Picture from bathing suit spread in Glamour MagazineCrystal Renn, whose story of going from normal teen to anorexic supermodel and then to number one plus-sized model in the world is an inspiration on so many levels. By all accounts (I haven’t read it yet but really want to!), her book Hungry is a well-written and honest look at how the modeling and fashion industries use and abuse women and how she reclaimed her sanity along with her career. She certainly deserves all the praise and success she is being showered with.
And yet. Every time I see a picture of this drop-dead gorgeous woman I think to myself, “This is ‘plus sized’? Really??” According to her profile with her modeling agency she is 5’9″ and a U.S. size 8. I understand that the modeling world operates in a different universe than the rest of us but I thought that the term “plus-sized” had a very specific definition: any size over a U.S. 14 (although some lines start at a U.S. 16).
In addition, her stats – not that that is a good measure of a woman but is useful when discussing her inclusion in a group known for being a specific size – are a curvaceous 39-32-43. While it is well known that having a super-skinny catwalk-model shape is quite rare – about 5% of the population naturally have this body type – it is equally as rare to have proportions akin to Renn’s. What I’m saying is that the Marilyn Monroes and Kim Kardashians of the world, with their tiny waists and large hips and busts, are as unlike “real” or “average” women as their Agyness Deyn or Audrey Hepburn counterparts.
I’m thrilled that Renn is getting high-profile work. But the question must be asked: Does it serve us any better to replace one unrealistic standard with another? Or is providing an aspirational yet unattainable ideal simply the role that we want fashion to play? If it is the latter, then we’d better stop whining about the skinny models too.
What do you think – is Renn a progressive step in the right direction of promoting beauty in different shapes and sizes? Or is it just one more beautiful face and body packaged in a pretty, albeit, different box? Lastly, do you look at Renn and honestly think “plus-sized”??
I don't see plus-sized. I see "real" and beautiful!
Um, 43 inch hips are not a size eight– that's more like a 10 or 12. At 32 inches in her waist she also also creeping toward a high risk of a number of diseases. What makes her able to model is she is extremely proportionate. If she carried all of her weight in her hips or her waist you might think differently. That said, she is very beautiful and I agree that she is not "plus sized" and that clothes should be modeled on people larger than toothpicks. (The modeling industry is weird though– "petite" models are taller than what actually fits in petite clothing– usually around 5'5 or 5'6. Makes no sense!)
she kinda reminds me of botticelli's birth of venus.
Sorry, that is NOT plus-sized! And while a 32" waist may not be ideal, it's still within a healthy range.
Yes, the fashion industry is bizarre, to put it mildly. And, yes, I'd like to see more "normal"-looking women in fashion. I want to know how a garment will look on ME, not on a 20 year-old who looks like a toothpick OR Marylin Monroe.
I realize fashion is an industry based on fantasy, but the REALITY of it is terrifying: too many young girls look at models not as fantasy, but as how they "should" look.
The only way we will regain our sanity is to come to our collective senses and realize we are all different, we all look different, and if we all looked like fashion models, the world would be a boring place, indeed!
Wow. As soon as I saw this picture I thought of "The Birth of Venus" a painting by Sandro Botticelli. She is beautiful in the way that reminds me of the paintings and sculptures of Ancient Greece and Rome. (Sorry my inner art nerd is coming out.)
I think she looks normal sized and beautiful and I agree with Sabrina… those numbers doesn't quite add up.
I think that it is progressive to show women of all shapes and sizes. That does reflect our society after all.
She does not look "plus sized" to me and her abs are flat as a pancake=geez!
She is beautiful and I'd be interested in reading her book.
D
If THAT is plus-size, then sign me up!!!
She is absolutely gorgeous and not at all "plus-size" in my opinion. The modeling industry operates in some crazy parallel universe. I am actually plus-size, and I would love to look like her.
Plus sized or not, she is drop dead gorgeous!
I roll my eyes at her.
She's so freakin beautiful and lovely and not plus sized.
Yet, if youd polled my clients when I had my training studio it was the plus sized (their identification) who would have NOT WANTED to see the clothes on someone who wholly resembled their shape.
They would often tell me that they wanted to see the clothes modeled on their goal shape.
I never understood that…
Plus sized? Please!
It's like those movies and tv shows where they decide to portray a woman as "unattractive" by taking a gorgeous woman and putting a pair of glasses on her. The industry (and, apparently female consumers) likes the "idea" of diversity, but when push comes to shove, they want to see glamorous models, not real people.
I would personally love to see more "real" women in media, but it seems to be taking longer than I thought for hell to freeze over.
She is NOT plus-sized! I think it's a regressive step to categorize her this way. If that is the industry's definition of plus-size then real plus-size women must be disgustingly obese in their eyes–no shocker there. She's stunningly beautiful and there's nothing average about her body shape.
She's not plus-sized but she IS a plus-size model, especially when you compare her to other models out there.
Models are not and should not be considered the ideal for any women.
That said, I would love to have her shape. Whether she's a size 8 or a size 10/12, her shape is gorgeous.
Maybe that’s why I think plus size when I see her: because when u normally see pictures like that it’s of super skinny women or touched up photos. But she is no size 8. I’m a size 8 and I’m 38-30-38. Maybe up top she is a size 8 but not in jeans. I think the intent is good with all the publicity. Honestly I think it’s a big big step. Because if they are willing to show another body type then hopefully more body types will be expressed in modeling. Sticks, curves, boxy, pear, apple. There are plenty of stick sized women out there who feel hated when they can’t gain a pound to save their lives. We are all beautiful and no one should have any issues with anyone, despite our own insecurities
I'm with Gemfit. She's plus sized for a model. And, a lot of plus sized fashion models are similarily smaller. And, all genetically gifted still.
That being said, I'd love to look like her as a plus size! My plus is a little more plus than hers.
Um, my waist is about 3 inches smaller than hers. And I'm a size 2-4. (My waist thickened slightly when I went on the pill, and when I started working my obliques.)
She's beautiful.
She gorgeous, definitely not plus-sized, and it makes me sad that they classify her as such. Her body weight probably falls right into the norm for her height. Why does the fashion industry have to be so crazy?
It's great that she's getting a lot of attention, but I feel like it's still a step backwards because they're calling her plus-size.
Definitely not plus sized. She is beautiful but once again the media/fashion industry is crazy. If she is a size 8, how is that plus size for real women?
yeah I see her as plus sized. Bt still beautiful. And with those measurements there is not way in hell she's an 8 (maybe a "vanity size 8" but not a real size 8).
I love that she's getting more work. I am a small person, but have many insecurities and seeing varying body types makes me feel better about myself. Also seeing more body types showcases the beauty that is the female body, big, small, muscular/athletic, or whatever. I hope we seem more like Renn and it starts a trend towards more diversity in the model we see on magazine pages.
I don't see plus sized, I see someone who looks like me! And that's a really encouraging thing for someone who grew up hating her hips and wishing for the supermodel figure my best friend had.
Plus sized or not, I think featuring women of different shapes and sizes in national mags is a step in the right direction. But why stop with someone who has a beautiful hourglass figure? Why not make the mags even more diverse and show the beauty of multiple body types? We all need affirmation that we are beautiful (some of us more than others) and seeing someone shaped like us getting spotlight recognition is a nice way to get said affirmation.
If she is plus-sized, sign me up! I'd love to be as "big" as she is (significantly smaller than my current size). She's gorgeous!
It does annoy me to know that a size 8 is modeling the clothes in my Lane Bryant flyers. I'd thought their clothing started at a 14/16 so there's clearly A LOT of pinning and tucking going on. It would be great to see an actual 14/16 model wearing a 14/16 top and showing me exactly how it will look.
Well, to *me* she looks totally realistic – seeing as my stats are 38-29-41! (I'm a bit shorter than her.) I do hope she's not considered plus-size, because that means I'd have to view myself as plus-size. (But no, she – and I – are sadly not size 8! Not with these hips. 10 to 14 depending on the cut.) I am fit and strong and I'm glad most people on here see her as beautiful… unfortunately, in real life, like me, she's probably considered "fat" by some.
Based on those stats, she is a size smaller than me and I don't wear plus sizes. She wears a size 8 – how is that plus sized?
More power to her, I wish her every success…But how can you be a plus sized model if you don't actually wear plus sizes?
I've always been a fan of plus-size models! There's a great site with many images of Crystal and other plus-size models here:
http://www.judgmentofparis.com/
They're all gorgeous.
The site's forum also has thought-provoking discussions about body image and the media.
Yes, she is "plus sized" for the modeling world but to me, that is not even close to a realistic world! I always wonder beyond the models, who is wearing that stuff they model on the catwalk.
But to me as a person, no, she does not look plus at all & she is beautiful. I wonder if there is any airbrushing going on as well.
I sure wish the is craziness would stop but I doubt it will in my lifetime.
I think she's gorgeous. I'd love to have her body! Using "numbers" alone to define health or beauty is sad. This woman's 32 inch waist is fine for her height and build–I don't see too much belly fat on her! For someone of a petite build under 5'4", yes 32 inches is probably on the unhealthy side–but obviously, not this model.
It's for this reason that I am often discouraged when it comes to living healthy and losing weight. I am quite large, and have to exercise and cut back on calories quite severely to reach a "somewhat overweight" size is very difficult and time consuming, and even when I slim down to a size 10/12, I'm still considered "fat." Seems like there's not point. Might as well be fat and eat my cake rather than "fat" and eat veggies.
She is beautiful and healthy looking. I wouldn't call her plus at all, but it's nice to see a normal healthy looking woman as a model. We need that more…
In comparison to mainstream conventional models she is a plus size. In the real world she is about the same as my BFF and they're both gorgeous and don't have to shop for "plus size" clothing.
Plus size? Gawd…that means I am plus size!! I know I need to drop some fat and gain some muscle but, still I didn't REALLY think I was "plus size".
(Great and I just had a huge bowl of ice cream for lunch…soon I will be the obese size.)
All I gotta say is I wish my size 8 looked like her size 8. If she's plus sized, damn, I wanna be plus sized too! I guess I can take solace in that my 38-30-38, I am actually smaller than a model in Glamour! 🙂
I think I remember some plus size lines starting at 12, but I could be mistaken. I think the modelling world just calls women who are "hot but we're not afraid they'll snap in half while walking the catwalk" plus sized, heh.
Size 8 is not plus sized. That's crazy talk. She's gorgeous.
Absolutely not!
She is just so beautiful and I love her curvy body.
She's gorgeous! I'm happy to know that her size and shape is appreciated in the mixed up modeling world, but calling her plus-sized seems a to me to be a step in the wrong direction. How is a young girl who looks at models as an example of what she wants to look like, going to be happy being plus sized? If a size 8 is considered plus sized that will make a lot of people who are ACTUALLY plus sized feel a little worse about themselves!
Definitely NOT plus-sized.
And yes. I think we're simply replacing one unattainable standard for another. But she really is incredibly gorgeous.
I'm a female Mexican American and she looks like the hotness to me, same for Kim Kardashian. I would kill to look like these two (not really). Maybe it's a cultural thing or just my own background but this type looks more normal and desirable to me than the standard model types. I need boobies and a butt! That being said I will probably never ever look like this without some type of implant so maybe it is detrimental to replace one impossible image with another.
PS I love your blog! You seem like a nice person and don't make me feel bad about myself.
Wow! She looks amazing, and to me personally that is not plus sized! I have a friend who worked in a plus sized retail clothing store (and was a little overweight herself) and the mannequins were big, but incredibly toned for their size. We always used to say we wouldn't mind getting "that big" as long as we were that shape! I think the concept of "plus sized" varies so much, it's not really a useful concept to me.
i just see beautiful.
i'm glad she's getting high-profile work, and i hope that she opens doors for women with a variety of shapes and sizes as well.
i would love to see women who are muscle-y like MizFit, petite and fine-boned like you, Charlotte, a petite and curvy, like me, tall and strong, like a dear friend of mine; narrow and flat-chested, pink and as zaftig as a Reubens painting–i want to see ALL of these bodies in magazines.
I think this a great step forward to see women as they should be. Not the half-starved pre-pubescent looking girls who now "grace" the fashion world. I think Renn shows us how beautiful a normal healthy women can look like. And no we aren't all shaped as she is, but she embraces what she looks like and as all women should. We need to strive to be healthy and active and happy. The way we stress about how we look in comparison to others will only destroy our sanity, our bodies, and our happiness.
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