Crystal Renn tried to be the kind of model everyone seemed to want: super-thin. But she quickly grew tired of obsessing about calories, feeling exhausted and suffering from the negative health effects of an overly restrictive diet.

Shes now a plus-size model whose memoir, Hungry, has just been released by Simon & Schuster. Associated Press fashion writer Samantha Critchell reported on Renn's transformation in an Aug. 27 article:

Her moment of epiphany came when "I couldn't walk another step without being exhausted, or having hair clumps falling out." She knew she needed to live in the body she was supposed to have  specifically a curvy size 12. ...

"I got to my lowest point, when I couldn't go lower, and it was either, `I'm going to die and not accomplish the dream,' or, `I can become a plus-size model and keep the dream,'" she said in an interview. "I am healthy now, the healthiest I've ever been in my life  both physically and mentally."

Renn doesnt blame the fashion industry for her eating disorder she told the AP -- not entirely, at least. But she does acknowledge that the "carbon-copy" images promoted by the industry have helped create a standard for beauty that is unattainable for most people.

Labels: fashion, modeling

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