Stephan Wilhelmy’s disturbing allegations about the community celebrating plus-size women will be featured in Investigative Discovery’s docuseries Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise, and Us Weekly has an exclusive first look at the home of the “Pearadise” community and its dynamics.
The clip begins with Wilhelmy describing himself as a “normal guy.” But one thing that sets him apart is his role as the founder of Pearadise, an online and real-life plus-size community that claims to celebrate body positivity. Many of the members uprooted their lives to live with Wilhelmy and others in the community in a spacious house in Las Vegas.
“My ideal type has always been tall and big,” Wilhelmy said in the video. “She’ll be over 6 feet tall, and definitely over 500.”
“Part of[his]mission at Piaragis is to teach people that it’s completely normal and completely acceptable to be attracted to plus-size women,” Wilhelmy said in a video showing women spending time in a luxurious mansion.
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Viewers continued to get glimpses of the home as the women were shown in the large backyard and kitchen, but Wilhelmy was also seen standing on the balcony looking at the women as they lay on the ground, asking: “Are you ready for the swimsuit check?”
Wilhelmy then instructed the women where to stand during the “swimsuit check,” and the women seemed happy to oblige, walking around to show off their curves in their swimsuits.
“Pia Rajis is a place that embraces and loves plus-size people to visit,” he says in voiceover while filming a video of women striding around his backyard.
Wilhelmy claims to have created a safe space for the women, but he has been accused of illegal practices including manipulation, coercion and exploitative dynamics.
In a trailer for the documentary series, the women claimed that their experiences at Peerage were made worse by Wilhelmy, who fetishized them and pressured them to gain weight.
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“He’s selling a fantasy. You’re going to be loved here and worshiped like a goddess, but they don’t tell you the price you pay,” one woman says in the trailer, while another adds: “It’s not like that at all, and he says, ‘This is just a body-positive space and I love fat women, and it’s completely innocent.'”
Several women previously accused Wilhelmy of manipulation, victimization, coercion, and sexual assault as members of the community.
He sued four of the women for defamation and related allegations after they shared their allegations on social media. However, the court sided with the women, dismissing all of Wilhelmy’s and Piaradi’s claims and ordering them to pay their attorneys’ fees, according to the Randazza Legal Society website.
Viewers can learn more about the allegations made against Piaragis and Wilhelmy when Big Girls Wanted: Escape Piaragis premieres on Wednesday, June 10 at 8pm on ID. The three-part series will also be available to stream on HBO Max.
