Crystal Renn chats with TIME Magazine about body image

Filed under: Themes, The Skinny on Fat, Interviews

Six years ago, Crystal Renn was an unknown size-0 model who moved to New York from Clinton, Mississippi, to make it big. She struggled with her weight for years, however, and finally made the bold decision to switch to plus-size modeling. Now a healthy 165 pounds, she is the highest-paid plus-size model in the world, having graced the covers of American Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar and appeared in Dolce & Gabbana ads. The 23-year-old recently talked with TIME Magazine about her new book Hungry, her size-0 modeling days and walking the runway for Jean Paul Gaultier. Here are the highlights:

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How did you get into modeling?

One day a scout came up to me and said ‘Oh my gosh, you’re going to be the next supermodel.’ I didn’t even know what that meant. He pulled out a picture of Gisele and said, ‘This is who you can be.’ But he said I had to lose nine inches off my hips. That was the beginning.

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You got down to 95 pounds on your 5 ft. 9 in. frame. What was your typical day like when you were a size-0 model?

My day would involve waking up and steaming vegetables. Then I would go to 10 castings followed by a trip to the gym for three to four hours and sometimes even up to eight hours. I would eat lettuce and vegetables all day long, but I would think about food all of the time.

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When you look at a picture of yourself at that weight what do you see?

Another person. It was very clear that I hated my life. During that time I felt extremely detached from my body. I didn’t feel like me or feel anything at all. The only way to survive was through detachment. I would wake up sometimes feeling like I had the flu times 10 and I knew I would have to go to the gym for eight hours.

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What was it like to start eating again?

I remember having my epiphany moment and making the decision to eat again. It was pretty amazing. My first meal was what many would regard as very healthy: a salad with salmon, walnuts and olive oil. At the time, I feared that I would gain 100 pounds with one bite, and it didn’t happen and I felt super relieved. I knew I was on the right path.

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It took a lot of courage to write about this. How did the fashion industry react to your book?

Surprisingly, I’ve found the industry to be extremely supportive. When I first moved over to plus-size modeling and I had this new body, I worked with an editor who knew me when I had the eating disorder. She said, ‘What happened to you? You look so much better now!’ At that moment, I made a decision to tell the truth.

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What was it like to walk out on the runway and close the Paris show for Jean Paul Gaultier in 2005?

It was definitely a moment. I never felt so accepted in my life and I now know that change is possible after all in this industry.

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What do you hope other women will gain from this book?

It was only when I accepted myself that I managed to achieve [my goals] in life and work . . . Women struggle everywhere with their weight and their bodies and no one talks about it. I wanted to speak for the unspoken.

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Buy Crystal’s new book

Then…

Read Irked posts tagged “body image”

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