Italy names Miss Chubby

ITALY has chosen a full-figured woman as its latest beauty queen, proud of her ample body weighing in at a hefty 170kg to win the title of Miss Chubby.

Angela Scognamiglio said she was "very moved" when she was named Saturday night as the new Miss Chubby at the complex-free contest held in the Tuscany village of Forcoli, near the city of Pisa.

"I am very moved, I feel as if I've won the lottery," the 33-year-old from Naples said after beating out 30 other contestants for the title.

As in all past 20 editions of the pageant, there is only one condition for entering: contestants have to weigh more than 100kg.

Contestants paraded before an audience of 2500 at a local hotel on Saturday night, wearing gowns, or for those who cared to show more, undergarments. Some even dared a little striptease.

But the crucial moment in the contest was the weigh-in, stepping onto a huge red scale where everyone could see the result - with the roundest beauty clinching the title.

There was no big prize for the winner, just a huge cake to share around, and perhaps for all the contestants a boost in self-esteem.

"When we get on a bus, people nudge each other, and whisper, making fun of us, and it's the same on the beach," said redheaded Marilena Amato.

"We are the victims of severe discrimination, it's as if we are second class citizens," said another contestant, Antonia Bartolo, a 37-year-old nurse from the Milan region.

The contest's founder, Gianfranco Lazzereschi, said the event showcases other types of beauty in women.

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