As Camila tells us before diving into the ocean: “Beleza não se encaixa. Ela se expande.” (Beauty doesn't fit. It expands.)

The organization has partnered with a national fitness collective called Corpo Livre (Free Body), which promotes joyful movement over weight loss. This year’s winner receives not just a sash and a trip to the international finals in Miami, but a one-year subscription to therapy, nutrition coaching without restriction, and a mentorship with a fashion stylist who refuses to use the word “flattering.”

Follow our full coverage of Miss Big Brazil 13 with exclusive backstage galleries and a full interview with Camila dos Santos in next week’s print issue.

Her first official act as queen? A beach clean-up at Praia Vermelha, followed by a public samba lesson for women who have been told they “don’t have the body for carnival.”

The roar of a crowd in São Paulo’s theater district is usually reserved for rock stars or soccer finals. But last Saturday, the decibels belonged to fourteen women in glittering gowns and six-inch heels. This was the finale of —the country’s most prestigious plus-size pageant—and it refused to be just another beauty contest.

“They told me I was too big for television. Now I’m too big for their small screens. Watch me break this one too.”

“In Brazil, ‘saudável’ (healthy) has become code for ‘thin,’” Camila explains, stirring her coffee. “But my blood work is perfect. My knees are strong. My happiness? Off the charts. That is the lifestyle I want to sell.”

We meet the new Miss Big Brazil 13, Camila, on a sun-drenched balcony overlooking the Arpoador rock. She is barefoot, wearing a crochet bikini and zero makeup. The contrast is jarring—and exactly the point.