Plus Sized vs “Normal Sized” Model Comparison
28 Dec
This is a good one — check out the side by side images of a “normal” skinny mini sized model next to Plus-sized model Crystal Renn, reported by Daily Mail.
In this soon to be published magazine editorial in V Magazine, hands down Renn is rockin’. Now is this because she is a better model, does she have a better bod, or something else?
Here are their stats:
Renn, 5’9 age 23, size 16
pictured alongside fashion’s latest new face;
Jacquelyn Jablonski, 5′ 9, age 17, size zippo
See more pictures next page.
Dressed in identical tribal-inspired outfits, each girl lends her own unique personality to the garments by high-fashion designers including Ralph Lauren, Versace and Dolce & Gabbana – all famed for favouring very thin models on their catwalks.
Nor are the edgy looks hampered by Renn’s less conventional shape – instead, they are in many ways enhanced.
The images, which were taken by top fashion photographer Terry Richardson, are the latest in a series of campaigns for designers and magazines to use models with more varied looks, ages and body shapes.
They follow British designer Mark Fast’s last-minute decision to use a combination of plus-size and conventional models on his catwalk last September.
His choice, an effort to show how his collection could work for any body shape, was considered so radical that his stylist allegedly pulled out of the show just days before it was due to take place.
Renn herself has just written a book detailing her own battle with the modelling industry, and the presssure to be thin, titled Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves.
The book tells how she developed an eating disorder that nearly killed her, and the extreme lengths she went to in order to obtain a fashion-thin body.
Now a staunch campaigner against identikit catwalk models, she said: ‘I’d love to see [the fashion industry] open their eyes to the variety of women. That variety is what’s beautiful.
I LOVE these photos (I’ve already looked at them a dozen times in the past week and showed them to my husband). I think Renn looks so amazingly beautiful, but even more than that, I love how gracious she is. Yes, we need to include all sizes of women.
Then can we think about the age of models? Jablonski is very pretty, but she looks like she’s playing dress-up. I would like to see outfits on models of various ages, too.
I don’t think it’s necessary to post the models individual size statistics. You got your point across without revealing these details, even if they were available to the public already. I agree Renn on the right is far healthier looking than the other one. I support variety, but I also think that eating disorders emerge from far more deep rooted psychological issues that I never see you address as an ED activist. I don’t think you have to be an expert to adress those other factors.
I am in 100% agreement with you that the pressure of the media world to be thin is a trigger- While never a model, I was a professional ballerina. So I do know how these external influneces and pressures to be thin do not help people with ED’s. But I also know many people who have thrived in both these industries and never succumbed to the horrors of ED- including people I used to work with and various celebrities I have met after a careeer in advertising in one of the most famous publishing houses of Fashion Magazines in the world.
Your vision of what causes eating disorders in my opinion is very one-sided.
i think the bigger model looks weird, it looks like they just stretched the smaller model horizontally in MS paint. Obviously both pictures are photo shopped, the the bigger girl looks very disproportionate
Having worked for very famous magazines, photo shopping is something that goes on ALL. THE. TIME. I don’t agree with it, and while I support the efforts to change the policy- some successful, some not, I have my sincere doubts that the practice will ever do a full 180.
Why? $$$$. I get it’s agony for women to see unrelaistic images of models and celebrities where their age, size, and actual appeareance are altered. Trust me, I get it. But this is the world we live in. It’s not going to change, and I think that Mama V is beating a dead horse on this one.
Take for example, 7th on sixth…(Fashion Week in Manhattan.) After the Brazilian model a few years ago passed from Anorexia, Diane Von Furstenberg who is head of the CFDA went all over national TV vowing to change weight and BMI requirements for runway models in the US. Changes have been made or at least attempted to address the issue in Euorope- not in the USA.
Because I don’t think things like photo altering with models, runway skinny models, etc… will ever fully change, I think it’s best that people with ED do their best to avoid entertainment like fashion shows and magazines. I do… and it’s what I’ve been advised to do, because it just fuels the fire. I agree with Mama V that in priniciple, the whole thing is bat shit wrong, but I don’t think that constantly talking about it will make the problem go away and I think it can make things worse for people with ED because it just heightens their attention to it, but that’s just me and my own experience.
I think it’s better to stay away from things that can provoke ED behavior and accept certain factors that what we as a society will never be able to control. That doesn’t mean one can’t speak out about issues- it just means, there’s a point where you can only do so much and then you have to let it go and focus on yourself.
Because I don’t think things like photo altering with models, runway skinny models, etc… will ever fully change, I think it’s best that people with ED do their best to avoid entertainment like fashion shows and magazines. I do… and it’s what I’ve been advised to do, because it just fuels the fire. I agree with Mama V that in priniciple, the whole thing is bat shit wrong, but I don’t think that constantly talking about it will make the problem go away and I think it can make things worse for people with ED because it just heightens their attention to it, but that’s just me and my own experience.
I think it’s better to stay away from things that can provoke ED behavior and accept certain factors that what we as a society will never be able to control. That doesn’t mean one can’t speak out about issues- it just means, there’s a point where you can only do so much and then you have to let it go and focus on yourself.
IM sorry but what???
Ok you are suggesting that people with ED’s should stay away from anything that might make us think bad about ourselves?? Well maybe we should just lock ourselves away from the world and hide in a little bubble! Because if I was to try and hide from anything that made me feel bad aboutmyself well then I wouldnt go out my front door, wouldnt turn on the TV, id do nothing. Is this what you think anyone with an ED should be doing? Im sorry if I have taken this the wrong way but seriously the world is full of crap things that everyone should stay away from so they do not get hurt in any way. So everyone who is worried or scared of something should just simply stay away from it, ignore it. I am not about to that. I will follow mamaV in her attempt to draw attention to what is going and I will keep posting about it myself, anywhere and everywhere I can.
You claim you agree with what is happening on this site and what mamav is doing yet you say things like:
“and I think that Mama V is beating a dead horse on this one.” Even if she is, at least she is trying to change things.
“Your vision of what causes eating disorders in my opinion is very one-sided.”
mamav is stating her opinion so of course it is one sided. Same as yours and mine opinion would be one sided, we are going by our own opinions and even if we do not agree with the other we should commend them for trying to change things and not just sit back like people in “famous publishing houses of Fashion Magazines in the world” who clearly do not give a damn otherwise they would not promote stick thin models in their magazines and then throw their toys out of their prams when someone tries to activate change.
You see people trying to change what is going on and not many people will actually stand up and voice their opinions. I commend mamaV for doing so, as I do all bloggers.
Hope you understand where I am coming from, if not then please let me know.
Nats
Nats,
You took what I said completely the wrong way. Of course I don’t think people with ED should never leave their house. I guess I wasn’t specific enough.
There are alays going to be things lurking around that can cause people with ED to have anxiety or make them feel bad about themselves. I am not a freaking moron, thank you very much. Things like bill boards of skinny bitches, eating out socially, etc. That stuff we can’t control, just like an alcoholic can’t control alcohol being served at a party or a restaurant. But the difference is they don’t pick up that drink because they are committed to their recovery.
In the various hospitals I have been in and the numerous shrinks I have seen, it was suggested that it was wise to stay away from things that can provoke or encourage Ed behavior that WE CAN CONTROL…. like purchasing fashion magazines and reading diet ads about calories and weight loss. How this is not common sense to anyone with an ED is beyond me. In fact, one of the reasons why I left the magazine publishing industry was because I felt it was a negative force in my eating disorder. I don’t have to work in a fashion magazine, just like last night at Barnes and Nobles while using my holiday gift card, I didn’t have to purchase the book Skinny bitch when I passed by it browsing. Make sense now?
I am all for implementing change, and you are right, the majority of editors and designers don’t care. What I was trying to explain is that photoshopping is a reality and is done to enhance apperances to sell a product. It’s not just models and actresses- they photoshop everything… even pictures of couches and chairs and general products from advertisers. While I certainly don’t agree with things like what Ralph Lauren did a few months back, this is why I don’t read fashion magazines or pay attention to this stuff because I feel it feeds my ED. But of course I heard about it and saw it because it was all over TV. I changed the channel. I appreciate what she is trying to do, but what I was saying is that I don’t have hope it will change, so rather than exhaust my energy about how screwed up it is, I walk away.
Everyone has their own way of dealing with their ED, my therpists advice to stay away from the things I can control that make my ED worse, work for me. Just because I don’t read fashion magazines or diet ads or go to fashion shows anymore does not mean I do not live a very full and active social life with wonderful supportive friends and family.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion about anything. What I have tried to convey about Mama V is that yes, I think she does a great job being an eating disorder activist, and yes, I know she is not an expert. But, I feel that if you are going to be an activist on a subject, it is important to present all angles of it, especially if you are doing public speaking on it, which she often does. I remember a time back people commented on her not talking about bulimia enough. She finally did but her initial response was that she didn’t have a lot of personal experience with it. I don’t either, but I know a hell of a lot about it through research and the various other girls I met in treatment.
She can say and write about whatever she likes, of course. As I said, I think she does great work which is why I read her site. I thought the holiday food article she posted from Neda was wonderful. But Sometimes, I don’t feel that she addresses many other factors that are huge contributers to ED. She doesn’t have to address them all, of course, but it’s like 9 times out of ten when I read her site (her writing style can be very entertaining), it’s usually about how the media causes eating disorders. I simply do not believe that is true. I believe it is an external contributing factor, but the reasons why people develop them are much more deep rooted and it would be nice if she touched on that once in awhile. She doesn’t have to be an expert or a therapist to maybe talk to some girls who have been sexually abused and that’s how their ed started, or girls who were picked on in school because they were slower than others and how it affected their self esteem, or any other type of life altering trauma that could have set it off. None of my friends who read fashion magazines have ED- at least to my knowledge. It is my opinion that if the media pressure to be skinny were the cause of eating disorders, everyone would have one. But if that’s the angle she wants to take, then so be it, even though I don’t agree with it. I hope this clarifys what I meant.
Hi MAMA! Happy New year, love what you’ve done with this site. Looks fabulous.
Speaking of looking fabulous,
I honestly cant tell that these two models are not the same person in a before and after kind of set up. I trust they are who the’ve been said to be but they look the same! Well except their weight. One looks like an adolescent version of the other, who looks like a ferociously sexy woman. They are both gorgeous imho.
I also have to respond to this statement:
I think it’s best that people with ED do their best to avoid entertainment like fashion shows and magazines. I do… and it’s what I’ve been advised to do, because it just fuels the fire.
WTF? Fashion is art, its cultural heritage. To expect a person to cut themselves off from beauty, from experimentation with how they choose to present themselves is about the most inane thing i have ever read. And I read a lot of crap.
If you suffer from an ed and your medical professional is telling you to avoid reading or other entertaining pursuits such as movies and video’s etc you’ve got a bigger problem than ed because your therapy should be helping you strengthen your inner being instead of how to avoid reality.
If this advice is coming from friends family loved ones or gasp even possibly frenemies tell them in what ever manner suits you best to STFU.
If you are a troll, get better material.
to the readers and creator of this fine blog
In 2010 be healthy and let ‘them’ eat their hearts out over U!
xmuahx
PS This just caught my eye,
“Things like bill boards of skinny bitches, ”
OMFGYDNT!
skinny bitches? Skinny bitches! Don’t you know who your audience is no name?
I dearly hope the visitors to this blog see through your shenanigans.
Hazel- I am not sure what you mean? I used the term skinny bitches as sarcasm in reference to Ads that peopele may see of photoshopped models- be it in magazines, TV, or on billboards, and a book I saw at Barnes and nobles titled as such. Mama V has usesd this term too, so why the attack?
I have no shenanigans…You do not know me, know my experience or anything about me. If you bothered to read my post thouroughly, then you would understand that what I said about fashion magazines was simply something my therapists suggested I avoid. Do you not think after working in that industry that I don’t recognize that fashion photography is a form of art?
I don’t need lectures on reality. I know reality, and have stated so many times. My choice is to avoid things that fuel my eating disorder, even though I fully understand that there will always be things that trigger it.
You have no business attacking me or the advice of the professionals who treat me provide me. This is, last I knew, A PRO-RECOVERY website. If my treatment team reccomends that fashion magazines aren’t good for me, I am going to listen to them. Their advice is not meant to suggest that triggers won’t always be there, but for you to attack them without knowing them, without knowing me or my background is extremely insulting. I think you owe me an apology.
Mama V,
I know that free speech is free speech, but I would appreciate you adressing that it is not apporpriate for a follower of this blog to attack one’s individual treatment plan, as you can clearly see from this thread that one did.
I live in one of the most infamous cities in the world, with some of the most famous and and reknonwed experts in eating disorders that I see and have access too- including a professional who even pops up on your web site.
This attack on me and the fine professionals I pay to help me in my recovery was way out of line.
Whoa whoa whoa! Girls, calm DOWN! I think this is just a case of everyone overreacting a little bit. I think both sides have a point:
– Anonymous is right because we should avoid things that we know are likely to make us engage in ED behaviors, to a degree. I, for example, avoid youtube videos I used to watch full of very skinny girls. (Before anyone flies off the handle at me, do NOT call me proanorexia. I am NOT, and NEVER have been!) For a while I would even avoid this one song I really associated with that sort of thing.
– Nats and Hazel8500 are right because we cannot avoid everything. I still like looking at pictures of models because I love photography and I like interesting outfits. Also, I have not given up being an actress, even though that has often made me feel pressure to be thinner. Also, Anonymous, Hazel8500 is probably right in taking issue with the term “skinny bitches”. Just because someone is skinny it doesn’t mean they are a bitch, just as if someone is fat they are not necessarily a bitch. It’s unkind to say mean things about people because of their weight, whatever it is.
Overall, I don’t think that anyone should be quite as offended as they are. Let’s try to remember that we’re all in this together, guys! Voice your opinions but try not to beat down others.
Much love to you all,
.C.
no offense, but i personally think that the girl on the right looks disgusting in most of the pictures. it’s not just because of her body (even though that is part of it). what’s with the gaping mouth thing? she looks goofy.
C,
Pehaps I did over-react but the comment about how my therapists should advise me or what direction they should take with me sent me over the edge and I felt was out of line and uncessary. As for my skinny bich comment, it was never meant to imply that all thin skinny girls are bitches, but just a term that has been thrown around and perhaps inappropriately so after a very popular book that I happened to see when I made the comment skinny bitch- No I never read it, no I don’t like it, but it was never intended to be directed at anyone on here or in society personally. It’s just a become an expression, and while I understand maybe offensive to some, I don’t think it is meant to be taken so freaking seriously. I mean Geesh. Using the term skinny bitch lightly is not half as bad as telling some stranger you don’t know that basically, her shrinks who are some of the most renkowned in the world are fing idiots, which is how I felt.
As I said before, I know there will always be things around that aggrivate our eating disorders. I for one used to be a professional dancer, and could never give up ballet. But instead of dancing proessionally, I take classes still for pleasure with non professionals of all shapes and sizes who appreciate the beauty of it without the pressure of choreagraphers to be skinny. I agree things like modeling and dance can add pressure to being thin, but as I have said many times, I have never believed them to be the core cause.
Don’t beat yourself up for having done the looking at skinny girls thing- I am sure we have all done stuff like that we are not proud of on some level. My point was to have a balance, and to cut out the things that we know are our weaknesses. One thing I used to do not related to my ED was become obsessed with following crime stories in the news and crime story TV shows, as I am a rape survivor. All it did was make my PTSD 100 times worse. I don’t need that. No, I can’t avoid the headlines at newstands in the NY Post when they happen, the clips on Yahoo, and hearing the blips about “Woman gone missing, Woman raped and murdered in X state” But I don’t have to go and google them and read everything about them.
It’s all about finding balance- what can make things worse, what can make things better. Reading a couple of paragrahs that Mama V writes about photoshopping and a picture or two of the problem do not trigger my ED. I think its fine to debate the issue. But find me pouring over Glamour, Vogue, Allure, Marie Claire, In Style EVERY.SINGLE.ISSUE- well that you will never find me doing anymore.
I’m so confused. She’s a size 16? That boggles my mind… I’m about her size and I’m a size 6/8. Is it because she’s photoshopped? I can’t see her being over a 10.
I guess it doesn’t really matter… but it still confuses me.
in all honesty, in the first and third photos, i thought they were the same person.
I don’t think that plus-size model is a size 16. She looks like a size 5 or 6. If she’s a size 16, then I’m obese.
It makes me want to throw up…
Wow I couldn’t even see the difference at first. She doesn’t look like a size sixteen at all. She does look a little odd considering proportions.