Chenese Tharis Lewis, born November 14, 1979, in

Baton Rouge, Louisiana Baton Rouge ( ; ) is a city in and the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. Located the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, it is the parish seat of East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana's most populous parish—the equivalent of counties i ...

, is an American

actress An actor or actress is a person who portrays a Character (arts), character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek ...

, host,

plus-size model A plus-size model is an individual size 12 and above who is engaged primarily in Model (person), modeling plus-size clothing. Plus-size clothing worn by plus-size models is typically catering for and marketed to either Big & Tall or Tall or Overw ...

, and a positive body image and self-esteem advocate. Dubbed “One Of The Original Plus-Size Influencers” by

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

, she made history by being the first crowned Miss Plus America in 2003 and created the first podcast for the plus size industry, The Chenese Lewis Show, in 2008. Lewis, also an actress, appeared on the first season of the hit

BET Black Entertainment Television (acronym BET) is an American basic cable channel targeting African-American audiences. It is owned by the CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global via BET Networks and has offices in New York City, Los A ...

series, ''

Hell Date ''Hell Date'' was a prank, dating show on Black Entertainment Television (BET). The show was created by Peter M. Cohen and produced by Peter M. Cohen Productions. The show presented itself as a typical dating show, such as ''Blind Date'', however ...

''.

Biography

She is the only child of Willie D. Lewis and Tharis Lewis. Chenese attended McKinley Senior High School and

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 nea ...

Career

Lewis's career began in pageantry in 2002 when she stumbled upon a plus size beauty pageant on the Internet and entered as Miss Louisiana Plus America. Without any prior pageant experience or formal training she walked away with the national title of Miss Plus America, becoming the first woman to hold the title in 2003. She made history and set the standard of excellence for the organization by being one of the most recognizable and successful queens in the organization. She moved to Los Angeles in 2004 to pursue a career in entertainment. She is best known for her role on the

television series ''

''. She appeared on four episodes, one where she was the lead as “The Gorgeous Queen Diva Supreme” where she played an overly confident dater. She has also made several television appearances as herself on shows such ''The Insider'' and ''

The Cho Show ''The Cho Show'' is a Reality television, reality-Situation comedy, sitcom starring comedian Margaret Cho which premiered on VH1 on August 21, 2008. The series follows Cho as she interacts with her family and friends, including her mother and her ...

'' and as an expert commentator on Dr. Phil. Lewis has modeled for Torrid, served as a spokesperson for

Ashley Stewart Ashley Stewart is an American plus size women's clothing company and lifestyle brand, which was founded in 1991. The name Ashley Stewart was inspired by Laura Ashley and Martha Stewart, who the company saw as icons of upscale Americana. The S ...

, appeared in the movie

Phat Girlz ''Phat Girlz'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy film written and directed by Nnegest Likké and starring Mo'Nique, as well as Kendra C. Johnson, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Godfrey, and Joyful Drake. Plot Jazmin Biltmore is a smart-mouthed, plus-size ...

as a Thick Madame Magazine Model, and appeared on the December 2007 cover of PLUS Model Magazine which coined her "A leader in the curvy revolution!”. In December 2012 she appeared on the cover of the UK anniversary issue of VICE Magazine. Chenese is currently the face of Aida Cosmetics’ “Confidence and Glamour” campaign. Lewis is a former President of Hollywood NOW

National Organization for Women The National Organization for Women (NOW) is an American feminist organization. Founded in 1966, it is legally a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization. The organization consists of 550 chapters in all 50 U.S. states and in Washington, D.C. It ...

and also served as the Love Your Body Committee Chairperson for the local chapter. She created and produced a local event for Hollywood NOW to celebrate Love Your Body Day. Her 2010 Love Your Body Campaign, where she posed nude with America's Next Top Model, Whitney Thompson, garnered international media attention and magnified her role as a leading positive body image advocate.

Recognition

In 2014 Lewis was named by

Ebony.com ''Ebony'' is a monthly magazine that focuses on news, culture, and entertainment. Its target audience is the African Americans, African-American community, and its coverage includes the lifestyles and accomplishments of influential black people, ...

as one of the top "6 Plus Fashion Power Players On The Rise”. In 2015 Bustle.com listed Lewis as one of the "7 Plus Size Fashion Pioneers Who Were Ahead Of Their Time". 2020 marked her 20th career anniversary in entertainment, the plus-size industry, and body positivity movement. She was dubbed “One Of The Original Plus-Size Influencers” by

Filmography

References

External links

Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Chenese Plus-size models McKinley Senior High School alumni American actresses Female models from Louisiana Living people 1979 births 21st-century American women