“There is no wrong way to be a woman” Denise Bidot

The roads Denise Bidot has taken might not had necessarily been what she (or the fashion industry) had planned. Both have been pleasantly surprise indeed. Denise went to Hollywood wanting to become a professional actress, and ended up going as a make up artist in various photo shots. It was at one of those where this beautiful woman was discovered by a photographer who put her in front of the lens … And the rest is history..Or is it? This year during NYFW Denise has joined CHROMAT to launch the first couture line for plus size women.

Chica Fresh had chatted with the boricua about the fashion industry, her role as a mom and her perception on the “perfect body” the media is so eager to impose on us, women.

Chica Fresh: How was your experiencing auditioning in Hollywood? 

DB: At that time, my options were very limited because I was curvier. They always said I had the looks but the best friend body type and, suggested I lose 15 pounds to get some parts. But, I stayed true to how I was and I’m excited to see how its changing within Hollywood today, where you have shows like Orange Is The New Black showcasing real women.

CF: Does shape define who we are as women? 

DB:  I think we define who we are and our personalities round us out.  Us, women come in different shapes and sizes, and it doesn’t define us.  Our character represents who we are and confidence is key on working our appearance.

CF: How do you approach the subject of body image with your daughter? 

DB: I’ve been lucky that she’s been around my career and has seen it inside out. It’s a natural thing to her because I represent confidence and inspired purity in what beauty really is, which is what’s within. I don’t think she knows that body image defines us as we talk a lot about the beauty within not the exterior of a person. We stay away from judging others based on appearance.

CF: How do you keep healthy and in shape? 

DB: Running around the city and traveling.  Also posing can be its own little work out.  From all shoots I can be sore due to my breathing exercises when modeling. I love to cook more and avoid eating out.  It also gives me time to be with my little one, and running around with her is a work out as well.

CF: What is the future of Latinas in the fashion industry? 

DB: I think women of all shapes and sizes will relate to us, and our culture as we are setting the way to bring real looking women into the fashion industry.  Also, having brands like CHROMAT support our figure is a great step on what’s to be expected of us, Latinas.  I believe Latinas will bring realness to the industry and showcase that its how you feel in the clothes, not how you look.

About the collection, Becca McCharen, founder of Chromat commented “It’s definitely an all-size approach. We have so many Chromat friends and fans that come directly to the Chromat studio to have their pieces custom-made to fit their different frames. This season, we wanted to give these pieces the attention they deserve, and design specifically for curvy silhouettes.”

Pictures courtesy of DeniseBidot.com and Dynamic Theories