Emmestyle

Shattering Myths
Emme Comes to the Rescue, Offering Inspiration and Guidance to Men, Women, and Children Suffering Life's Little—and Big—Emergencies
By Mark Rifkin

Can there really be only one Emme? The 40-year-old famous full-figured model hosts a TV show, writes books, has a fashion line and a doll, teaches classes, spends a lot of time working with charitable organizations, lectures at Yale and Harvard, runs a production company, and has a husband and child.

She's been named one of People magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People" twice, Ladies,' Home Journal selected her as among the "Most Important Women in America" and the "Most Fascinating Women of the Year," Biography called her one of the "25 Most Influential Women," and Glamour has named her "Woman of the Year."

I have many different interests, as everybody does. You know, some people could say, 'Omigosh, that's quite amazing' or someone could say, 'Where's your focus?'" she said, laughing. "But I know that life is short, and a lot of things interest me. And I have a very good team of people that I work with who help me pursue those dreams and those ideas."

Emme, who now lives in New Jersey, was born in New York City and grew up in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, where her stepfather worked for an oil company. She developed such a wide range of interests while a young girl overseas.

"My childhood was extremely eclectic, and I was exposed to diversity at a very young age—different cultures, different worlds, different religions," she noted.

She moved back to New York when she was 16 and went to Syracuse on a full sports scholarship, later gaining induction into the Syracuse University Orange Plus Hall of Fame for her success in crew.

"A lot of people in America think that because you're full-figured, you could never be in shape. And that's something that I'd like to dispel," said the extremely active supermodel, who enjoys cross-country skiing, hiking, and many other outdoor activities.

"I have a registered motto: 'Shattering the Myth.' That's one of my goals: To shatter a lot of myths about people, about women, particularly whether you're thin or whether you're larger…Fitness is not only for the extremely fit, nor should that be the goal."

After college, Emme headed out to Los Angeles to become an NBC page and later was a reporter and morning anchor for the NBC affiliate in Flagstaff, AZ. She currently hosts Fashion Emergency on the Style Network. (The show airs weeknights at 7 in addition to other times.)

Her own general fashion emergency "is being too trend-forward. You can't be trend-forward with your makeup and your hair and your clothes and your bag and your shoes. It just gets too much. It's almost like you have to pare down to who you are," she said.

"What I try to do is I stick true to what looks best on my body. Trying to do too much at the same time not only makes you crazy but it makes other people kind of confused as to 'Wait, where did Emme go?'"

One place Emme has gone in a big way is the Internet. She has a major presence online, at emmestyle.com, which includes detailed information about her myriad interests and appearances as well as a message board where people write in and discuss such topics as plus-size Web shopping, stomach stapling, and the inspiration Emme provides.

One recent thread debated Emme's actual dimensions. "My wife and I are arguing about Emme's size…

Can anyone help us settle the dispute?" an anonymous fan wrote in. "What are the correct dimensions of the fabulous Emme?"

"Excuse me if this sounds rude, but does it matter what size Emme is?" answered another anonymous post. "If she is fabulous—as you say she is (and I agree that she is fab), then why argue over what size she is? Would it make any difference in how gorgeous she is? Why are we all so fixated on numbers and sizes? Health and attitude are what matter."

For the record, Emme is 5'11", weighs 190 pounds, and considers herself "very well proportioned."

But the postings are much more serious as well.

"We get personal stories that break your heart," Emme said. "These are men and women from all different walks of life. It affects everybody when you don't feel good within your skin."

The site also features "Celebrating a Woman's Body," a 4 and 1/2-minute video of Emme on fashion shoots, sharing advice on dusters, silk, separates, and fabric testing. "You don't want to be batchy-matchy," she says at one point. "It's time to be creative with your dressing. It's time to have fun. It's time to let the real you burst out."

"We live in a world where girls prepare for their Sweet 16 with plastic surgery," said Andrew Giangola, a PR executive and longtime friend of mine who first introduced me to Emme at a party in his downtown apartment. "Have you been to South Beach recently? It's insane. As the father of an eight-year-old girl, my view is that Emme's message is right on. We need more female role models following her lead."

At a time when 62 percent of American women are a size 12 or above, there is a great need for a role model, something that Emme is not afraid to be.

But she's not just about larger women; last month she appeared on Entertainment Tonight with Melissa DeHart, a 58-pound anorexic fighting for her life. Emme helped convince DeHart, a former journalist, to see Dr. Ira Sacker, the coauthor of Dying to Be Thin: Understanding and Defeating Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia—a Practical, Lifesaving Gllide. DeHart is now undergoing treatment to get better.

Emme also serves as the chair ambassador of the National Eating Disorders Association and is a national ambassador for the Multiple Sclerosis Society.

"It's not a celebrity issue to get involved in charity; it's an individual issue. So it has nothing to do with me being a celebrity; it has everything to do with me being a human being," she said.

"The things that are really true to my heart, I've been affected by them," she added. "I've been affected by feeling bad about my body image. I've been affected by my father and my cousins being involved with MS unfortunately, and I feel that this is my own background, my own backyard. I need to act up in this and raise awareness, talk openly about it, glean information, and be able to get it back to the people who are trying to raise money for research."

On Dec. 8, she'll be at the Learning Annex, talking to people about enhancing their image, speaking about her own success, and offering advice, some of which will be drawn from her two books, True Beauty: Positive Attitudes and Practical Tips from the World's Leading Plus-Size Model (Perigee) and Life's Little Emergencies: Everyday Rescue for Beauty, Fashion, Relationships, and Life (St. Martin's Press). In the latter she proclaims, "It's time for some straight-from-the-heart girl talk."

"You're going to hear a bit of my own life's journey, so part of the class is going to be about the bumpy roads that we all go through but me specifically," she said. "I'm going to talk about important aspects as to why I do what I do and not just say. 'Yeah, this is what I do.’ I think it's very important to understand a person's journey. The second part of the class is going to be with a few experts who have helped me with my image."

That list includes hair-stylist to the stars Frank Friscioni; Kendall Farr, author of The Pocket Stylist ("Her book is the bomb" Emme told me); and makeup expert Louis Braun.

"It's going to be hands-on," Emrne said. "We’re just going to give very, very good constructive tips to help you maybe do a change in your wardrobe, or how you approach getting dressed, or how you put your best foot forward in interviews or going out on a date."

She’s been married to Phil Aronson, who is also her business partner, for more than a dozen years, and in August they had a baby girl, Toby Cole Aronson. Emme's sister Melanie is also a model. Emme’s mother, Sally Owens Entwistle, died of cancer when Emme was only 16.

"Motherhood is really, really awesome' Emme said.

And yet another role for this talented woman.

Visit emmestyle.com for more information. The National Eating Disorders Association can be contacted at NationaIEatingDisorders.org. 206-382-3587. Find out more about the Multiple Sclerosis Society at nmss.org. 800-344-4867.