By Ismael AbduSalaam
Grammy winning rapper/singer and Oscar-nominated actress Queen Latifah has confirmed that she will retain her position in 2009 as spokeswoman for Jenny Craig.
Latifah, real name Dana Owens, began her duties for the company just last year. The long-running weight loss chain has been very pleased with Latifah’s embodiment of their ideals.
In 2008, the pioneer female emcee reached a personal weight loss goal by losing 20 pounds.
"We are proud of Queen Latifah's achievements and are excited to continue the relationship," stated Scott Parker, vice president of marketing for Jenny Craig, to AllHipHop.com. "Queen Latifah embodies the healthy lifestyle principles and character that Jenny Craig stands for and we look forward to another great year."
Even with the weight loss, Latifah reiterated that her goal is not be “skinny,” but to maintain a suitable weight for health improvement, and inspire fellow plus size women to do the same.
"They see that I'm doing this for the health reasons but also say, 'She's still representing for the big girls. She hasn't abandoned us!'" Latifah explained to People. "This is me doing something for me, but if I am going to be a role model, I hope people can catch on."
In addition to her Jenny Craig position, Latifah is also a celebrity spokeswoman for CoverGirl cosmetics.
The partnership has spawned Latifah’s own line aimed at women of color named The CoverGirl Queen Collection.
The Queen is currently working on her Hip-Hop comeback LP, entitled The L Word.
So far she has collaborated with Dr. Dre, Ludacris, and LL Cool J.
Latifah’s last album was the 2007 well-received Trav’lin’ Light, a collection of jazz standards.
Tomorrow (January 7), Queen Latifah will host the 2009 People’s Choice Awards, which airs live from the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles from 8-pm Pacific time.