'Fat Chance': Mo'Nique's Plus-Sized Beauty Show

By Farai Chideya

Published August 3, 2005 at 9:00 PM PDT

Mo'Nique, host of the "plus-size" beauty show <i>Fat Chance</i>, at her Los Angeles-area home. — Mo'Nique, host of the "plus-size" beauty show *Fat Chance*, at her Los Angeles-area home.

Comedianne and actress Mo'Nique hosts the first televised beauty competition and boot camp for full-sized women. Fat Chance airs on the Oxygen Network this weekend. The funny lady and actress talks about being a role model for those with dress sizes 14 and up. Note: This segment contains language some might find offensive.

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Farai Chideya

Farai Chideya is a multimedia journalist who has worked in print, television, online, and radio. Prior to joining NPR's News & Notes, Chideya hosted Your Call, a daily news and cultural call-in show on San Francisco's KALW 91.7 FM. Chideya has also been a correspondent for ABC News, anchored the prime time program Pure Oxygen on the Oxygen women's channel, and contributed commentaries to CNN, Fox, MSNBC, and BET. She got her start as a researcher and reporter at Newsweek magazine. In 1997 Newsweek named her to its "Century Club" of 100 people to watch.