Last year, I wasn’t fully ready to show up to the biggest plus size celebration to ever happen. I was still new to my blog, and to be honest, wasn’t fully confident in myself. So, I didn’t buy a ticket and told myself maybe next year. I regretted it the minute The Curvy Con started and vowed to get myself there no matter what in 2019.
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I knew I was going to go this year NO MATTER WHAT. But to be honest, I really had know idea what I was going to! You know what I mean? Like, there is this big convention, tickets aren’t cheap, and there will be plus size women who love themselves. But beyond that, I wasn’t sure what to expect! I wanted to give you guys the full lowdown on what happens at The Curvy Con, because next year…
WE ALL NEED TO BE THERE!
The Curvy Con is powered by Dia & Co, and founded by the beautiful Chastity Garner and CeCe Olisa. It is a huge three day extravaganza that pulls together plus size women, clothing brands, and all the body positivity. It isn’t just about the clothes. It is about fashion, fitness, health, empowerment, compassion, education and COMMUNITY. And celebrating ourselves!
What Goes Down
I’m sure each year is a little bit different, but there is so much going on at The Curvy Con. From shopping to food, giveaways and panel discussions. Your time will definitely be filled! And so will your bags. The freebies and goodies are definitely not in short supply!
This year, there was a welcome workout hosted by Nike on Thursday evening, and everyone who attended got a Nike sports bra. Just for showing up. Yes, please! I wasn’t able to attend this portion due to other commitments, but I heard it was amazing. A room full of women who love their body dancing and shaking their booty to some Lizzo? Sign me up.
Shopping
One Friday and Saturday, The Curvy Con officially starts! There were so many booths to visit. Brands that I know and love like Anthropologie and Torrid, to new companies I was excited to be introduced to. And that cute little ticket that gets you? Gets you a ton of fun stuff!
Freebies
Torrid was giving away custom denim jackets to everyone who came. Good American was practically throwing free jeans at anyone who tried them on. And on and on and on. I’m going to talk about the ticket options in a minute, but… This is one reason it is worth it to get one of the higher tiers.
Panels
The panels that The Curvy Con put on were just amazing. Dia & Co with The Curvy Con founder CeCe, blew me out of the water. There were multiple times where I sat in that giant conference room with tears in my eyes hearing these strong, powerful women share their truth and experiences. It was just beyond moving to be inspired and understood.
Fashion Shows
I wasn’t able to sit for any of the fashion shows put on, but can I just say PLUS SIZE BRIDAL! The Knot hosted a plus size bridal show that filled my heart. It would have changed my entire life to see women like me strutting the runway in beautiful gowns and glammed to the nines. We need more of this! I saw tons of video of these beautiful “brides” and just wanted to scream. So freaking cool.
Parties
There were quite a few different parties throughout the three day event. Some were only for Platinum ticket holders, while others were for everyone. Dia & Co and the team at The Curvy Con know how to throw a party, ladies!
TICKETS
I went into The Curvy Con having bought a Platinum Ticket. This is the top tier ticket that you can buy, and girl… It ain’t cheap. ($599!) BUT, I have to say, that between the exclusive parties, and amazing goodie bag, and the priority seating at panels and fashions shows made it worth the ticket price. If I wasn’t in this space for work, I would have a really hard time justifying the price of the Platinum ticket, but now that I have experienced it, I know I will keep buying it!
You can also buy a Glitter ticket, which is significantly less (around $200 for 2019) and I think that this is what I would recommend for most people. You still get a bomb goodie bag (just a few things left out from the platinum bag), into almost all of the extra parties, and all of the freebies that are handed out during the three day event. I personally think that having access to all three days is so worth it.
There is also a Social ticket available, that gives you access to only The Curvy Con on the final day. None of the extra parties or events and no goodie bag to carry home all the swag you rack up. I would have found it hard to feel like I had to take advantage of everything in one day. It was nice for me personally to break things up and get to spend a few hours here and there each day of the event. But that’s just me!
Meet Ups
This is what I was honestly most excited about. Getting to meet up with some of my Insta friends in real life and finally getting a chance to meet SO many of you! It was SO amazing getting to put faces to names that I have chatted with for so long and give some of you guys big hugs.
I’m going to share the flip side to this, though. It was super overwhelming. It was so loud at the convention, and there were so many people walking around all the time. It was hard to find those you were looking for, and I am sure I missed getting to see some of you. Which makes me so sad!
It is a little intimidating to be bold and go up to what is essentially a complete stranger and say hi. Especially if they are already having a conversation with someone or busy taking care of business. But DO IT! I had to muster some courage to go introduce myself to women who I admire, and I was never once met with an unfriendly face. It is so worth it to push outside your comfort zone.
I’m so excited to hear what CeCe and Chastity have in store for next year. I will 1000% be there, and hope to get to bring a few of you along with me!
Best of Abundance. MARZ NYC