Real Women Have Curves

Venezuela has a reputation for its world-renowned beauties who dominate international pageants. It also has a reputation for machismo and homophobia, though a group of unlikely pageant contestants aims to challenge the predominantly Catholic country's notion of beauty.

The Miss Fat Gay Venezuela pageant is showcasing queens of a different variety. Held in Caracas, the competition features corpulent drag beauties, elaborately costumed and walking the catwalk in high heels and bikinis. This pageant, the first of its kind, takes direct aim at the country's homophobia and the widespread beauty pageant culture, confronting ideals of thin, cosmetically enhanced women.

Event organizer Alexander Armas tells The Guardian, "We want to show that we too can be beautiful and sexy. We're invaded by images of thin people. It's time to do something about it."

Though discrimination based on sexual orientation is illegal here, the chubby men who make up the contestant pool are often subjected to homophobia at home and in the workplace. "There are a lot of macho types who don't like seeing men in women's clothing," Alberto Maia (a.k.a. Miss Aragua) tells The Guardian. "It's not easy for us. Machismo is a disease."

Miss Lara, in daily life known as Alberto Rodriguez, says, "We are coming out of the shadows, we are more accepted. We all have rights, gays and fat people as much as anyone."

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