V Mag's Plus-Size Issue Just a Stunt

Crystal Renn is the most successful, but others hope for more work

(NEWSER) - At 5 feet 9 and about 165 pounds, Crystal Renn doesn’t look plus-size in person—but she is the industry’s most successful plus-size model, and potentially the face of a new movement in fashion. “You’re not big,” said a surprised creative director when he met her recently for her appearance in V magazine’s “size issue”—but photographers often purposefully emphasize her size. More»

Fiercely Real Teen Model Search will end with contract, spread

(NEWSER) - Tyra Banks is jumping on the plus-size model bandwagon with a new modeling competition—the Fiercely Real Teen Model Search. “I've always felt it was my mission to expand the narrow perceptions of beauty,” she tells Us . Teens with dress sizes between 12 and 20 who stand 5'9" to 6'1" tall are eligible to compete for a one-year modeling contract and a spread in a major fashion magazine. More»

Crystal Renn recalls battle back to good health

(NEWSER) - In her teens, Crystal Renn punished herself relentlessly in pursuit of her dream of becoming a model. After years of self-inflicted hell, the 5-foot-9, 165-pound Renn has found success by being herself—she is now the world's highest-paid plus-size model. Time chats with her:

• On her introduction to modeling: "One day a scout came up to me and said 'Oh my gosh, you're going to be the next supermodel.' I didn't even know what that meant. He pulled out a picture of Gisele and said, 'This is who you can be.' But he said I had to lose nine inches off my hips."

Column blaming the thin trend on society's obesity gets lots of attention

(NEWSER) - Robin Givhan's recent Washington Post piece attempting to explain why models are so skinny—"the fatter the general population, the thinner the idealized woman," she wrote—spawned a number of responses in varying degrees of outrage. Read on for a sample:

• "'The culture' isn't insisting on emaciated models and greeting larger ones with hostility; the fashion industry is, and as such, it seems increasingly out of touch with consumer demands," writes Sady Doyle in Salon.

Agent reassures us she's not being unhealthy

(NEWSER) - Plus-size model Crystal Renn never looks “fat”—but tongues started wagging about her size after she walked in a recent Karl Lagerfeld Chanel show, looking, dare we say, skinny. But “she is not trying to lose weight at all,” her agent says. “She fluctuates between a 10 and a 14” and happens to be closer to a 10 right now, thanks to a Patagonia hiking vacation and lots of traveling. Check out a photo from the show in People . More»