Full Figured and FABULOUS Ti'onna Barnes
- Details
- Category: Beauty
- Created on 03 August 2018
- Written by Guest Writer
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Born during the era of the side ponytail, Nintendo gaming system, and Michael Jackson’s Thriller album, Ti’Onna Barnes, 29, can dispatch high-stressed 911 calls, and sashay as a model on the runway in a heartbeat.
Ti’Onna has quickly become an example for plus size women, as she exhibits confidence when she graces the runway. Her new motto is “Be You, Unapologetically.” She was inspired by Miss Black Ohio 2011, and soon after, began to enter into local pageants and fashion shows to represent a population that is often left out in pop and fashion culture. In 2012, the new model was crowned Miss Columbus Ohio Plus America, and later that year competed for the Miss Ohio Plus America, and won.
“Winston Churchill said ‘Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others,’” Ti’Onna says. “I encourage all women to love the skin they are in and to walk with courage. It’s a very judgmental world, but when you own and love the skin you’re in, nobody can make you feel less of yourself.”
This middle child out of seven children didn’t aspire to be a model when she was little, but a television news anchor instead. Recently, she was behind the news desk when she was featured onGood Day Columbus and ABC 6 On-Your-Side as a Clean Plate Award presenter.
Ti’Onna did not have a privileged life, and encountered some experiences that would hinder most; but, not her. She chooses not to be a victim of circumstance or a product of her environment, but rather a motivator to influence others positively. During her work shift, Ti’Onna is passionate about the police officers, and it is her job to make sure they make it home safely each night. When she returns home, she has an unbreakable bond with her three energetic children, sons ages 10 and 2, and her daughter, age 6.
Currently, Ti’Onna is organizing the second Love My Curves fashion show for Spring 2016. The first annual event sold out and the committee is looking forward to the same success with the second show. Being a plus size model, can come with hearing an array of insensitive statements. “You’re pretty for a big girl,” is one that she recalls. For people who feel this way, she wants them to know that beauty is internal, and that not only is she beautiful aesthetically, but she has a beautiful heart as well.
An aspiring entrepreneur , Ti’Onna wants to have her own consulting company to provide compliance monitoring to non-profit organizations who receive government funding. Another one of her goals is to be a motivational speaker for teen mothers and plus size teenagers.
Follow Ti’Onna on Facebook as Ti’Onna Barnes and on Instagram as beautifully_me_.