Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves

I was super excited to read this, then I actually started it and I was kind of let down. I thought the voice, and the story, at the beginning were kind of... hm. Not what I was hoping for? I guess that's the best way to put it. But after I got into the second chapter something shifted and I really got into her story.

This is a wonderful book. It's a fascinating glimpse into the world of modeling for those of us who only see the end product, it has humor and witty asides all over the place, and there's tons of great statistics that are presented without making the text all boring and dry. This is what I'll be recommending to teen girls who are interested in modeling instead of that book [b:America's Next Top Model Fierce Guide to show more Life|5016449|America's Next Top Model Fierce Guide to Life The Ultimate Source of Beauty, Fashion, and Model Behavior|J.E. Bright|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51Q6Tz00s5L._SL75_.jpg|5083030]. It doesn't vilify the fashion industry or modeling in general, but it does address the problems that crop up when your working world revolves around your appearance.

Plus there are some great pictures included. I only wish they could have put in shots from every shoot she describes. Some of the outfits sounded pretty awesome. show less

When Crystal was 14-years old, a modelling scout saw her and told her she needed to lose a lot of weight (she was 5’9’’ and 165 lbs), but if she did, she could make it in the modelling world. Crystal decided this was what she wanted to do, and went down to 95 lbs before heading to New York City to seek out that scout and the Agency he was a part of. She suffered for three years with anorexia before she pulled herself together, only to become bigger, still (no pun intended!), in the plus-size modelling world (at a size 12 once her weight settled).

I thought this was really interesting. Horrifying how skinny she became. She did share photos in the book, as well. After her bout with anorexia, she seemed so much more positive about show more her body-image as a plus model. I did look her up online after, though, to see that she’s gone down a couple of sizes since. What an awful world that is, though – the fashion industry. show less

I knew next to nothing about Crystal Renn before reading this book, aside from her being a total babe. This was an interesting read, which certainly inspired me to be a little more interested by the fashion industry as a whole, and not just in its unjust treatment of not-stick-thin women. Crystal comes off as a likable, vivacious person, and the book often feels as though she's telling you her story in person, as a friend. Admittedly, I haven't read too many memoirs, so that may just be par for the course.

I do know that I enjoyed this book, and I found Renn's recovery from anorexia to be very inspiring as well as very lucky. If only every person afflicted by an eating disorder could have the same sort of epiphany as Crystal Renn.

I didn't particularly care for this memoir. It was written dully and since I had heard so much about Crystal Renn's story through magazine interviews that I didn't learn anything new. However, it you're new to how fat is demonized in this country even when studies prove it isn't as bad as the "Media" makes it out to be, you'll gleam a lot of info from this book. I'd gift this book to any teenage or preteen girl who feels like she has an imperfect body. Crystal Renn writes directly to that audience.

The thing about this book I found most interesting is how (seemingly) easily the author overcomes her struggle with anorexia. In all of the other books I've read about eating disorders, I got the impression that an eating disorder isn't something that you ever really recover from.

Interesting -- but even more so knowing that she went back to straight-model-size several years after her self-described 'epiphany' about resting into her natural, set-weight. I am genuinely curious as to what she would have to say about the story she presented here now that she's back to reducing to a size that is obviously below her size 12 set point... I certainly wish her well.

This is the story of Crystal Renn, the girl who was discovered by a model scout and became a high fashion model, and on the way became an anorexic and bulimic who obsessively exercised in an attempt to lose weight. Only after realizing that the standard of beauty demanded of straight size models was impossible to sustain and she began eating again did Crystal Renn truly become a supermodel, and a happier person. A harrowing tale, but an optimistic one for all that, this was an interesting read.