models and weight

A lot is being said about Miss Renn right now. (see here: Crystal Renn) and I figured while I was at it, I'd add my two cents.
First of all, if you are a woman you need to read her book. Especially if you are a woman who has ever looked at herself in the mirror and not liked what you saw. It's honest, beautiful, blunt and inspirational. Seriously. Go buy it. Seriously. Best $5 you've spent in a while --> amazon
She has always been an inspiration to me. As you can see from the picture above, she is full figured and proud of it! She didn't come by it easily, she had to fight a harrowing battle with anorexia first and then come to love who she was on the other side. It's easy to find picture of her at either weight: "skinny" or "full-figured" and in my never so humble opinion, she looks great in both!

This is where we get to her personal affect on my life. I have always been big. I have always been size 13, I have always struggled with the muffin top over my jeans. Always. So exhausting has been my battle with weight loss that I have actually come to dilute myself into believing that fat is all I can be. "Big boned," "bigger girl," "naturally curvy" these are all euphemisms that have crept their way into my vernacular allowing me to sit back with my tub of cookie dough telling myself there is just nothing I can do! I'm just born this way!
But seeing these pictures of Crystal and how much she has gone up and down really shook me out of this. As of late she has been in the media because she is now a size 6. After writing a book and flaunting her hot mama size 16-ness, she is now flaunting her hot mama size 6-ness and swearing that it has come naturally. This weight loss has come from loving her body, eating healthy and exercising daily. I, for one, sing her praises! She is still an inspiration to me of loving your body at any size and now an example to me that I can- if I just pry that cookie dough out of my hands- naturally be a smaller size. And in this world of fat OR thin, this is the inspiration I really need!

Kate Dillion