the redesign of our monthly magazine, we used this inspiration to Recommit Ourselves to Curves." The result is the birth of V:magazine, a magazine dedicated to moving the curvy movement ahead by focusing on: Your Life, Your Dreams, Your Style and Your Curves.

About the Plus Size Industry:
When defining the plus size market, we are looking at more then half of the U.S. population. According to Michele Weston, author of Learning Curves: Living Your Life in Full and With Style (Crown), 68 percent of adult women in the United States -- about 65 million women -- wear a size 12 or above.

Awareness has grown of the curvy consumer. In the early 1990's there were approximately 200 vendors catering to the plus size market and today there are over 2000.

In a September 2001 report from MarketResearch.com, U.S. retail sales of womens plus-size apparel approached $32 billion in year 2000, representing a 33% rate of growth since 1996, and capturing a 27% share of all U.S. womens apparel sales -- making it the fastest-growing segment in the industry. Plus size U.S. apparel sales are expected to reach $47 billion by 2005, representing a 49% increase over year 2000 sales.

About the Parent Company, Venus Imaging Education, LLC:
V:magazine is a subsidiary of Venus Imaging Education, LLC and is headquartered in Vancouver, Washington. Since 1998, Venus has been inspiring, celebrating and connecting Curvy Woman and Teens with size friendly resources and companies.

The URL For V:magazine is http://www.VenusDivas.com

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