Mary Duffy
| Mary Duffy | |
|---|---|
| Born | New York, New York United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Mt. Holyoke College |
| Occupation | Author & speaker |
| Known for | First petite/plus-size model agency |
Mary Duffy is a feminist fashion expert, spokeswoman, entrepreneur, author, and motivational speaker who has worked to expand the concept of beauty for the majority of women who do not fit the ideal stereotypes popularized by the entertainment and fashion industries.
She expanded the first model agency specializing in plus-size models and petites. Her career has included multiple television appearances, fashion shows, seminars, and print media interviews, as well as two years each on QVC and HSN. She also had a ten-year plus-size pattern line for Simplicity Patterns, designed three other fashion lines, and authored several books.
After graduating from Mount Holyoke College, Duffy's career direction started in the mid 1970s when she became one of the first plus-size models. She liked the work so much she decided, in 1979, to buy a start-up agency from Beth Kramer in NYC, immediately adding Petites, creating Big Beauties/Little Women, the first agency in the world specializing in plus-size models and petites.
By 1984, Big Beauties/Little Women was successful enough to run national model searches advertised in the press. The prize included the cover of It’s Me magazine, a nationally published magazine for plus-size women. In 1987, her first book, "The H-O-A-X Fashion Formula", was published. In 1988, she sold her company to Ford Models, where she became Executive Director for Special Sizes until 2010. Ford renamed the division Ford 12+, and then Ford+.
Duffy’s own career as a model included national campaigns for Gloria Vanderbilt, L'eggs, and Weight Watchers. In 1980, she began motivational speaking. In these lectures she advocates a message designed to enhance women's self-esteem. She has also commentated on more than 1250 fashion shows and seminars, and appeared on more than 800 television shows, including Today, Good Morning America, Sally Jesse Raphael, the Oprah Winfrey Show, Hard Copy, The Jenny Jones Show, and CNN. She has also done more than 600 print media interviews, including Cosmopolitan, Woman’s Day, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, New York Daily News, and New York Times.
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