It’s been almost a year now since I read Hungry by Crystal Renn (and wrote a blog post about it here which has my favourite quote from the book) and identified with it despite not being a model, plus size or otherwise, or suffering with Anorexia.
I’ve been keeping an eye on Crystal Renn’s weight loss, more out of a concern than anything. I’m not so focused on plus size women anymore, although they are beautiful, don’t get me wrong – I can now see the beauty in any body size and shape. Plus size, skinny, curvy, muscular, sporty, toned, you name it, whatever your body size or shape, its gorgeous. So I want to celebrate diversity.
As well as loving Crystal Renn’s body, especially in this picture, I love her attitude. Going from Anorexic to a healthy BMI is an incredible achievement, but getting to be a bigger size and loving her body enough to show it to the world is incomprehensible to me. This woman is brave. And so whilst I look at her body and appreciate it and want it for myself, I also look at her struggles and I can relate. To the obsession about food and weight, to being plus sized.
Do you have an opinion about Crystal Renn? How do you think she looks in this picture?
Hayley Emma
Is she really “bigger” now? I don’t think so from looking at the photo. But I have no idea of her background or story. I just don’t think she’s surpassed “healthy BMI” to bigger which is what you said?
Oh sorry! I assumed everyone knows as much about her as I do when i am a tad obsessed haha. She lost weight to become a model and became Anorexic (See here), and then she started eating normally and gained weight and was a successful plus size model at around this size and then after writing Hungry she lost weight and is now like this.
I think she’s still classed as plus size but i’m not sure anymore. Hope that’s cleared it up a bit
xx
Oh right haha. Normally I would have googled but was on my phone before class – how interesting. And good on her!
She is beautiful. That girl in that photo is utterly beautiful. I hope she doesn’t lose much more weight and end up too skinny again. I’m sad that she’s been through so much and encountered so much pressure to change her body. I hope she’s on the way to letting her body be the size it’s meant to be at when she’s eating healthily and feeling healthy now. I’m putting Hungry on hold at the library!
xxx
I don’t really have any feelings about her yet, because I know very little about her. I have vague recollections of reading that she’s been shunned by the plus size industry since losing weight – that they have even said she’s a ‘traitor’ to the cause and for me that’s a big WTF. Plus sized CAN be healthy – but obviously it wasn’t healthy for her, if her weight loss is now reflective of less disordered behaviours, it sounded to me like she’s gone from one disorder to another (anorexia to bulimia or binge eating maybe) and is now finally putting things to rest.. I hope so. It’s also really sad that people put so much pressure on others to be a certain weight and judge others by their size, expecting them to maintain a certain size even when it is killing them to do so.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention!
I also thought just now of Sophie Dahl, another model whose weight has fluctuated through the scary skinny and the plus sized spectrum, would be interested in what you think about her
I think you’ll enjoy ‘Hungry’, she makes some excellent points about body image and societies views on plus sized people and the fashion industry. She said she lost weight through picking up exercise again, as she used to over-exercise and felt she wasn’t able to exercise recreationally.
Hmm, Sophie Dahl, i was quite shocked to see her so thin, but because she’s so tall even when she was plus size she didn’t really look like the size 16 (UK) that she was. I hope she’s found a weight she’s happy and healthy with
xxxx
Crystal Renn is groegous. Christina Hendricks is still my favourite though (she’s an actress not a model, but still, so so gorgeous). I just wish I a) had a body like that and b) could feel comfortable and sexy in any body.
Question for you,not sure if it as answered elsewhere and I’m a plank but yes, how do you feel about skinny people or ED’d people on the AN/BN/EDNOS weight loss end of the scale saying they find curvy people really gorgeous and sexy? I know I regularly get dirty looks or people not believing me when I say I find people like Christina Hendricks gorgeous and sexy, because I’m thinner and because I’m ED’d and want to lose weight/hate my own body and think I’m fat.
Sorry if this is a bit serious for this post. Just, I wanted an opinion from a plus size advocate (one who wasn’t totally OTT and about to attack me for being skinny… idk how I always find the extreme bits of the internet elsewhere, but I do!)
Christina Hendricks is gorgeous, totally agree, and she owns her body! I’m sure i’ll do a post on her someday
I’m pleased to say it’s never bothered me that underweight, disordered people find curvy attractive. I don’t think i’ve talked about this anywhere else and i’m really glad you asked
Although i hate my own body, i would never be so nasty to anyone else’s body – i see skinny women who are beautiful and i see curvy women who are beautiful, i think the main turn offs for me is when someone is obviously unhealthy, be it too thin or too big.
Even then, size is not necessarily an indicator of health, and if someone loves their body then i have real respect for that person. I think of it like – just because i’m overweight doesn’t mean i should find curvy the only beautiful body type, and if you’re underweight it doesn’t mean you should only find skinny beautiful. – I hope that answers your question.
It’s funny, i read this comment last week and knew exactly where you’d been to get the OTT reaction! Trust me, you do not want to stick around there haha, a lot of people have been burnt over at that site just for being Anorexic or having different opinions, you’re not alone! Ask any question any time, i’ll do my best to answer it
Thanks for your insightful comment, sorry it took so long to reply xx
I had no idea she had lost that weight!
Yes, it may be concerning due to her past….but what I come away with most is that….sigh…
Her “confidence” in her plus size body was feigned. Like deep down, she was not happy. And maybe now she is?
I often feel that way around people who – in recovery – start a rampant crusade of “Skinny is ugly” and “REAL women are this and not that…etc.” in extreme.
That —maybe it’s an attitude one has to adopt?
Because frankly…if it would work for me I’d do it! …but my issues are visceral and not visual — more about comfort than appearance. How I feel from the inside out. So– not gonna work. I’d give anything to be fat and just be able to sit comfortable in my skin.
Just some thoughts….
Some interesting thoughts as always Missy Miller
I agree, i think maybe she embraced her plus size figure because everyone else was embracing it, rather than feeling actually comfortable with it. Still, in Hungry she makes some excellent points about weight and body image.
I know what you mean – even if my body type was the ideal i still wouldn’t want to stay this weight because i’m just not comfortable with it. Here’s to hoping we find that comfort one day
xx