Two of the pageant contestants, Shashi Jha from India (left) and Tatiana Vederuikova from Russia, strike a pose on stage. Photo: Li Hao/GT

Last Saturday, 15 plus-sized beauties from around the world took part in the first ever Miss Plus Size International Beijing Beauty Pageant organized by the Appreciate Africa Network (AAN) at Landmark Towers Hotel in Chaoyang district.

Thirteen countries were represented in the pageant, including the US, the UK, Portugal and China, and the event was attended by over 1,000 people.

Samantha Sibanda, founder of AAN, said she organized the event to celebrate plus-sized women like herself, who have frequently faced discrimination.

"We want to show the world that being big does not mean [being] ugly. Big is beautiful," said Sibanda, 38. "I want to push up the confidence of plus-sized women. I want to let them know that they can wear the beautiful clothes, find men who love them, look after themselves, have fun and have a successful career."