Plus-Size Model Crystal Renn: “Is it Okay to be Fat?
February 27, 2010 in Beauty & Body Image, Celebrity Quotes, Crystal Renn, Hot Models by Versus
“Plus-size” model (who looks like she lost weight lately) Crystal Renn has some thoughts to share about discrimination in her industry – let’s hear her out via People Magazine:
“We, as a culture, are fixated, and perhaps even in an unhealthy way, with dress size and the scale size,” Renn said in a new interview with ABC’s Nightline, during which she debated the question, “Is it Okay to be Fat?”
The model, who has also been an advocate for a wider array of sample sizes (most runway samples are a size 0 or 2), also says she’s faced discrimination due to her weight. “Fat people are absolutely discriminated against. I know this because of the type of modeling I do … If it wasn’t, then I’d be all over the runways, every single runway, like everyone else,” she says.
Instead, she’s had to make her mark in a specialized market – on her own terms. “It’s about the healthy eating habits that you have, and wherever your body falls,” says Renn. “Whether that is actually a four or an 18, [doesn't matter].”
“Having had an eating disorder, I was obsessed with numbers and percentages – how many minutes have I been on the treadmill, how many calories have I consumed today?” says Renn. “When you start obsessing about numbers you get nowhere. It really is about, you know, finding balance and moderation within yourself and are you healthy.”
Share your thoughts!
I can´t believe there are people with size 18 who have a healthy diet. I mean, I´m a size 10 and I know I don´t have a healthy diet
And to me it sounds like she´s still obsessed with that.
im a size 12 and i eat incredibly healthy it makes other people sick when they see how healthy i eat.
i have 17 percent body fat tho so maybe that is why i dont look my weight
It not okay to be fat. In my opinion it is the matter of personal hygiene more than anything else.
I totally agree. Being fat isn’t healthy, just like being too skinny isn’t healthy. I hate the double standard – that anyone over a size 6 who claims to be satisfied and happy with their weight is a hero…no one likes to admit that “too fat” is a real thing and shouldn’t be encouraged.
Also, I MORE than hate it when plus sized models say that they’re discriminated against by not being booked for runways or other jobs because they’re “too big”. Modeling is about looks more than anything else, and if you don’t look the part you won’t get hired. That shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone in that industry.
Sometimes you’ll only be booked for runways or ads or editorials if you’re a brunette, or if you’re over a certain height. It’s no different than only size 0-2 being booked for runway. It’s a million times harder for a short gal to get booked for runway than it is a tall one, and no one calls that discrimination. People just accept that that’s not the standard and not what most designers are looking for.
If she has a problem with her career being so closely related to her physical appearance, she should consider another one.
That two extremes are not good: too skinny and too big. Because starvation and abusing of food both lead to deseases and so that cannot be considered as healthy.
As for all that recent plus size models…I don’t know they are young as I am and I know it is not so hard being slim for youngsters, if I wanted to get up to such size I would have to eat all day lond and don’t move and still it would be impossible for me – I hate feeling bloated because it steals all my energy – I cannot move and think so I usually never overeat. And even if I do one-two days – I eat very little days after because I even cannot look at food.
So I am even curious how do they get to that sizes at this age?
First of all – her metabolism is f** up by an eating disorder she had. I have a friend who used to be anorexic and long after her rehab I remember a point where whe was eating not more than 800 kcal and getting really fat. So yeah.
That can’t be true. She must have been interspersing her 800-cal days with, like, 3000+ cal binges (which is understandable, I”m not blaming her at all) — but it’s been scientifically measured that even anorexics with a BMI of 13 still burn 1000-1100 calories a day. That’s the lowest number that can sustain life, so your metabolism can’t drop any lower.
That’s not true when I was anorexic there is not way in hell I would have eaten 1000 calories a day it was always 500 or under and I NEVER binged. At my lowest my BMI was just under 11. I was extremley sick and I’m really short too, but it is possible.
You ate under 500 but you BURNED around 1000 — that’s how you lost so much weight that you got down to a BMI of 11 – by burning off more calories than you ate.
Also, oh my god — a BMI of 11???? Are you better now? I really hope you are!
I think that part of the really difficult aspect of treating anorexia is the fear that, if you do eat more than 1000 calories, you will “get fat.” That’s one of the reasons it’s important to dispel this “my metabolism is so low that I gain weight even on 800 calories” myth. It’s just not true, not even for people that are on the absolute brink of death from starvation.
when my BMI was 10.7, I ate 1000 calories a day.
Oh I understand what you’re saying now. Sorry
I completely agree with you about fear thing, I was definatley afraid that eating anywhere close to 1000 calories would make me monstorous. I eat well over that now but am still finding it difficult to gain weight. My BMI is 15.6 right now, not where it should be but I’m still working on it
What she said is true. “It really is about, you know, finding balance and moderation within yourself and are you healthy.” That basically means that if you are fat, you probably don’t have balance or moderation. And the same if you are underweight (unless you’re naturally thin).
why is it someone can be naturally thin, but not naturally fat?
I’m sick of hearing about this girl.
It’s funny that people can be naturally thin….why is it not possible to be naturally fat?! :0p
Because, as everybody knows, fat is immoral.
/sarcasm
Everybody knows that is much easier to make clothes in sample sizes 0-2 , tall girls with these sizes usually have similar measurements. It would be hard to use only plus/normal models, but the designers can use at least 2 plus models and 2 average girls…
And, I don’t think Crystal is pretty, her body is great, but he face… she looks ill.
I don’t really understand why people insist on lying to themselves and others.
It’s been proven that being thin makes you live longer than being fat, all other things being equal. A recent article in the NYTimes debunked the myth that being a little overweight is good for you:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/01/06/phys-ed-can-you-be-overweight-and-still-be-healthy/
So being overweight is bad for your health.
What about your looks?
Well, think about this: we put on weight as we age. So, thinner people look younger. That’s why everyone wants to be thin these days — because teenage girls and 20-somethings are naturally thin, and that’s who we want to look like.
Also, Crystal may have disliked how she looked when she was very thin, but at least she had no flaws other than being too thin. But now that she’s gotten fat, she’s gotten cellulite, lumpiness, and fat rolls that she didn’t have before. [We've all seen the photos - people have posted links under some of the other Crystal Renn posts on this site] Does she really think these are more attractive? Or attractive at all? Can anyone really argue that?
Anyways, my main point is that, besides the fact that most of us instinctively find being fat unattractive, there are plenty of good objective reasons to feel that way. Being fat is unhealthy; it makes you look older than your years; it makes your skin look terrible and gives you cellulite, stretch marks, etc; and it’s just plain ugly.
Not to mention the fact which any fat person knows: the minute you lose weight, you get a barrage of compliments on how much better you look now.
So Crystal should just lose weight instead of continually arguing for how attractive she now finds herself and how healthy she is.
p.s. You don’t get fat by eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains — so it’s the dessert and cheese and fatty meat in her diet that’s making Crystal fat — and if she’s eating enough of it to be as big as she is, then I’d hardly call that a balanced diet.
Most points I agree with you, but I have to say that gaining a little weight or staying the same weight is better than losing as we age. (unleast you were unhealthy and overweight before)
And I take Jennifer Connelly as an example. She’s a beautiful woman, but she’s looking so skinny lately, that the looks older than she really is. If you look at pictures of her ten years a go, you’re going to see she was much prettier and still slim, but “fatter”. Another exemple is Angelina Jolie. Too thin makes you look older (too fat does the same thing).
I agree – that’s a great point! I guess Rachel Zoe is the ultimate example of why it’s bad to lose a lot of weight and become super-skinny when you’re past your 20s.
Amen Jane.
But I would also have to agree with K.
She had no other problem than being thin?! She had all kinds of health problems, that girl could have died! She had said that she couldn’t even walk properly and she was miserable. Sure she now has fat rolls, but she is happy and healthy, really healthy.
Having said that, I saw her debate and I’m definetly on the nutricionist side, you can’t be obese and healthy, I do belive you can be heavy, maybe overweight and healthy, but definetly not obese. It’s true is sad that there is discrimination, but that’s no excuse to defend obesity.
She had no other flaws, besides (possibly) hair loss, grayish, dry skin, bones sticking out here and there, sick looking face… not to mention serious health problems.
Monkey and Coffeegirl, well said. I found that comment rather ignorant and distasteful.
I saw her photos when she was a thin model, and I personally would rather look like the way she looked then than the way she looks now – grayish dry skin and all. And, she didn’t need to gain 70 lbs to reverse her skin/hair problems — simply improving her nutrition would have sufficed. There are plenty of very thin people that don’t look cadaverous.
I’m not arguing for anorexia. Perhaps Crystal is a bad example, b/c she became thin by losing weight drastically and unhealthily, and so had to compromise on her looks. But in general, thin people don’t have the kind of body flaws that fat people have b/c they just don’t have the extra mass to create those flaws — no rolls, no belly pooches or love handles or muffin tops, no cellulite (okay, some people have it genetically, but it always worsens with weight gain), no flabby thighs and saddlebags, thick ankles, flabby knees, bat wings, etc. These are the flaws I was referring to. If you want them, help yourself — I’d rather be thin and avoid them.
The hardest part about reading all of these comments is the misunderstanding that at 5’10″ being a size 12 is not fat! I mean look at her picture, look at these “plus-size” models:
http://www.hughesmodels12plus.co.uk/MiniHughes.html
What she is saying, and I’ll admit it, not very well, is that we are obsessed with numbers and sizes as a determination of healthy rather than lifestyle and individual bodily needs. I am 5’9″ and a size 10 . I’m not fat at all. I run; I do pilates; I dance; I am vegan! I don’t eat anything, but vegetables, fruit, and whole grains. Based on my size, based on a number, the modeling industry would call me “plus-size” or “fat.” Are you kidding? People’s bodies vary, and for some people, most people, it is not natural to be 5’9″ and a size 00. Her argument isn’t really about being fat, but what we as a society have deemed fat: anything over a size 3/4, a number. It is absurd. I completely agree with her, and I think people are missing her point entirely.
OMG, how are any of those girls considered ‘plus size’ models? They are all between UK sizes 10-14 (US sizes 6-10).
Yeah, this girl for example is totally plus-size http://www.hughesmodels12plus.co.uk/Amy.html
oh man…
Are you kidding me? You don’t get fat by eating fruits, vegetables, and whole grains? It seems to me that you’re quite ignorant on the topic of nutrition. Calories are calories. If you eat more calories than is necessary to maintain your weight (for example) 3000 calories worth of fruit or 3000 calories worth of meat everyday over a long period of time, you will gain weight. Fatty meat is in fact substantially better for humans (at least humans of European ancestry) than grains. After reading that “p.s.” bit it’s even more difficult to take anything you said seriously.
“No other flaws then being too thin.” .. You are very, very superficial, to the point of it being shocking. As long as she’s thin, it’s no big deal that she’s starving to death and in a state of mental and physical agony.
Being too fat does not cause cellulite. Cellulite can be caused by several things, mainly hormones. Heredity plays a role as well, determing how strong the fibers surrounding your fat are. I have a friend who is 240 lbs. she hardly has any cellulite. I am half her size and have a ton. I workout, eat right etc, but have taken the birth control pill for 15 years and have been told by several doctors this is at least partially to blame for cellulite formation.
Crystal does seems like she lost some weight, which is good because she looks prettier and healthy (when it comes to weight, cause you cant judge a person healthy just by photos…)
She has a beautiful face IMO.
This is like shooting fish in a barrel. No matter what you do in this society, someone is going to whine about it. I don’t why the hell Crystal Renn feels she needs to be part of this debate. I wouldn’t excuse myself or defend myself. If I were her, I’d just point out that I am making more money than ninety percent of the women running their mouth and they should just GTFO.
The hypocrisy in these conversations is so blaring. This isn’t about health. This conversation occurs because people find the appearance of fat people revolting. Well, that’s easy to take care of-look at something else. As for most of the population being over weight-Who cares? I don’t, I’ve got better things to worry about.
I don’t know why*
I think she needs to find a happy medium. You don’t have to be a size 0 but not just eat everything in site and become overweight then start saying everybody is discriminating against me because they say I am fat. You do not look like she does in the first pic by eating a very healthy diet. She had to be eating some high calorie food in my opinion…
It’s called genetics people! Of course it is possible to be naturally thin and, conversely, naturally heavier. Lots of recent studies have even shown that it is actually possible to be “fat” or “overweight” and yet still be considered healthy; even the BMI is no longer the “ultimate tool” in order to calculate whether you are unhealthy if you happen to fall on the larger end of the range (as evidenced by athletes).
In my humble opinion, I think everyone’s body is predestined in their genes to fall in a certain weight range…if you are much thinner than what would be your more “natural weight” (see Lindsay Lohan at her thinnest) you are gonna look terrible and the same of course applies to being on the more heavier end as well.
Bunch of hypocrites: oh it’s disgusting to be fat; oh but naturally thin is so ok. How about naturally fat then? How about women dying of anorexia? How about losing your hair, looking haggard, black eyes, no energy, all from being too thin? How about osteoporosis? What about cellulite in thin people? Yes honey, it happens. Me and my sister both have some, we are both under 18 bmi. Stop using health as an excuse for being hypocrite bitches. Thin is not healthy. Fat is not unhealthy. There is nothing in the world to prove me wrong, since there are ill thin people and healthy fat people i have known. And really most of you have no idea what fat is. I am the same but at least i have the guts and honesty to admit i call perfectly normal weight people fat. I called myself fat when i had a bmi of 22 so yeah.
That’s pretty much how i see it too. I could go on and argument against some of the claims that have been made in this thread, but i’m gonna pass this time bc i try not to get overly attached to topics discussed on the internet. (I don’t think being obese is healthy in any ways though) Just 1 thing: i really don’t think that Crystal is that fat at her present size, quite normal looking to me.
Co-sign, people love to bitch when they are not in certain positions but, when they do eventually get to a point in their life where they are the odd one out (because that’s life, it will happen to you), they will just whine and whine and whine.
If you can be naturally thin, you can be naturally fat. If you can’t be naturally fat, then you can’t be naturally thin. Although frankly, I don’t think Crystal Renn is fat.
I doubt there are any people who “naturally” fall into a size 18. That’s like someone naturally falling into a BMI of 15. Not gonna happen. But I do think that you can be slightly underweight naturally, and thus slightly overweight naturally. Anything over that is probably either eating habits or medical conditions.
Well people have no problem supporting the naturally thin theory, yet they all bash the naturally fat. So make up your mind. Do genes influence you or do they not? they are not picky. And yes, some people gain more easily some don’t. It’s metabolism. And some people look bigger, some smaller, it’s bone structure. That’s about it with the naturally smth.
It’s proven scientifically that abnormal metabolism rate is quite rare, so it shouldn’t be an excuse for being overweight (for being underweight as well). But I totally agree about the bone structure, it plays a big role. No one with bigger bones can’t look good when they are super skinny because it leads to unhealthy looks – gaunt face and bones poking out.
As for Crystal, I honestly think she’s beautifulm mainly because of her stunning face. By the way, she carries her extra weight quite well as it all goes to her bust and lower half which just makes her look extremely feminine and curvy.
Personally I do think genes play a huge role, and yes, it can go in both directions. But I do think there’s a limit to how much is genes. Like I said, if you have a BMI of 15-16, you’re not “naturally thin.” If you’re a size 18 (I’m taking this to mean US size 18), you’re not “naturally big.” But I do think you can be a few points under or over normal and be like that naturally; it’s due to genetic varation.
I hate to nitpick, but I think it’s very possible to have a BMI of 15-16 and still be naturally thin. A good friend of mine is around 5’5 and 95 pounds – that’s pretty damn skinny. But she eats ridiculous amounts of food. I guess that there are exceptions though..because on all other counts, I totally agree with you
In our culture, we’re so fixated on being a size zero when really we should just be healthy. No, it’s not okay to be fat. But it’s not okay to be underweight either. Take me for example, I used to be anorexic and I am 5’7″ and was 98 lbs. But then I realized that was only hurting myself and I looked awful. Clothes didn’t look good on me and I didn’t feel beautiful at all. Having a healthy BMI is what we should strive for–not to look like a skeleton. Besides, guys like girls with some curves!
I agree being 5’7″ and 98lbs is way too skinny!!! But being slim at say 115ish & 5’7″ is a good look. Men do prefer petite girls – but just not ones who are anorexic looking! There is a difference between petite and cute and stickly and anorexic!
115ish at 5’7″ is still a bit underweight for small framed girls, and really underweight for medium and large framed girls(I like to go by height/weight charts that break down the preferred healthy range by frame size: small, medium, large). SOME men prefer petite girls, and some don’t.
IMO, if a person is healthy, it shouldn’t matter what their size/weight is, and they really shouldn’t be made to feel that they are wrong at their size(or even right) by saying “But men prefer *such and such* size.”, mainly because all men are different! And even if a man has a preference for a certain body type/size, he could be attracted to a woman that’s outside his preference because he sees more in her than he initially saw in her jean, ass, and breast size. So ladies, don’t completely base your size goal on what men won’t, BUT don’t completely discount them either, listen to a variety of men, and do what works for you and makes you happy and healthy.
blah. enough already.
Dearest people who love to jump on Crystals jock for being a bigger girl and then cry themselves to sleep when someone says Rachel Zoe looks anorexic and Miranda Kerr looks like a pre pubescent boy keep it moving!!! We all know being healthy and thin in terms of weighing how many pounds in correlation with your height is good for you and can add a considerable number of years to your life. I think Crystal is trying to say if your overweight learn to be comfortable with it while you try to lose weight, instead of in desperation resorting to using unhealthy methods like pills,starving yourself or becoming bulimic.And I think alot of people agree with her in the fact that sample sizes need to be bigger because THEY WERE IN THE 80′S AND 90′S so it’s not that much of a stretch. Like I’ve said before If designers can I feel like runway sample sizes which are usually 2-3 sizes should be a 4,6,8 which are reasonable sizes that when your a model girls can fit into without being unhealthy. And yes some of these girls are naturally thin most not.
Miranda Kerr is gorgeous. Men always always always comment about her – also that guy who go caught checking his e-mail while on tv was looking at a gorgeous picture of miranda Kerr. lol. If being skinny and sexy is in your opinion looking like a pre pubescent boy – sign me up! LOL. Do I hear a hint of jelousy?
Her face is stunning.
I can not imagine how hot she would be if she lost weight – she’d be a total sex symbol.
And I’d never look at her and think “fat,” just very curvy.
She was very skinny. And she was ugly. Because that was against her body. ignorant.
Not ignorant, just an opinion.
I googled her and she looked bad when she was very thin. I would never say she should look like that again, but if she was a healthy thin she has the face to be something like a VS Angel for sure, a lot of sex appeal.
People who are saying it’s not okay to be fat, you know you are only saying it because you think it’s ugly. Guess what, thin people can be unhealthy too..if not MORE unhealthy than a fat person. A naturally thin person probably eats more crap food than a person who is fat and watches what they eat and just has a slow metabolism.
I totally agree with Shauna. There are “fat” people who are healthy but they can’t get rid of the extra weight. I also know thin people who cannot gain weight and they want to be “thick”. I think women in general are way too critical when its about another womans figure. I think Crystal is one of the most beautiful women in the world, her face is beyond amazing. She has a face that women envy, including thin women. I do agree with a reader who said Crystal wasn’t so attractive when she was thin. She looks healthy and great. Get over being a size 0, everyone has different figures. Learn to accept it.
Totally off topic but is your profile pic Cassie from Skins? It looks like her.
yes
Its hard to tell which is the plus size with all the junk she is wearing (hideous outfits in both pics). Personally I believe everyone can be slim but some people weren’t made to be really skinny. Some people have different bone structures and being skinny lookd bad on them. I do believe everyone can still be slim and look good tho!!!
No, I don’t think everyone can be slim, at least not in a good, healthy, happy way. That’d be like me saying “Personally I believe everyone can be full figured but some people weren’t made to be heavier. Some people have different bone structures and being heavier looks bad on them. I do believe everyone can still be full figured and look good though.” We most definitely know it’s not true for some people to still look good at the higher end of the healthy weight range, so IMO it’s not true that everyone will look good at the lower end of the healthy weight range. For me to be in the lower end of the healthy weight range for my heightof 5’2″(according to BMI, and this is part of why I take BMI with a grain of salt
I agree with you on the outfits, those are bad
I can’t tell if people here mean Hollywood fat, aesthetics fat or unhealthy fat so I don’t know how to respond.
I gather, however, that Crystal Renn is talking about Hollywood or aesthetics fat as she’d have to be a complete idiot not to know that being overweight isn’t good for you.
I would usually be with those saying that fat isn’t good for you etc but in hindsight I guess that plus-models reckon that underweight models are paraded on the catwalk and in magazines because they apparently look good/fashionable (unhealthy or not) so the way they may see it is that they deserve the same treatment.
She’s fat. She would be so smokin if she was thin and she knows it, because she has a good face and she knows that. That’s why she thinks it’s acceptable to be a “curvy” model who is breaking out of the binding mold of stereotypical models. BLAH. Models are meant to be live mannequins for artists be it fashion designers or painters and no one wants their models to be FAT. I mean c’mon. Obviously a very minute portion of the world’s population can actually be a model because not only does it take discipline but it takes an inherent genetic gift as well. So blahh you’re fat. get over it and go run, you’re not supposed to be a model. fat models are GROSS.
So are you. But at least fat models can shed their fat. You cannot shed your gross personality. It’s stuck to you.
Actually she’s not fat, so your entire comment is invalid.
Comments like some of these are part of why I started my blog about the portrayal of healthy-weight women in the media. Some people truly think that Crystal Renn looks unhealthfully overweight in the left photo above. People don’t even know what a healthy woman looks like any more. They think that in order to be healthy, you have to be skinny, and the truth is, medical science says otherwise. On the BMI scale alone, there’s a wide range of “normal.”
this is crazy. you can be unhealthy at any size, skinny, curvy, and fat. sometimes you can’t help how you are shaped but just because you are big doesn’t always mean you’re overweight, fat, obese, etc. but if you know that you’re having problems with your health and body then do something about it and stop making every excuse about it. and for the comments about skinny women looking like pubescent boys really need to stop because at the end of the day we’re women and need to see that. so get over it. as long as your healthy, regardless of what size you are, be happy.
Crystal Renn has, by my calculation (she is 165 lbs and 5’10″ info I got from one of her interviews) a bmi of 23.7, which is in the healthy range (18.5-24.9) so she is technically not overweight. Just thought you guys should know.
SHE IS NOT FAT… OMG WHY IS BEING AT A NORMAL WEIGHT ALL AT SUDDEN FAT???
i hate to say it, but she is FAT. and her face isn’t really that pretty. I mean i would way rather see her at 110 lbs, instead of the monstrosity she is now. i don’t get the appeal. she is obviously not healthy. nobody eats a healthy diet and is fat. unless she has serious thyroid problems
Look, anyone who is stupid enough to call a women above a size 6 fat should go hang their heads in shame. I’m ery happy with what I am at a size 8 and 126 lbs and 5’3″. If all people I should know what it’s like being fat because is I used to weigh 172 lbs. And you know what I’m thin but I don’t really expect to get much smaller because I ha e no fat on my hip bones and I am very muscular . So many of y’all should feel awful because you think all teens and twenty somethings are thin size 2-6 (btw these are us sizes). I eat very healthy and am always watching my portions, so it’s not like I eat mcdonalds Daily. And everyone on here just needs to be happy with their selves and looks and not bash other peoples.
k ppl hello we just now have a shining moment in usa history.plus size modeling walking the runways of newyork that’s mean cute clothes for the plus women and girls of the world.k i use to be 185 and now i weight 145 pounds. i lost weight because i didnt want to.be overweight and unhealthly. it’s nothing wrong with having curves.k real women need to walk the runways too..girls dont need to strave themselfs to death to become a model lol. thats just plain old crazy and nuts. but at the same time is this plus size modeling saying its k to be fat? you tell me? as long ppl are happy with there body who cares.it’s there body not yours.ppl need to fine something else to do with their time.thank you everybody have a great day