Carrying herself with grace and poise new mom DeAna Flores walks into the office with a smile stretching from ear to ear as she sits down ready to share her story with a smidgen of uncertainty about the publics reaction.
Flores has entered the Washington Plus America Pageant representing 60 percent of the women population who are size 12 and higher. Flores has joined the friendly competition as a way to remind plus size gals to embrace their womanhood and also as a way to bring awareness to the platform about effects eating disorders have on young men and women’s bodies.
Flores was born in North Carolina on the military post Fort Bragg. Being raised by her mother who was 42A admin specialist in the military naturally weened Flores to want to be a part of the United States military, it was just a part of her upbringing.
“I was always a patriotic girl. My birthday is June 13 and it’s the day before Flag Day, my favorite holiday, and what also I seemed to have found out was the army’s birthday which was appropriative,” Flores said. “I was always looking forward to Flag Day because my family would get me a flag every year which would be tattered and torn by the time the year was up.”
Starting out at the age of 17, Flores was granted permission by her mother to join the army. The young girl completed her high school education by the age of 18, ready to be shipped out as soon as possible.
“I didn’t want to go to college. I had an older sister who had a horrible time in college and I decided I’m just going to join the army,” Flores stated. “I decided in 10th grade I was going to join the army. As soon as I turned 17 I started taking the practice test called the ‘ASVAB’ and I found my recruiter. Basically I was told that I had to lose a ton of weight before going in.”
For acceptances into the military a individual must fall between margins of the already set standard depending on height.
“I had to lose about 30 pounds and I probably lost 20 pounds within 2 weeks,” Flores says reluctant nod.
At the time Flores needed to do this one thing in her life to make herself happy. Joining the ranks was her teenage passion, it was her dream. A dream that Flores was willing to do what she needed to so that she could accomplish it.
“I went on the Adkins diet and I did have an eating disorder,” Flores says with regret. “I had bulimia, that’s where it started. I just wanted it so bad, I wanted to be in the military so bad but my weight was my obstacle.”
Before Flores made her way to basic she refrained from eating and drinking anything for 3 days straight so she would be light enough to make weight in Boston. After wards Flores changed her lifestyle to strictly vegetarian and took it a step further by eating only 2 vegetables and a starch as her diet.
“I thought I was doing it the healthy way. I had more strength, I was happier, I felt good about myself,” Flores said. “I felt full and I felt I alive again.”
Once Flores was set out into the “real world” as a Military Police Officer (MP) there was not anyone to monitor what time and what content she was eating as her meals and slowly the weight piled on once again. The giggly young women that Pierce College sees today was knocked down once again for her weight.
Having the pressure of going to pt training two to three times a day to try and meet the military’s standards weight Flores was inclined to do something, and do it fast.
“I would actually take preparation H, which shrinks the skin, and saran wrap and smear it all over my skin and wrap myself to lose an inch all around,” Flores said.
Focused on partying to be accepted by other friends out side her platoon rather then trying to be accepted by my coworkers and the job that she choose she turned to an eating disorder that has had a long time effect on her.
“I’m very embarrassed about it but I went through a lot of counseling through the army so I’m more comfortable talking about it but its still embarrassing,” Flores explains. “It ruins you, it ruins your self esteems. You stuff your feelings back into yourself and you try and get them out then you feel so much better by the purging feeling until the next meal your dreading.”
The pageant is February 17 through the 20. Through those four days numerous amounts of workshops and events leading up to that day before the actual competition begins.
Flores is excited to embrace her full figured body because now there are more women who are standing up and doing the same thing. Flores explains that her feeling of having plus sized pageant contestants having to oppress themselves from winning crowns because of their weight is quickly fading with the help of pageants such as Washington Plus America. Weight is no longer an obstacle for these women regarding their crowns.
Finding Sponsors and raising awareness for Flores’s platform about awareness for eating disorders by sharing her story with those who are willing to listen.
“I went through a lot of counseling and that’s the way to get over your feelings is to go to counseling and realize it’s a problem and it’s a mental disease but you have to continue talking about it,” Flores said. “It’s a very sensitive topic and I haven’t been able to find anyone who is openly taking about the issue apart from a couple of groups in Seattle so I feel like I’m trying to bridge that gap.”
“I’m just trying to share with people that it is possible to overcome this,” Flores said.