Crystal Renn would like people to quit telling her to go up a few sizes. The gorgeous brunette who became famous as a plus-sized model -- walking the runway at 175 pounds for fashion powerhouses like Jean Paul Gaultier and Chanel -- has been enduring criticism for losing weight in recent months.

Her status as a plus-size hasn't actually changed, since so-called plus-sized modeling starts at a size 8. Therein lies part of the disconnect between Crystal Renn's world and the rest of ours: Traditional plus sizes are 14 and above.

At her larger size, fans identified with Renn's curves. Fellow plus-sized model Emme said of Renn's weight loss, "For fans, there's a disappointment. They were relating to her as a full-figured woman at a size 14."

Renn is now speaking out via the the Ford Models Blog to address what she says are unrealistic public expectations of what a 'plus-size' model should look like. She credits yoga and hiking with her weight loss, and says she's not willing to compromise her healthier outlook on life to reclaim her larger clothing size.

This picture that people have created in their mind about what ‘plus size' actually is .... At this point in my life, I would have to have another eating disorder to live up to that expectation. I (once) had anorexia because someone else set the standard for me and I wanted to follow it.




I feel bad for her, because this is a bit of a no-win situation. On the one hand, she shouldn't be criticized for losing weight any more than someone should be criticized for gaining weight; on the other, her career has been built around being a beautiful, but atypical, model. I would fully expect her to lose jobs because of being exactly the size she is now: somewhere in between the painfully thin model stereotype and the curvier average female figure.

Are you disappointed Crystal Renn is no longer what you'd expect a plus-size model to look like?



Image via YouTube