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Here is another treat for those of you who possess broadband connections, and enjoy viewing your favourite plus-size models in living motion.

A couple of seasons ago, Valerie Lefkowitz created must-see TV for all aficionados of timeless beauty, when she starred in a series of memorable television commercials--first for David's Bridal, then for Zelnorm, and finally, for Isaac Mizrahi at Target.

Miss Lefkowitz actually appeared in at least two Target spots, and now, thanks to a friend of this site, we can show you the first of those ads. Valerie's part in this promo is actually quite clever.

First, we see a curvaceous-looking Valerie standing atop a pedestal (how fitting!), in the centre of the screen, entirely outshining the gangly straight-size model in the foreground, to the right:

Later, we see her in the guise of a waitress in New York diner:

Waitress Valerie walks past the designer,

who snaps his fingers like a fairy godfather, and says, "I love you in pink . . . gorgeous!"

whereupon Valerie's outfit changes--in true Cinderella fashion--from the waitress uniform, to a hot pink number:

Valerie ends the scene by giving a cute little "I'm-so-hot!" tug at her collar.

However, some readers who saw this commercial when it first aired actually preferred the waitress outfit, because it showed off Valerie's legs--which were then considered the most attractive in the industry.

Valerie was a true plus-size model when this commercial was filmed, and it is a testament to her beauty at the time that she compelled Mr. Mizrahi--a straight-size fashion designer, not at all known for adoring curvy women--to ad-lib the word "gorgeous," when contemplating her appearance.

Once again, we see how ideal plus-size beauty--when it is presented to the public--can actually shatter myths, change minds, and move hearts . . . and advance the cause of size celebration.

Click here to view Valerie's Target commercial.

kirsten

Not only are these videos great fun to watch, they are invaluable tools to help us re-train our eyes and minds to recognize true beauty. We've become so used to the one standard of attractiveness in the media that it's become too easy to forget that women who looked like Valerie were regarded in centuries past as the ideal.

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A number of readers have asked where Valerie might currently be seen, and we note that she continues to model for Dress Barn, which unfailingly shoots its campaigns in attractive locations.

In the image from Dress Barn, below, we see Valerie exhibiting one of the most gorgeous hairstyles that we have ever seen on any model. It brings to life, even more vividly than the image with which we matched it in our recent ''Voluptuous Volume'' thread, Charlotte Bronte's sensual description of her seductively vain coquette, Ginevra Fanshawe:

"Yes: in she came, dressed in bright silk, with her shawl falling from her shoulders, and her curls, half-uncurled in the damp of night, drooping careless and heavy upon her neck."

Valerie's tresses look thick and luxuriant, "half-uncurled" and breathtakingly weighty. But seeing Valerie modelling today is always a tad bittersweet, because the viewer cannot help but compare her current look with her past masterpieces, when she was irresistibly fuller figured, and the most gorgeous model in the industry. Many fans will never give up hope that someday, Valerie may regain her goddesslike beauty of yore.

- Click here to see Valerie at Dress Barn Woman