( ENSPIRE She Did That ) Izzy Spears Is Founder of Plurvy and Curvy Girls Rock Clothing Brands
ENSPIRE Contributor: Gabrielle Maya
Izzy Spears is a plus-size body positivity advocate, entrepreneur, and author who has contributed a lot to the body positivity community. She promotes self-love and acceptance through her two plus-size clothing brands: Plurvy.com and Curvy-Girls-Rock.com which offer different sizes and styles for all body types. These two brands were launched by The Southern PaSH Company LLC to give confidence and beauty of being in your skin. We shouldn’t feel pressured to conform to beauty standards we’re all so unique and different; that’s what makes the world amazing.
The Plurvy collection is fun, energetic, and effortless. Plurvy will debut with three core pieces, a crop top hoodie, a tie-in-front blouse, and a premium crew neck fleece. Each piece is embellished with bold statements such as “Feminist”, “Curvy Girls Rock”, “Juicy Mama”, “I am me, I am beautiful” and “Body (+)”. Offering sizes starting at an XL and up to 4x.
As the collection continues to grow, Plurvy intends to offer sizes from XL to 7x shortly. View ENSPIRE’s interview with Izzy Spears as she talks about her clothing brands, her body positivity journey, and her two books.
Explain the creation of Plurvy and Curvy Girls Rock and what makes them each unique.
Both brands were born out of the desire for two things. 1. Ownership and 2. Representation. Instead of complaining about not having representation of more plus-size people and more inclusivity in retail stores, I wanted to be part of the change. I wanted to be the change I desired to see.
What were some of the challenges starting two clothing brands, what is some advice you’d recommend for someone starting a business?
Some of the challenges of starting two clothing brands include knowledge, resources, time, and decision-making. I always remind friends and family who want to start a business that you will either spend time or money. If you take the time to do it yourself, you will have to research, plan then execute. If you pay someone else, you have to spend money and rely on their research. Planning and execution.
The sweet spot is knowing when to hire when to fire, and when to do it yourself. Unfortunately, the only way to learn how to find the sweet spot is to make some mistakes, spend some time and spend some money. You can’t skip the process of earning your mistakes because mistakes are the knowledge and experience necessary to propel a thought into a profitable business.
How do you balance life as an entrepreneur, mother, and advocate?
I have spent many years trying to find balance. Now, I think of it as a rhythm. Rhythm has movement, sometimes the tempo is fast, and sometimes it is slow. I have learned, that the only way to juggle it all is to drop the least important things when the tempo is fast and pick them back up when the tempo slows down. Items I prioritize when the time comes to drop items include my husband, my child, and my health. Then I prioritize urgent matters. Everything has a season, not all seasons produce fruit. It is ok not to do it all at one time. Everything at once is impossible. Small tasks over time are an accomplishment.
What do you think we can do as a society to be more inclusive with plus-size clothes, media, and advertisements?
I think representation matters. The more we see plus-size bodies in mainstream media, social media, ads, television, and movies, the more spaces you will see make room by being more inclusive and more intentional with their casting talent of all body types. Then, it is like a snowball effect. But until then, we need to keep advocating because the squeaky wheel gets the grease.
What are some challenges that you faced during your self-love journey as a plus-size woman?
Some of the challenges I faced during my self-love journey were tuning out the noise and reprogramming my thoughts. I had to ignore diet culture during the New Year. I had to learn that it was okay to prioritize rest over going to the gym. I had to remind myself that my tummy now had stretch marks because my body brought life into the world. I had to ignore the intrusive images of runway models in commercials and music videos. I had to fight the impulse to yo-yo diet and give my body fuel. So much of my life was centered around staying thin, that I didn’t know how to enjoy life. I had to rewrite everything I knew, everything I was taught.
Any advice or inspiration you would give to your younger self about body acceptance and self-love?
Yes, I would tell my younger self that health is wealth. There is no fad diet, exercise plan, or any other form of self-abuse worth engaging in. You only get one body, one chance at life. Move your body, eat whole foods, and tackle the world one day at a time. Your body is a vessel, not a prison. Live the life you want now, don’t let your dress size determine your value or put a cap on what you can or should obtain in life. Physical appearance is just one aspect of life, please don’t forget to nurture your mind, spirit, dreams, hobbies, and goals.
How can we as a community continue to spread positive representation for the Black community through clothes, books, and body positivity?
I think as a community we need to create safe spaces and support these spaces, all with intention. We can’t wait for permission to show up for ourselves. I think something as simple as starting a Facebook group where Black people can just talk, vent, or post memes helps create community and unity as well as a place to incubate ideas. On the opposite side of the spectrum, on a larger scale, pop-up shops that feature all Black products, or even community involvement such as the church and schools. Personally, giving is the best way to receive in my opinion. If I see a little black girl or boy I will give them a copy of, “The Adventures of Jaylen Newman”. If I am at a pop-up shop, I will tell everyone how beautiful they are and hand out free shirts. For me, the mission is greater than the money.
I want to carve out a space for people of color, plus-size people, and the black and brown children of the future. I want my son to see his mom working hard to be the change she desires. So in the simplest form, we as a community can continue to spread positive representation via clothes, books, and body positivity by creating, sharing, and making room for each other in our day-to-day lives. We have to be intentional. My last example of being intentional can be as simple as giving a little black boy or girl a balloon while they wait in line or a smile at the park. Watching over the kids as they get off of the bus.
Tell us about your Podcast “It’s Coffee with Izzy Spears”.
“It’s Coffee with Izzy Spears” is a healthy dose of caffeine. 🙂 Intended to quickly lift your spirits and give listeners that extra reminder that their dreams matter, they have purpose and they have the tools to conquer the day! At times I need an extra something to propel me forward. I created this podcast to motivate others because, at times I need it. Currently, episodes can be found on Spotify, Anchor, and YouTube! Here is a link: https://open.spotify.com/show/3g8GomRS7u7XmEFm81CY22
Her other accomplishments include writing a book about self-love through her experience called “Diary of a Curvy Gal” and a children’s book called “The Adventures of Jaylen Newman” which discusses the positive aspects of Black family life. Izzy Spears is bringing inclusivity and diversity to the world and breaking barriers.
Explain your writing process when coming up with the book “Diary of a Curvy Gal” and “The Adventures of Jaylen Newman”. What did you hope your readers took from your message?
Writing Diary of a Curvy Gal was important for me to illustrate the mind frame I was in before my introduction to self-love and acceptance. I wanted the readers to understand that a lot of the bullying teasing and dislike for myself came from the outside. The world, media, and society put an unrealistic expectation of being thin. I wanted to share how my experiences molded and shaped me. I also wanted to share how I climbed out of that hole and reclaimed my life and my light. Hopefully, after reading Diary of a Curvy Gal, people will have a new perspective and learn one of two things, that bullying is cruel and unnecessary and that people, no matter their size or shape are beautiful, just the way they are.
When writing, The Adventures of Jaylen Newman, it was important for me to illustrate the following: a. black people have nuclear families filled with love and care b. black people are involved with their children’s education and well-being little black girls and boys are just like all other children. They have fears, and anxiety and are worthy of equal treatment. Overall, I wanted to shine a positive light on the black family, inside the home and humanize black people because mainstream media works so hard to dehumanize us as well as our experiences.
“Plus curvy women are the backbone of this collection, they are not an afterthought, they are the subject,” continued Izzy Spears.
Follow Izzy Spears on Instagram for updates on her clothing brands Plurvy and Curvy Girls Rock. You can buy “Diary of a Curvy Gal” here and “The Adventures of Jaylen Newman” here. Visit http://www.izzyspears.com/ for other information on her projects, Podcasts, and body positivity advocacy.
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