Model Crystal Renn Gets Real About the Fashion Industry, Weight Pressures, and the Success that Came with Body Acceptance

For years, Crystal Renn was told that modeling success would come if she could manage to make herself thinner. Of course that has long been the party line of the fashion industry--lose the curves if you want to make any gains as a model. But, like most women who starve themselves to fit others' expectations, Renn discovered that her attempts to slim down were making her miserable and insecure. She gave up the quest for thinness, learned how to trust her own appetite again, and went on to become one of the world's most sought-after plus-size models.

Renn's story is detailed in her new memoir, Hungry. She is interviewed by Salon's Kate Harding this week:

Since I was 14 years old, I had a dream: I want to be in Vogue. I want to travel the world doing editorials, and working in high fashion. That is why I starved myself. That is why I almost lost my life. Because I wanted it that bad.

So when my body wouldn't allow me to do that, I decided I'd rather not lose my life, and I would like to continue my dream. I thought, you know what? I'm gonna keep the dream, different path. I didn't lose hope, I didn't lose confidence, I just said let's channel it differently. I think that's why I've accomplished the things I have, even at this size, because I never gave up.

What's especially inspiring about Renn's experience is that she found happiness and success by letting go of her obsession with weight. Whether you are in the fashion industry or not, that is a lesson every woman can learn from. It's hard to fight the pervasive message that there is a magic number on the scale that is the key to our confidence. But when we take the focus away from weight, it's amazing how much easier it is to find health and fulfillment in all aspects of our lives.

"Dying to be the next Gisele" [Salon]

Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat? Reviewed in Publishers Weekly

Just about three weeks until the release of Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat? We were pretty excited to read this review in Publishers Weekly. A few highlights:

"[T]he authors do a great service in bringing to light a fear that women may believe they suffer with alone...The concepts and solidarity offered here should prove valuable for millions of American women."

Thanks again to all of YOU for your continued support of this project. We can't wait to see our "baby" out into the world!

Sign the Healthy Beauty Pledge for Mothers and Mothers-to-be

We are starting a healthy beauty revolution. Join us! This pledge appears in our book, Does This Pregnancy Make Me Look Fat? The Essential Guide to Loving Your Body Before and After Baby (HCI Books), in stores this October.

Read it, sign it by leaving a comment with your commitment, and pass it on!



The Healthy Beauty Pledge for Mothers and Mothers-to-Be

I promise to . . .

Acknowledge that there is no such thing as the “perfect” body—or the “perfect” mommy.

Never define my self-worth according to the number on the scale or the size of my clothes.

Make decisions that are right for me. They don’t have to be right for everyone else.

Ask for help when I need it. I’ll make a phone call, write an e-mail, or send a text—whatever it takes to reach out for support.

Take care of myself and take time for myself, even if some days I can only manage one-minute increments.

Separate the retouched, made-up beauty fantasies in the media from what matters most to me in reality.

Work on developing a relationship with food that is about health, nourishment, and enjoyment, not deprivation, indulging, and punishment.

Stop all body-bashing talk with my friends, my colleagues, my partner, my family, and myself.

Give up the mission to get my “prebaby body” back and start focusing my energy on moving forward in my new life.

Remember that, one person at a time, healthy beauty is a revolution—for ourselves and for our children.

Signed,

Can "Drop Dead Diva" Move Beyond Fat Jokes and Stereotypes?

In the opening scene of Lifetime’s Drop Dead Diva, Deb (the skinny, shallow character) primps in front of the mirror while her boyfriend dutifully prepares her usual breakfast of a grapefruit sprinkled with two packets of Splenda. The camera closes in on the grapefruit and suddenly we’re inside the refrigerator at a law office, where Jane (the plus-sized, smart character) reaches for a plate of pastries. She stuffs them in her mouth and closes her eyes in ecstasy. This is all a setup for what happens next: size zero Deb is killed when she crashes her car into a grapefruit truck (oh, the irony!) and the Price is Right prize model-wannabe ends up inhabiting Jane’s Lane Bryant body.

I have no doubt that the show’s stars, Brooke Elliott and Margaret Cho, are serious about raising awareness about body image issues. Cho has been open about her own past struggles with weight and eating disorders. “I was very obsessive as a dieter and I thought being thin was the answer to all of my problems and so I wrecked my health in order to become thin," she recently told Ok! magazine. Both actors also talked passionately about their personal connections to Drop Dead Diva last week at a blogger meet and greet, respectfully taking on the criticisms that the show plays into stereotypes.

“This is a journey from being invisible to being visible. When [my first series] All-American Girl came out, it was hard to get the Asian American community to accept it," Cho said. "They couldn’t believe they were seeing themselves, and they couldn’t believe it could be positive.” I get what she’s saying, but how does a plus-sized main character create positive visibility when she’s leaning back in her chair so her assistant (played by Cho) can squirt canned cheese into her mouth? That’s a tough one to swallow.

I came away from the premiere with the message that Jane's size is connected to her emotional overeating. Oh, and now she happens to have the soul of a skinny woman living inside her. As Kim from Big Fat Blog pointed out, isn’t that trope pretty much the party line of the diet industry? Everyone has the power to be thin! “The show is about self-acceptance,” Elliott responded. “I happen to love my body. There’s me inside of me, a me who knows I’m beautiful.” Unfortunately, Elliott isn’t playing herself—she’s playing Jane, an unfulfilled workaholic who takes comfort in doughnuts.

I am curious to see how Deb and Jane will find self-acceptance. Their food issues (Deb’s restricting and Jane’s bingeing) were put right on the table in first episode, so how will they be addressed throughout the series? Will we get to see a plus-sized character who is confident and healthy? Truthfully, I want to believe that the stars’ good intentions will eventually translate into a good show.

Drop Dead Diva Mother-Daughter Discussion Guide
Margaret Cho suggested that Drop Dead Diva is a good show for mothers and daughters to watch together. Here are a five discussion questions to get your conversations started. Feel free to submit your own questions in the comments section.

1. What messages did you get about thin people from this episode?
2. What messages did you get about fat people from this episode?
3. Does Deb feel good about her body? Does she eat in a healthy way? Talk about examples from the episode.
4. Does Jane feel good about her body? Does she eat in a healthy? Talk about examples from the episode.
5. How did you relate to the characters in this show?

Drop Dead Diva airs Sunday nights at 9 p.m. on Lifetime

Contest Winner: "You'd Be So Pretty If..."

Thanks to all who entered to win a copy of You'd Be So Pretty If...Teaching Our Daughters to Love Their Bodies--Even When We Don't Love Our Own. The winner is...Tiffany Naranjo! Email us your mailing address and we'll send you the book.

More contests coming up soon!

Same Old, Same Old. The Fashion Industry's "Size Zero" Blame Game

The fashion industry is not clueless about the fact that there is a demand for disturbingly thinner and thinner and models. The issue has been the subject of countless news articles and it's been debated to death in industry forums (three of which we've attended). The problem is that everyone seems to think someone else is at fault.

This seemingly endless blame game is now playing out on an international stage, after British Vogue editor-in-chief Alexandra Shulman sent a letter to several major fashion houses--including Karl Lagerfeld, John Galliano, Prada and Versace--complaining that their sample sizes were so itty-bitty that editors must use girls with "jutting hipbones" and "no breasts or hips." Designers, however, tell a different story.

"When I go through the agency books, the sizes of the girls are pretty consistent. The girls who work the most are of a consistent size - the same height, shape. When we make samples, we make samples to fit that consistent model size," said designer Kinder Aggugini. "The size zero is a trend that's gone on too long, but it's a vicious cycle," he added.

A vicious cycle, indeed. The agencies are "forced" to sign super-skinny models because they are the only ones who book jobs. The editors are "forced" to hire said super-skinny models because they are the only ones who will be able to squeeze into the samples. And the designers are "forced" to make those tiny samples because the only models available are super-skinny! Got that?

Sarah Shotton, head designer for Agent Provocateur, sais she wants to work with bigger models, but the agencies send "girls so thin we have to ask them to leave."

"I actually think it has got worse since they started talking about skinny models a few years ago," Shotton added.

And that right there is the heart of the matter. We can talk about skinny models forever, but nothing will change until players at all points in this vicious cycle start taking some action.


"Fashion houses hit back in row over who's to blame for 'size zero' models" [Guardian]

Related:
"CFDA Health Initiative Discussion: 'We've Been Drinking the Kool-Aid'"
"Anna Wintour Says Models Today Are Pale, Thin and Joyless"
"Designer Bradley Bayou Pushes for Changes After His Own Daughter Suffers From Bulimia"

image: Photobucket

Win It! You'd Be So Pretty If...Teaching Our Daughters to Love Their Bodies--Even When We Don't Love Our Own

As a writer for Shape, Dara Chadwick documented her weight loss journey in a regular column for the magazine. She also began to notice how her focus on weight was affecting her then 11-year-old daughter. Chadwick took those observations and turned them into a body image guide that is a must-read for every mom.

You'd Be So Pretty If... includes her personal story along with her helpful tips on how to pass along healthy attitudes to your daughters. We're giving away a copy to one lucky reader! Here's how to enter. You can earn a total of four entries:

+1 entry: Follow us on Twitter
+1 entry: Join our Facebook group
+2 entries: Post a link to this contest on your blog, Twitter, Facebook, or elsewhere on the interwebs.

To be eligible, leave a comment here and tell us what you did. This contest is open to U.S. residents only. The winner will be announced on June 25th. Good luck!