Cheap Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves Discount Review Shop
I don't think that I will ever be able to do this book enough justice, but I will try.
To be honest, I haven't followed the modeling world for some time. I used to read all of the magazines and watched Style with Elsa Klensch religiously.
But years have passed since that time, and I had never heard of model Crystal Renn. I was unaware of her story.
Crystal was raised by her grandmother when her own mother abandoned her. Being abandoned or rejected by a parent often leads to feelings of inadequacy, as no matter how much reassurance from others you receive that you are worthy of love, it is still a blow to your psyche. Crystal was no different, and she developed a need to dominate whatever activity she chose, whether it be student council president or cheerleading or modeling.
Crystal didn't want to just be a model in a catalog. She wanted the runways and the Vogue covers. In order to do this, she was told that her hips would have to get down to 34". This meant that she, at 5'9" would need to drop down to 110 lbs. She had to lose 60 lbs.
Of course, given her overachiever demeanor, she went beyond this. She exercised for 8 hours a day on the weekends. She ate lettuce, chewed gum, and smoked. And she eventually found herself at 95lbs.
You don't have to be a budding model to feel that you don't have the right to take up space. ~ Crystal Renn.
I wanted to be less, always less. I wanted to be as barely there as possible. ~ Crystal Renn
I wonder whether today's mania for super-thin, wide-eyed, less powerful-looking girls is tied to fear of female strength. Today's girls take up less space, literally and metaphorically. ~Crystal Renn
And yet, she wasn't successful at that weight. She was a shell of a person at that point and no one wanted to hire her because of her lack of spark and energy.
You can be as beautiful as anything, but if you can't show people a little of your soul, you'll never make it. It wasn't until I became the weight I was meant to be that I figured that out. ~ Crystal Renn
The stereotype of models is that we're brain-dead, but some of us are just starving. ~ Crystal Renn
Eventually, Crystal's body fought back and started gaining weight on its own, no matter how hard she tried to keep her weight down.
Crystal began to learn about how our bodies are designed and why some people are destined to be size 0 naturally and others are not. I have to agree with her assertions, as I think it's easy to tell when someone is naturally thin. I know people who are very thin and petite, but not skin and bones. I know some folks who are larger, yet have a nice defined figure.
When we diet to lose weight, we have to steamroll over the weight our genes want us to be, disregard the hunger pangs that won't go away as we dip below the size that's normal for us, ignore the marketing of junk food and the prevalence of giant slabs of meat and glugs of high-fructose corn syrup and the hugeness of most portion sizes. We may have to struggle to find fresh, affordable food, which isn't accessible in many neighborhoods. We have to find the time to cook and walk more. We blame ourselves for failing to lose weight and we never think, Gee, if almost everyone who loses weight gains it back, maybe the problem is with the concept of dieting, not with individuals. ~ Crystal Renn
Crystal talks about studies that have shown people who are not overweight have a difficult time gaining weight, even when they are told to do so. They have to eat around 10,000 calories per day to put on weight and maintain it.
Yet some people can't lose weight until they cut their calories drastically. And so, the conclusion is, that there is a genetic difference between people who are thin and people who are overweight.
She also discusses the bashing that overweight people are taking in our society now. This part of the book is rather involved, but very informative. I'll just give you with a taste of it:
No one has established a causal relationship between weight and ill health. Are people fat because they're unhealthy or unhealthy because they're fat? Bacon (a researcher) shows the difference between the two with an example: Bald men have a higher incidence of heart disease than men with a full head of hair. However, this doesn't mean that baldness causes heart disease or that hair protects against heart disease. (And no one would suggest that bald men dig deep, show some damn discipline, and grow some hair.) ~ Crystal Renn
Eventually, Crystal's body weight settled in at what was healthy for her, which was about what she weighed before she started starving herself to fit in to the "straight" modeling world. Yes, she is a size 10/12 now and that is considered Plus sized in the modeling world. But she has broken through many of the barriers and appeared on Vogue covers around the world.
If you couldn't tell, I absolutely adore this book and its author. I think that it's one of the most important books I've ever read. Crystal Renn is only 24, but she has already learned a great deal about body acceptance and what works for her. That she can share this very personal journey in such an accessible way is truly amazing. This should be required reading for everyone, as it will change the way people think about our genetic appearances.
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"Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves" Feature
- ISBN13: 9781439101247
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"Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves" Overview
AT FOURTEEN, I WAS A REGULAR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IN CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI, WHEN A MODELING SCOUT TOLD ME: YOU COULD BE A SUPERMODEL . . . BUT YOU’LL HAVE TO LOSE A LITTLE WEIGHT.
FOR GLAMOUR, FAME, AND ESCAPE, I LOST SEVENTY POUNDS.
This is a photo of me at SIXTEEN, when I signed a big modeling contract, moved to New York City, and started traveling around the world.
It is also when I developed a ferocious case of anorexia and exercise bulimia.
Until I decided enough was enough—I wanted to live.
And so I ate. And ate.
Offering a behind-the-scenes peek into the modeling industry, as well as a trenchant look at our weight-obsessed culture, Hungry is an inspiring and cautionary tale that will resonate with anyone who has battled society’s small-minded definitions of beauty.
This is me NOW, the leading plus-size model in America.
Customer Reviews
Amazing - www.bookshipper.blogspot.com/ - Montreal, Quebec
I suffer from an eating disorder and I have read a ton of books on the subject and I have to say that although I have found most of them to be extremely inspiring, this one has touched me alot and for entirely different reasons.
Firstly, I admire Renn for writing this book. Her journey has been amazing, especially since she is so young. Which brings me to my one "beef" with the book - Renn is extremely young when she experiences alot of what she went through. Although I realize that eating disorders are a huge issue with girls in Renn's age bracket, it was a little harder for me to identify with her - since I am old enough to be her mother.
The other thing that was a bit off for me is Renn's entire experience with her eating disorder. Firstly, it was incredibly short lived, secondly, Renn was very conscious of it, very early on in her life and thirdly, while it can be "managed" it is never really gone and, the tone of the book often implies that "poof, it has all magically disappeared". These were the things that "got" me about the book.
Now, for the good stuff - Renn is a wonderful storyteller. She describes her experiences very honestly, without malice, all the while remembering to be thankful for the people in her life that she does have. Even when she is telling a hard story, she manages to find a silver lining somewhere and I loved this about the story. Secondly, Renn puts a very clear face on what it truly is to be in the modeling world and I think this book should be a "must read" for all those young models who are just dying to be thin. Thirdly, I love, love, love the way Renn discovers (and then encourages) everyone to find their "true body weight" and then, to EMBRACE IT!
This is the part of the book that actually made me cry. I don't remember reading another book that has so positively and hopefully suggested that maybe not every person on this planet is supposed to wear a size 6! That is is truly okay to be whatever size your body feels happy, healthy and comfortable at. I thought this was awe inspiring, especially for someone like me who strives to have "the perfect weight" all the time (and rarely succeeds). Renn is obviously proud of her rounder body and puts her money where her mouth is.
A deep, beautiful read.
Well Written & Honest - Emily E - Brooklyn, NY
I was more impressed with this book than I thought I would be. Unfortunately, prior to reading the book, I didn't know a lot about Crystal and I didn't automatically assume she was smart. I was pleasantly surprised at her wit and intelligence - she has a smart use of vocabulary and there is a good balance between trying to drive sense into her audience about eating disorders and body image problems in society, in conjunction with her own story woven in.
I would definitely recommend this book to other reads. It is a positive and inspiring journey of a beautiful woman. It could also be used as an easy-to-read and understand learning-tool for family and friends who need to become acquainted with the world of eating disorders.
Beautiful lesson from a Beautiful woman - Sarah A Rhodes -
It normally takes me a while to read a book as I'm a bit of a slow reader, but I was done with Ms. Renn's book in a day. It was so fascinating and her easy going writing style and quick wit kept me entertained even throughout the entire book. Even when she was admittedly destroying her body and self confidence during her early years modeling, you can still sense the strength, determination, and courage she has, especially when she had reached the point where she wasn't going to take it anymore from her disorder (anorexia) and the modeling industry. A great lesson in self-confidence, self-awareness and self-appreciation that every girl (whether 10 or 110) should read. It made me feel better about myself and more confident in who I was as a person both inside and out. Congrats Crystal and thank you!
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