Queen Latifah Lives Large
Queen Latifah lives a life larger than most women can dream of. She has become the very image of a woman living life on her own terms, breaking barriers and stereotypes along the way.
She began by breaking the gender barrier in rap music in the late 1980's and had signed her first music label deal by the age of 19. This was during a time when rap music was almost exclusively the domain of men and women were just part of their music videos.
Queen Latifah was able to use her music talent to break into Hollywood and became part of the sitcom on Fox, "Living Single" in 1993. This was the show that really made her a household name.
From the very beginning Queen Latifah didn't fit the mold of what a beautiful Hollywood star is. She has a radiant face, but has always been "plus-size." However, often during her career she has made a big splash on the red carpet for her fashion taste and beauty. She used her reputation as a diva with a sense of clothing fashion to launch a line of clothes for plus-size women with the brand label "Curvation" which is sold in various department stores.
She made several movies during the 90's as well, using her talent and uniqueness to land roles that were out of the ordinary. Her movie career was highlighted by her role in the movie "Chicago" for which she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Oscar. Queen Latifah has gone on to produce movies as well.
All through her career she has continued to make music albums, moving from rap and hip-hop to more mainstream music genres. She isn't afraid to go back to her rap roots though and recently released another rap album.
There are few role-models for plus-sized women in our society today. Queen Latifah is one of the few whose beauty has shown through in an industry that values petite and slim. She was able to use her talent to communicate a sense of hope to others who are given a body size to match their large ambitions.
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Rex Washington writes about fashion and is an admirer of .