Book Review – Hungry by Crystal Renn
When I first heard that Crystal Renn was coming out with a book I was ecstatic! First I thought, “Good for her and great for the industry,” then after the excitement began to wear off I wondered if the book would read as a diary of a former straight size model who nearly starved herself to death to only become the most famous plus size model to date.
After attending the book party at the Soho Grand on September 15th, I went home to read my complimentary copy of the book. To my surprise Crystal was open about her opinion on the plus size industry and beyond. She writes, “I know I’m too fat for some Vogue readers and too skinny for some Lane Bryant customers. That’s why diversity is so important.” She also compares the black issue of Italian Vogue where they devoted hundreds of pages of diverse black models in edgy and mood inspiring editorials and says, “So it should be with plus girls; we’re all different, as different as straight-size models.”
The book offers pictures of Crystal as a child – so adorable, and of her earlier days as a straight size model – scary but rounding off the book to really bring it in was all the statistics and information that sometimes is not readily available to us amidst the “fat” bashing in the media. Crystal brings us endless amounts of information about studies on what how your BMI number puts you into the overweight category, her views on the obesity epidemic and how she sees herself as a model in the industry.
If you thought the book was just fluff – its not. It’s worth reading cover-to-cover. You will enjoy it, clap for her triumphs and wince through her toughest times… and in the end, discover a new admiration for Crystal.
