Skinny VS Curvy

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Name: Jennifer Hawkins

Title: Miss Universe 2004

Age: 26

Nationality: Australian

Height: 5’11” / 1.80

Beauty queen Jennifer Hawkins was brave enough to go 1. naked and 2. un-retouched in and on the cover of Marie Claire Magazine. Even more, she pointed out her “flaws”, trying to prove that not even the most gorgeous women in the world are not tiny-creases-free, cellulite-free and picture-perfect. Also, Jennifer’s unphotoshopped cover picture will be auctioned to raise money for an eating disorders support group, since the idea behind the shoot is to promote positive body image and confidence.

“I’m not a stick figure – I thought it would be great to tell women to just be themselves and be confident.” … says stunning Jennifer.

The Huffington Post adds:

Editor Jackie Frank told The Australian the images were inspired by a survey of 5500 readers, which showed that only 12 percent of women were truly happy with their bodies. Marie Claire put Hawkins on the cover to make a positive statement about body image.

Let’s watch the video for more info (and see some more pics after the jump)!

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MTV’s presenter Alexa Chung has heard a lot of eating disorder-related rumors lately and she’s setting the record straight:

Last night Alexa’s spokeswoman Liz Matthews denied rumours the star had an eating disorder.

Liz insisted: “She’s a very slim build. That’s her sister’s build, her mother’s build. There’s no problem with her weight whatsoever.

“Everybody’s body looks different depending on what you wear. It’s very easy to find a picture with bones sticking out.

“Alexa’s weight hasn’t changed for four years and she takes her role as a style icon and someone young girls look up to very seriously.

“It’s just the shape of her body. Some people are born with a body that’s small and slender – there’s nothing she can do to make it any other shape.”

Source: News of the World

More pictures of Alexa from 2009 after the jump!

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Victoria Beckham will be following the ‘three bites rule’ over the Christmas holidays.

The singer-turned-fashion designer is determined to maintain her size zero figure and is said to be panicking at the prospect of eating a traditional roast turkey dinner with all the trimmings. Victoria doesn’t want to relax her strict diet and has come up with a plan to enjoy dining with her husband David, their three sons and chef Gordon Ramsay and his family on Christmas Day.

“Victoria is regimental about her food. There is barely a day when she isn’t controlling and counting calories. But she knows it would be pushing it too far to request steamed turkey or sea bass and vegetables at Christmas dinner,” a source told Closer magazine.

“She will join everyone in tucking into the big turkey, but will only have three bites from everything that is on offer – from three bites of smoked salmon on blinis to the turkey and mince pies. She has joked she would have a heart attack if she ate a whole Christmas dinner. Even thinking about it gives her a panic attack.”

Victoria is believed to work out for 45 minutes every day and limits her daily calorie intake to 700-900 calories. The 35-year-old star is so concerned about piling on the pounds during the festive season she is considering splashing out on an expensive piece of gym equipment.

“Victoria said she was thinking of having a Power Plate machine delivered to her home and joked she would be doing squats on it during the queen’s speech to burn off calories before the meal,” the source added.

Source: Herald Sun

I know there have been lots of rumors, but I can not possibly believe the 700-900 calories / day, every day part – even a tiny woman like her needs at least 1600 calories (Daily Caloric Needs Calculator) to maintain her weight, especially since she is also exercising. Also, I am hoping that the “thinking about food gives her a panic attack” is a complete exaggeration as well.

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You might remember that 35 year-old Alanis Morisette lost weight last year – People Magazine has a detailed story about it:

Morissette is proud of her new, fit body – because, for the first time, she achieved it in a healthy manner. In addition to her workout regiment, Morissette, 35, follows a mostly vegan diet inspired by Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s book Eat to Live. “I’m eating like an adult rather than like a 7-year-old at a candy store,” she says. “Now, around food, I can be trusted.”

The star’s eating issues began in her early teens, when the budding singer was told by a music exec that she had to lose weight if she wanted to succeed. She quickly took the criticism to an extreme, turning to anorexia and bulimia. “I’d go up and down at least 20 lbs. fast – sometimes in two weeks,” says Morissette, who became “covert, lonely and isolated.” After years of feeling helpless, she reached a turning point at age 17 when a friend “followed me to the bathroom,” she says. “I just started sobbing. She held me, and that was the beginning of the end. I took myself to therapy.”

But Morissette insists there was no heavy emotional issue behind her weight gain last year – not even her highly publicized 2007 split from fiance Ryan Reynolds… “Any breakup I’ve been through, the weeks following are fragile,” she admits. “But when I go through emotional shifts in life, I actually don’t eat as much.” So what was the cause behind the curves? Simply having fun on the road. “I was eating Italian food at two in the morning, drinking wine and margaritas,” says Morissette, who dubbed this period her “Indulgence Tour.” “It was the most fun I’ve ever had! But I didn’t want to stay there…”

[Inset information] The Book. Morrissette’s “redefining moment” came when she discovered Dr. Joel Fuhrman’s diet, which stresses nutrient-dense foods such as cucumbers and collards. “It was a big lifestyle change for me.”

Her Meals. The singer starts out with a spinach banana smoothie and then digs into a kale salad for lunch. For a snack, she’ll have her favorite grapefruit.

Mini indulgences. “If I’m PMSing and I really need chocolate, I’ll eat the chocolate.”

See a before & after after the jump!

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Plus-Size Model Crystal Renn (23) just released a book about her journey in the modeling world, a journey from size 0 to size 12: “Hungry – A Young Model’s Story: Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves”.

Here’s her summarized story: At age 14, Crystal told that she had to lose 9 inches from her hips in order to be a succesful model. As a result, Crystal went from 175 lbs to 95 lbs in just 2 years. At 16, Crystal dealt with anorexia and was a size 0(US). But then, there was a turning point:

At 17 my body completely rebelled. I couldn’t loose more weight and I realized I was going to die for a job. The next day I was completely chastised by my agency for my size and one agent pulled me aside and said, “There’s an option for you. You can either go plus-size or do commercial work.” And I asked, “What’s plus-size modeling? I’ve never heard of that.” And she said, “Well it means you can be whatever size you want and model.” But she said it was for old women! But for whatever reason, everything made sense and I knew this was the route I had to take. I went and had a salad with salmon and walnuts and olive oil. I gave into what my body needed. I could be healthy and happy and still model., says Crystal.

… and so, she was inspired to share her story in a book:

“I’d like to see everyone take on the attitude that there are women of all different shapes and sizes as `the beauty ideal,’ and that it’s not one type or another. There are women who are naturally a size 2 — you can’t forget them, and that’s discrimination the other way,” Renn said. “All women bring something different to the table and we have to appreciate them all.”

Some in the fashion, modeling and magazine industries have been receptive to the idea, she said, noting that she’s still working with her fuller figure in Vogue, Glamour, on the runway with Jean Paul Gaultier and in ads for Dolce & Gabbana. ”I believe there is a cycle to everything — Wall Street, the housing market, and modeling, too. Back in the Victorian days, it was all about a full figure, in the ’50s, it was about the boobs, in the ’80s it was shoulders and in the ’90s it was waifs,” she said. “It can only go up from here.”, says Crystal.

Check out the videos after the jump!

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