Mother: Claudia (56)
Daughter: Gabriella (26)
Bethel, Connecticut
"Plus Sized Mama’s”
Claudia and Gabriella have full-figures and even fuller hearts. They’re inseparably close, so much so, that they share nearly every aspect of their lives together. Not only do they live in the same neighborhood, they also work together! From starting every morning picking mom’s outfit, to working desk-to-desk, to finishing the evening with family dinner, Claudia and Gabriella do LIFE together. No subject is off the table, whether it’s ex-boyfriends, sex-positions, sex-toys, body issues, female issues; if it’s part of their lives…they’re sharing it. Matching tattoos, matching dogs, and a matching love of life, this unforgettable mom and daughter will make you smile and win your heart!
Claudia had always dreamed of having a daughter. So, when Gabriella was a baby, Claudia entered Gabriella into beauty pageants and loved showing off her picture-perfect daughter. A self-admitted “helicopter mom” Claudia was involved in every aspect her daughter’s life growing up…and she continues to do so! Gabriella is the center of Claudia's world – and vice-versa!
Claudia lives with her husband Ed three streets away from Gabriella, who lives with her brother, Eddie. Dad (Ed) finds it hard to get alone time with his wife because she’s always with Gabriella. He gets frustrated that Claudia spends the majority of the day with her daughter and if they aren't together, Gabriella and Claudia are busy texting and FaceTiming each other.
Additionally, it's convenient that Gabriella's roommate is her brother, Eddie, so Claudia spends a lot of time at their house enjoying time with both her kids. Though Claudia and Gabriella live a few streets away from each other, Claudia is rarely home and it drives Ed crazy! Son, Eddie, feels that Gabriella is the unspoken favorite sibling. He’s witnessed a lifetime of his mom doting on Gabriella and it’s getting old. Not to mention it’s frustrating for Eddie to be a grown man and have his mom and sister so intimately involved in his life. Luckily Ed and Eddie are a very close father and son, so they can always commiserate.
Claudia is the director of a local teen center and Gabriella serves as her assistant, so their sMothering carries over into their work lives. Everyone is shocked to learn that they’re mother and daughter and question how professional their dynamic really is. Although they are enjoying working together, Gabriella has dreams of working as a plus sized model and if they opportunity presented itself, she’d do that full time and leave her mom at the office.
Gabriella got out of a 5-year relationship last year. Gabriella admits that she is a terrible judge of character and tends to choose men who are needy, co-dependent and, “takers.” Therefore, she is handing the reigns of her dating life over to the only person in the world who knows her better than she knows herself: mom. Because of her overprotective and inquisitive nature, mom, is more than happy to pre-vet potential suitors to see if anyone is good enough for her princess.
Potential Storylines:
Mr. (Swipe) Right
Gabriella is on a mission to find "The One." However, after multiple bad relationships, she doesn’t trust herself to pick out a good man. So, she is putting mom in charge. Claudia will have access to all of Gabriella’s apps, will pre-vet every man before Gabriella goes on a date with him, and may even “pop in” on the first date to make sure the guy is up to snuff. Will anyone be good enough for Claudia? What happens if Gabriella and Claudia’s taste in Mr. Right isn’t the same? Should this be one area of her life where Gabriella shouldn’t have her mom involved?
What about Eddie?
Eddie has grown up his entire life knowing how close his mother and sister are, and assuming that Claudia loves Gabriella more. That is fine, and he has come to terms with that. What he hasn’t come to terms with is being an adult man that hangs out with his mother every day. Eddie is starting to get a little sick and tired of coming home every night to his mom and sister on the couch. He constantly is worried about bringing friends over or especially bringing a girl home in fear that his mom could walk in at any moment. He is ready to lay down an ultimatum, either mom needs to stop coming over… or Gabriella is going to need to move out (probably back in with their parents). Will Gabriella tell mom to stop coming over and just start going to her house more? Will she move out? How will this ultimatum affect the entire family dynamic?
Model Behavior
Gabriella is passionate about being healthy at any size and loves to show off her make-up and fashion. She aspires to be a plus-size model and wants to get serious about pursuing a career in modeling. Claudia is of course overly supportive of her daughter's burgeoning career and is enthusiastic about being her, "mom-ager." Risqué photoshoots, meetings with agents, local fashion shows… these two are willing to do whatever it takes to make this dream for Gabriella come true. However, because of her size it’s going to be a tough road, and neither woman deals with rejection well. Will Gabriella be an overnight success or will the path to success be a bumpy ride for the duo?
Slim Down
Claudia has lost an impressive 110 pounds over the past 3 years! Claudia really wants to finish up her weight-loss journey and lose an additional 35 pounds. Though Gabrielle claims that she is happy with her body and doesn't intend to lose weight, there are still a lot of issues and emotions attached to dieting and gyms. She wants to help her mom achieve her goal and work together to get Claudia into her "skinny jeans," but she knows that this won’t be an easy journey for either of them.
(Sex) Toy Story
Claudia and Gabriella love to talk about sex. They are both comfortable in their sexuality and love to learn about new sex tricks to keep things spicy in the bedroom. They love to shop for sex toys online, but haven't ever been to a sex toy shop together. In an effort to keep things fresh in the bedroom, the duo wants to attend a sex workshop where they can learn new techniques, check out some new toys, and overall just broaden their horizons.
Mom Jeans
Claudia has been used to raiding Gabriella's closet for years. However, since her weight loss journey has been so successful, the size difference between Claudia and Gabriella has made it hard for them to share clothes. Gabriella wants her mom to be more body positive and thinks her mom needs a makeover so she can dress for her new body and own her new look.
Inked Together
Gabriella and Claudia got tattoos together symbolizing their bond. They want to get another tattoo together to celebrate their relationship. The duo is leaning towards getting matching wildflower tattoos.
Rituals:
Glam Squad – Gabriella picks out her mom’s clothing every day. Claudia arrives at Gabriella's house every day at 5am so her daughter can blow-dry and style her hair and apply a full face of "glam" makeup. Claudia is inept when it comes to clothing and styling, and Claudia won’t let her leave the house unless she looks great. Gabriella even shops for all of her mom’s clothes at the mall.
Swipe Away – Both women are getting really serious about finding Gabriella a man. So serious in fact that every night they have made it a rule that they have to swipe right/reply/reach out to 8 guys before they can go to bed. Easy enough for most people, but with as hard as Claudia is on all guys that might date her daughter this proves to be a real psychological minefield for the pair, sometimes ending in tears.
Sleepover – Even though they only live 3 blocks apart, after a night of wine and hanging out neither of them ever wants to make the trek back home. So, multiple nights a week Claudia will spend the night at Gabriella’s (and Eddie’s) place, sleeping the same bed as her daughter. It works out though since they are just going to be driving to work together in the morning anyways.
Grooming – Claudia and Gabriella are each other’s "moral support" when they get Brazilian waxes together and Gabriella is so excited that she finally convinced her mom to get lip injections together soon! They also make sure to visit the spa at least once a month. However, this isn’t Burke Williams, this is an all-nude spa in Queens where the pair get facials, scrubs, and let it all hang out!
Family Dinner – Claudia and Gabriella have dinner together almost every night, but they love to host their entire family for "Sunday Night Dinner" at Claudia’s house. Food is a "love language" in this big, Italian family so when they all get together for dinner it is always an event full of tons of food, games, booze, and usually some drama.