LAS VEGAS—This week at the annual AVN Awards at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, the AVN Awards presented the very first BBW Performer of the Year award to the most outstanding plus-size performer, and they handed the crown to legendary performer and cult classic muse April Flores.
Flores issued the following as her acceptance speech:
“I am extremely proud of this achievement! I want to thank AVN for the recognition of my hard work and dedication. I also want to thank my fans and supporters for always letting me know that my work is inspiring them to feel confident and sexy. My goal has always been to show other plus sized women, and the world, that women of size can be happy, confident and sexy in our curvy, plus sized bodies. I can see change happening, and AVN acknowledging BBW as a category is a major step forward. It was an honor to be included with all the nominees because we have all advanced the representation of plus-sized sexuality. Most importantly, this award is dedicated to my husband, best friend and mentor Carlos Batts. This is a very special way to start off, and set the tone for a better 2014.”
Carlos Batts, filmmaker, adult industry pioneer, and director of many of April’s most iconic films, passed away in October 2013. His image opened the AVN Awards ceremony in the In Memorium sequence. He is credited with bringing more art into the adult industry and creating forward-thinking porn featuring culturally diverse casts, starring performers of all sizes, and elevating his wife April Flores to muse icon status.
After making her hardcore porn debut with the legendary Belladonna as her costar in Evil Angel’s non-BBW release Evil Pink 2, Flores worked alongside all kinds of women for major studios like Vivid, Adam & Eve, and Zero Tolerance—studios that were once off-limits to plus size performers. She has also become an indie porn icon, winning multiple Feminist Porn Awards for her work with late husband Carlos Batts (Artcore, April Flores’ World, Voluptuous Biker Babes) and queer porn icon Courtney Trouble (Lesbian Curves HARD FEMME, Bordello, Fuckstyles)
Rob Perez wrote of April in AVN Magazine’s recent feature on the plus-size nominees: “BBW porn can be divided into “before April Flores and after April Flores.” Before April, BBW porn was an overlooked niche. Flores is one of the genre’s most influential stars ... From being the first BBW performer to have a toy molded after her to being the first, and to date only, BBW performer to appear on the cover of AVN Magazine, the half Mexican/Ecuadorian performer and muse of the late Carlos Batts is a living BBW legend.”
Her latest film release is TROUBLEfilms DVD Hard Femme: Lesbian Curves 2 directed by Courtney Trouble, who is also her co-star in the scene.
“April is the most fantastic person you could ever hope to have on a set,” said Trouble, who has been working with Flores since 2009 and was also a nominee for the Performer of the Year category. “She’s creative, insightful, collaborative, inventive, and utterly gorgeous. She’s a total angel in the flesh with the business mind and gumption to pave new paths for herself and the women beside her. She is an absolute role model, the perfect adult star.”
