Plus sized model Crystal Renn is livid - and I don’t blame her.  She’s a gorgeous woman, and she’s overcome anorexia and exercise bulimia to become one of the world’s premier plus sized models.  That’s her at the left, a NORMAL, curvy shaped woman.  She’s a size 10, actually, but we’ll discuss how in the world size 10 is plus size in a minute.

A recent photo taken of her shocked the world, however, with how emaciated she looked.  My husband and I were stunned when we saw the photo.  We thought she’d starved herself again.  I, for one, was horribly disappointed.  She’s beautiful with her curves, with a full, healthy face.

Now we come to find out that that isn’t even her in the picture.  Well, it’s her.  But once again, the beauty industry decided to improve upon (and I use that phrase sarcastically) nature.  They somehow were disgusted by her natural, healthy shaped.  They decided not just to smooth a wrinkle - they changed her from a size 10 to a size 2.  Once again, the fashion and beauty industry shows their utter contempt for women.  They reveal their disgusting ideal that skeletal and emaciated is somehow sexy.  I can’t figure out how we women allowed them to change the ideal on us.  Words like zaftiq,  reubanesque, and even plump were descriptions of the ultimate in beauty.  So we’ve gone from epitomizing health and plenty to desiring starvation??

Here’s the two versions of Ms. Renn’s photo.  I still can’t figure out what was so very, very “fat” about the original.

Of course, I can’t figure out how in the hell a size 10 is a plus size anyway.  They sure as hell don’t sell a size 10 in any plus size section or store I frequent!  Of course, I was just thumbing through the Avenue catalog today, and I thought to myself that the models were so skinny, they must have had to tailor every single outfit for the photo shoot, since the clothes start out at a size 12W.

Yes, I want to lose weight.  Yes I’d like to be smaller.  I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t at all for reasons of vanity. But my goal weight, and goal size, aren’t unrealistic, and they are, in fact, above the “desirable” weight on the chart.  So three cheers for Crystal Renn.  She’s beat eating disorders, and she’s had a more successful career because of it.  And three cheers to all the photographers who’ve left her pictures alone, in all their curvacious and beautiful glory.