They may not be a size 2, but a group of dancers are spawning a new movement by embracing their plus sizes. The native New Yorkers have captured the attention of Beyoncé and other big-name entertainers. NY1’s Cheryl Wills has their story.
"She bent over, and this is a true story, she was like, 'You are amazing.' I said, 'If I don't book this, Beyoncé herself told me I was amazing,'" said Akira Armstrong, the founder of Pretty Big Movement.
Armstrong has to pinch herself sometimes. She has been booked in not one but two of Beyoncé's music videos, and the hometown girl puts the "boogie" in the Boogie Down Bronx.
The Bronx native has become an idol of sorts for plus-size women. And after a recent appearance on America's Got Talent, Pretty Big Movement, featuring seven voluptuous ladies from the Big Apple, is a pretty big deal.
"We want to get the message across first that we are dancers first–we grew up like this. We are dancers, and that's what we want to do, and our size is not going to stop us from doing that," said Sonia Allen, one of the group’s dancers.
There's no stopping these ladies who say they are on a mission to empower women of all sizes.
"It's a lot of fat shaming that's going on right now in the world, and us big girls is coming up," said group member Ming Dunn.
They're bold and in the big leagues now, but they say it wasn't an easy road getting to where they are.
"Growing up in my adolescent years, I would get those 'you need to lose weight, you need to change,' but I could just never be me," Armstrong said.
The members of Pretty Big Movement say they have wiped away their tears, laced up their dancing shoes and are determined to prove that being a big girl is a plus.