In a world where plus size visibility is often reduced to what we see in front of the camera, the Curvy Boss Spotlight exists to widen the lens.
The series celebrates the dynamic, talented, courageous plus size professionals who are pushing, shaking up and shifting things across industries. Founder. executive Officer. Stylist. Teacher. creative. change agents.
Because representation isn’t just about showing up in campaigns. It’s about seeing yourself in leadership.
We say it often because it’s true, We cannot be what we cannot see.
And this week’s spotlight reminds us exactly why this series matters.
When you think of fashion and entertainment in Atlanta, one name holds weight, history and undeniable influence: Paula Whittle..
And to be honest, “Trailblazer” almost seems too small.
For almost two decades, atlanta international fashion week Founder Paula Whittle is doing what true visionaries do, creating what didn’t exist yet, then giving everyone else the courage to imagine bigger because she did.
Long before Atlanta’s fashion ecosystem gained the global credibility it has today, Paula was invested in the idea that the city could be a legitimate international fashion destination. Not aspirationally. In fact.
She wasn’t waiting for an invitation into fashion history.
She was writing her chapter.
Having organized over 350 shows, representing over 500 designers, showcasing fashion from 19 countries, and with nearly two decades of cultural impact to her name, Paula Whittle has created much more than an event.
He has formed an organization.
And like many women creating legacies, she started with something much quieter than admiration.
He started with the vision.
A vision bigger than fashion, a calling bigger than business
When Paula talks about how this journey began, she doesn’t start with ambition.
She starts with purpose.
“God gave me the vision to provide a platform for aspiring talents and mentor the next generation of trendsetters.”
That answer tells you almost everything you need to know about his moves.
Because for Paula, fashion has never been just about presentation.
This is the matter of platform.
That distinction matters.
A platform lifts people up. A platform creates reach. A platform that stays ahead of trends.
and through Atlanta International Fashion Week, Paula created one that accomplished all three.
What stands out in his story is that his leadership lies not in chasing prestige, but in creating opportunities. Atlanta International Fashion Week was never meant to be a spectacle for show’s sake. It became a connector between emerging talent and global exposure, between Atlanta’s creative pulse and the international fashion conversation.
That’s the job of the ecosystem.
And Paula has been doing this since many people didn’t even have the language for it.
Her daily rhythms reflect that grounding.
Prayer.
Attention.
meetings.
Proposal.
strategy.
But beneath all this there is something deeper.
Is calling.
As she says, “I have become the master of that space by becoming who God has called me to be and do. Take charge and live a purpose-driven life.”
That’s not branding language. That is faith.
And perhaps that’s why its impact feels so layered.
It was never built just to impress… it was built to endure.
Creating what didn’t exist, then becoming that essential guide for others.
One of the most poignant things Paula says in this interview comes when talking about representation.
Because instead of discussing visibility she talks about guidance.
“Representation means having a guide. In the industry, I didn’t have that. Just me and God. He’s my guide and spokesperson.”
Wow! There is a lot inside him. Especially for anyone who has ever had to build without a precedent.
Without guidance. Without a roadmap. Without seeing yourself reflected in the room.
Paula knows that experience intimately. And perhaps because she came without a guide, she became one. This may be one of the most powerful threads of his legacy.
Not only that he created a fashion week. But he has used that platform to give advice to hundreds of people.
Launch a career. Open the door. Create pathways.
through his non-profit organization fashion apprenticePaula has spent years investing in young girls interested in fashion, helping them see possibilities where they might have only seen limitations. Through her “Beauty and a Makeover” initiative, she has provided respect and care to underprivileged and homeless communities.
That work is no different from her fashion work.
This is its soul.
When Paula says, “We make sure they feel seen in and out,” She’s talking about beauty, yes.
But she is also talking about the price.
That’s always been a part of his blueprint.
Not just to promote fashion.
Lifting people up.
And maybe that’s why so many people in Atlanta regard him not just as an event creator, but as a community builder.
They are not the same thing.
And Paula has always been doing the latter.
From paralysis to strength, how faith shaped Paula Whittle’s resilience
There comes a point in Paula’s story where admiration turns into something else.
Something deeper.
Because while creating all this, she was also battling autoimmune disease and serious spinal complications, which sent her from paralysis to a wheelchair, to walking again.
Most people would have considered survival to be sufficient.
Paula kept creating.
“I had many medical challenges that tried to hinder my work performance, but I relied on faith and strength in God to bring me from being paralyzed to being wheelchair-bound.”
Read it slowly.
Because it changes how you read everything before it.
Every praise. Every incident. Every milestone.
They have different weights now. Because they were not created casually. They were created out of pain. And somehow, through it all, she remained comprehensive.
Visionary. Productive.
That kind of resilience can’t be manufactured… it has to be lived. And in Paula’s case, it seems inseparable from faith.
Faith is not an abstraction. Belief as fuel.
There is something very touching about a woman whose body faced limitations, but whose vision continued to expand.
That is power. Calm, disciplined, spiritual strength.
And it bleeds into everything she touches.
“Make the trend. Be the look.” Paula Whittle on confidence, style and self-definition
Ask Paula about confidence and she goes inwards before going out.
“Confidence is first found in God… Once we know who we are and whose we are, we can master it. The beauty within will be reflected on the outside. This is true beauty.”
This answer almost sounds like a philosophy of life.
No performance.
No image.
Identification.
And maybe that’s why her style advice is so effective.
Because it is the same self-possession.
“Embrace your style. Embrace who you are. Create the trend. Be the look.”
sincerely?
That deserves framing.
Because what she’s really saying is don’t chase permission.
The author himself.
Which, if we’re honest, describes her career too.
Paula Whittle didn’t follow a fashion blueprint.
She became one.
Purpose over popularity, why Paula Whittle lives by influence, not influence
There is a lot of noise right now about ambition.
Stirring legend.
Obsession with visibility.
Performance disguised as leadership.
Paula cuts it all off.
When asked what advice she would give to someone who wants to take a bold step towards a goal, she says:
“Find your purpose. Own it. Study it. Seek knowledge. Become an expert and work on it. Let God lead you.”
That’s adult-woman wisdom.
Experienced knowledge.
And it feels fresh because it’s not trendy.
It is true.
There’s no force in how Paula talks about leadership.
Only stewardship.
And perhaps that’s why his legacy has endured for nearly twenty years.
Because purpose outlives publicity.
Every time.
Building a legacy by helping others win
My favorite answer of the entire interview came from a simple question.
How do you celebrate victory?
Paula replied:
“Help someone else win.“
That’s not a throwaway line.
That’s an ethos.
And perhaps this is the clearest expression of what makes Paula Whittle extraordinary.
He never considered success as a right.
She treats it as something to be transmitted.
to multiply.
To share.
That is legacy thinking.
And that is rare.
As she looks forward to global expansion and the 19th anniversary of Atlanta International Fashion Week this September, it seems clear that Paula is not slowing down.
She is still building.
Still giving advice.
Still expanding.
Things are still popping and shaking.
To honor exactly that kind of curvy boss, we created this series.
Why does Paula Whittle’s story matter right now?
Because stories like Paula’s remind us that leadership doesn’t just have one size fits all.
Sometimes it feels like faith.
Sometimes it feels like survival.
Sometimes it seems that creating an organization that no one had even imagined was possible was possible.
And sometimes it feels like it’s helping someone else win.
Paula Whittle has done all of the above.
And in doing so, she’s created more than just a fashion week.
He has prepared the evidence.
This is proof that plus size professionals are on top.
Proof that purpose can create legacy.
It’s proof that one woman’s perspective can change a city.
That’s Curvy Boss energy.
And he deserves the spotlight.
Want to be featured next?
Are you a sizable entrepreneur, founder, executive, creative or professional looking to make your mark?
Apply or nominate someone for our Curvy Boss Spotlight.
And if you’re a plus size model, influencer or creator, we have opportunities to feature for you too through our Plus Model and Plus Influencer Spotlights.
Because every street of this community deserves visibility.
And your story may be what someone else needs to see.
