The stunning size 12 model branded ‘too fat’ for TV competition
Poured into a gold swimsuit, Make Me A Supermodel winner Jen Hunter looks as if this outfit was custom-made for her.
But the one-piece triggered a furious row about stick-thin models when her rival finalist Marianne Berglund appeared painfully underweight in the same attire.
Appearing here for the first time in the outfit which sparked the debate about size zero models, Miss Hunter - who was criticised on the show for being too fat - said: “This is what a real woman should look like.
“I am all curves and flesh, not skin and bone. Boys, who would you rather snuggle up to?”
Looking as different as chalk and cheese, the swimwear clings to Miss Hunter’s voluptuous curves and reveals acres of cleavage while on clinically underweight Miss Berglund, it shows her protruding hips and ribs and appears to hang off her.
Barmaid Miss Hunter, 24 - who weighs 11 stone and is a healthy size 12 - was reduced to tears when she was castigated on the reality TV show for not taking a food and exercise regime seriously.
Judge Tandy Anderson, managing director of Select Model Management, criticised her for having “stocky” legs while supermodel Rachel Hunter, a fellow panellist, reprimanded her for saying she wanted to prove larger women could be successful models.
Swedish blonde Miss Berglund, 18, who made it to the final with her, was meanwhile praised for having a “sensational” body for modelling despite having a body mass index of 16.1.
It fell well below the minimum BMI of 18 for models taking part in Madrid Fashion Week in September, set after catwalk model Luisel Ramos dropped dead from self-starvation.
But mother-of-one Miss Hunter triumphed when viewers voted her to the top female slot in the contest - and claimed she owed her success to her favourite dish of hotpot and chips.
In a refreshing admission which will have millions of women breathing a sigh of relief - and letting out their stomachs - she said: “It’s fantastic to know the public prefer a woman with a few wobbly bits over a stick insect.
“I am a northern lass - I like my hotpot and my shepherd’s pie and I have a very sweet tooth.
“My wardrobe is stuffed with clothes that don’t fit but I scrub up pretty well. I like to think men see me as a yummy mummy.”
Her confession comes after a chorus of calls for the fashion industry to stop using stick-thin and underweight models. Designer Giorgio Armani recently took a stand by banning size zero models from his shows.
Wigan-born Miss Hunter, who beat five female hopefuls to the top slot after refusing to bow to pressure, claimed her win proved women could not relate to skinny models.
The divorcee triumphed over eight-stone Miss Berglund - who was dubbed “the walking skeleton” - but was beaten to the overall prize of a modelling contract by a male competitor.
In a blog diary she kept throughout the show, in which she cheekily gave herself the nickname “fat bird,” she announced: “I am doing this for every hardworking single mum and every woman who isn’t a size eight or below.
“You don’t have to be a size eight to be beautiful. I am trying to change an industry that is so set in its ways and its definition of what is beautiful. It is so hard and harsh at times.
“You analyse every step you make, every mouth full of food you take. As long as I am being me, I am not going to regret anything I do.”
Rumour has it that Jen Hunter has been signed by http://www.capelondon.com (Cape London Model Management) and a big deal is looming - way to go Jen, who say voluptuous isn’t in!
ModelMark
23 Jan 07 at 9:36 pm
Jen is doing really well for herself, i have seen her in a few fashion mags, however i can understand what the critics have been saying. Clothes just look better on slimmer people. They hang better, they move better and they just look great on someone with no lumps or bumps
natasha
12 Apr 07 at 11:10 am
I think the last comment about how “Clothes just look better on slimmer people” should actually read “Clothes “designed for slimmer people” just look better on slimmer people. Clothes designed for bigger people look better on bigger people. Lets get a reality check here. If you made clothes for a bigger person and put it on a thinner person it would look just as bad as the reverse.
When a person is starving they can have - bad breath, skin problems, organ dysfunction, brain dysfunction, mood swings, no energy, sexual dysfunction. Perhaps we need to use a ‘balanced picture’ of size 0.
Sandy
25 Apr 07 at 2:27 am
You only have to look at those two pics side by side to understand what a healthy weight woman really looks like. The glam girl is lovely…the stick lady looks like she’s primed to keel over dead. Eek!
Never teh Bride
22 Jun 07 at 1:51 am
“Clothes just look better on slimmer people” - Did you *see* those pictures?
Auntie Em
18 Sep 07 at 11:34 pm
The model jen looks stunning in that picture,i cant believe anyone would think the stick thin look, looks good these people are unbelievably healthy and pictures like that girl is what puts younge girls under pressure.
Kerry S
26 Sep 07 at 12:31 pm
Taking a closer look at the photos, it’s interesting to note on the torso and up the waist looks about the same size… the difference really breasts and hips… curves vs. points.
Kat
1 Dec 07 at 7:19 am
I believe that the skinnier girl looks soooo much better… that’s what a model is supposed to be. if we allow these fat people to be models… then every random fat woman will be up there.
The model status will not be cherished and admired as much… A model is someone you look up to… and it is a special thing…
Raya
16 Feb 08 at 11:26 am
Whatever Raya,
The model is no more than a coat hanger. Anyone can puke and starve enough to look like that. I’m sorry, but it’s stupid to “admire and cherish” a “woman” who is nothing but a bag of bones. Do you really want your children, if you ever plan on having any….looking up to that, and feeling that’s what they must look like to be special. Ideas like that is why 8 year old’s think they need to be on diets, and are puking their guts up in the bathroom. Thanks Raya, for making the point that it is an amazing gift to be able to puke and starve to be a size zero.
Whatever
22 Feb 08 at 5:37 am
You know what… would you like your child to be fat and not accepted by society!! cos you know what fat ppl are so not accepted by others… I surely know that fat ppl are so not part of my life… i hate them… despise them… they must go on a diet… tho I am against puking… but then don’t eat! you probably are overweight yourself.. so you know what? stop hating and go on a diet… clothes would fit you better and ppl will tell you how much better you look…
Raya
23 Feb 08 at 8:17 pm
jen looks sensational. the stick is not a model she is on deaths door clear to see! Size 0 is plague i truly cant see how a debate starts on that?!? Whatever size you are be grateful your breathing and enjoy life forget the trivial details ike a few pounds and how many calories are in a jammy dodger, embrace what you’ve got. i think you above may need to see someone, not eating? nothings worth that. all the best.
Rebecca
25 Feb 08 at 10:50 pm
Raya, just because you starve yourself and think that you look good afterwards, doesnt mean other people think you look good. you discust me at how you can think that Stick is beautiful, you are very sad and sick.
Hayley
26 Feb 08 at 3:17 pm
I have read some of these posts and let me say this…
I know the industy inside and out and have been in it for many years. I know the pain and sorrow it brings us models when people tell us to lose weight and weigh 115lbs at 5′9″, which is 15 pounds underweight. BUT when you know the extent of the industry as I do, you will understand it is necessary. You might be thinking “no it isnt! How sick can you be to be asking this of a young girl?” but, to be completely honest, it all comes down to money. If you are larger than others… it takes more fabric and more time for the designers, which all costs MONEY. Designers arent going to hire people who have unwanted curves that arent going to show off their intricate designers splendidly. Besides, it would take too much time to make a pattern for people with different body types. MODELS ARE SIMPLY WALKING COATHANGERS. Thats the sad reality. You are paid money to look good… just some girl take it too far and develop earting disorders because they arent able to handle the rejection or are too lazy to work out and eat right.
Nikki
27 Feb 08 at 9:08 am
Actually Raya,
I’m quite normal. I do compete in fitness competitions, which I’m sure your starving coathanger could never do, since she looks as though she barely has the ability to stand. There’s nothing wrong with being fat as long as you are happy with yourself. It’s better than being a PIG like you. One of these days you’ll learn that there is soooo much more than appearances. If you are that shallow, then you deserve to be that stupid. It’s better to be fat and made fun of then skinny and DEAD because you refuse to eat.
Whatever
28 Feb 08 at 12:49 am
Which one of these girls looks happy? … That’s what I thought.
I’ve noticed that almost every sinlgle weak twig that girls love to call Thinspiration nowdays always has a sour look on their face.
Raya–Congrats on being skinnier than everyone else. You are a far better person than doctors, scientists, people in the service, people who care about making the world a better place… And so on.
… Perhaps the only reason you weigh less is because you lack a brain (Hence, the horrible typing).
>B
Belinda
28 Feb 08 at 8:30 pm
i agree that Jen looks gorgeous.
what, no, ultra thin people should not be looked to as role models. personally i am very weight conscious, i’m a skinny-normal weight but i too want to be skinny like so many people nowadays
and it ruins your life, spending so long thinking about food, how much you’ve eaten, and it’s so hard to be happy. i wish so badly that i wouldn’t care, and i can go back to how i was. Jen looks perfectly happy and healthy, and that’s what matters.
Melanie
2 Mar 08 at 6:18 pm
You know what… it doesn’t matter how much you love yourself… but if you are fat, you are fat… now tell me… who would you rather prefer to be seen in public with? sum obese looking person? or a beautiful skinny girl?? and models are meant to be skinny!! that’s why they are called models!! ok!! fat models?? ja… whoever thought of that.. but lemme not create any more fuss…. as it seems you shall never reach my level of thinking or we shall never think the same…. so you can believe want you want and so will i… guess everybody has a right to speak out and say what they mean… but as soon as you oppose a topic… ppl jump out at you like lions… oh well…. i prefer skinny ppl in my life… unlike all of you
Raya
4 Mar 08 at 6:48 pm
why does everyone think the girl on the left looks good?!!! the one on the right is way too skinny…but the one on the left is not exactly god’s gift to men either. She shouldn’t be amodel…her legs are too large. Look at someone like Eva Mendez…that’s a nice model body. And what does she mean guys who would you rather snuggle up too?
She’s not exactly better than the anorexic chic. Anyone could snuggle up to her cuz her thighs looks like large pillows of fat.
jd
11 Mar 08 at 5:18 am
Raya,
I don’t care that you have an opinion. It’s just sad to think that in this day of progressive thinking, you are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO shallow that you limit your friends based on how they look. I hope you never have children, because society needs to evolve. (Besides, your probably too skinny to have kids anyways.) All I’m saying is that just because you are skinny, you aren’t beautiful. (I’ve seen LOADS of ugly skinny people and beautiful plump people.) And if you are that focused on how you look, you probably don’t have much going for you in the brain dept….so once your looks fail, and you start to gain weight because you get older, and your skin starts to sag because there is nothing underneath to keep it up…I hope then you find something you like about yourself other than looks. Because honey…metabolism slows…looks fade….youth fades…pretty is skin deep…but ugly is to the bone. There’s more to life than being skinny. And I’m not being mean…I know because I’ve been so focused on how I look, that I forgot everything around me. I focused on being skinny, and pretty..and you know what…I got stuck in a rut and took the people I cared about for granted. Then one day I woke up…and I had lost some of those a greatly cared for. And instead of spending my days focusing on life and enjoying them…I spent it miserable worrying about a few measly pounds. I can lose the weight…but I can never get back that time I lost.
Whatever
11 Mar 08 at 4:03 pm
Oh yeah, and Raya, look at their faces..I KNOW you are lying if you tell me the coathanger has a prettier face. She looks like a skinny, pissed off guy! Skinny doesn’t always equal pretty.
Whatever
11 Mar 08 at 9:01 pm
Stop hating peeps
Skinny ppl are better 
Raya
12 Mar 08 at 9:00 am
Not hating on anybody. I’m just saying that not everyone is made to be a pin-thin (doesn’t mean your fat either…most are somewhere in between..) But if you spend your life focusing on being skinny….you are going to miss so much and have so many regrets. Like I said, I’ve been there….and I will regret it until the day I die. I didn’t go visit my dad because I was on a diet and didn’t want to break it…but I never thought that would be the last chance I got to visist him….all because of a stupid diet so I could lose some stupid weight. I lost weight, but I also lost my dad.
Whatever
12 Mar 08 at 3:02 pm
Everybody has their own weight preferences but clearly the thinner model is seriously unhealthy and anybody can see that by looking at her picture…..
Don’t you all agree that we should stop judging people by their size and stop putting ideas in young people’s head with the idea of ‘thinspiration’?
SarahStudent
13 Mar 08 at 4:03 pm
Guys, I guess we’ll never get to a mutual decision on this… so… whatever… i’ve said all i needed to
Raya
15 Mar 08 at 9:36 am
I have read everyone’s comments, and I totally agree with one comment, it is true that clothes always look better with skinny people. To be totally honest, yes the model looks O.K in the first picture, she could of lost a stone, and she would be fine, I think she went a bit over the top though!
Bryiny
16 Mar 08 at 11:06 pm
You people are absolutley deluded and need to seek help
The skinny model needs to realise that the attention seeking is only going to kill her, hurt her family and be another statistic!! Isn’t that great?
Wake up and smell the food!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
John
16 Mar 08 at 11:55 pm
ARE YOU KIDDING ME? im sitting here reading all of these posts and all i see is “she is killing herself! do you seriously think she looks good? she is too bony and disgusting!” she has a disease and a mental condition causing this… she must be really unhappy with herself and doesnt have an appetite.
there are two types of people, those who over-eat when they are depressed, and those who DONT eat at all when they are depressed. should we really bitch at someone with this kind of disorder? and you wonder why we are so messed up…
Nikki
17 Mar 08 at 8:40 am
Skinny ppl are better,,,, stop hating. praise them
Raya
17 Mar 08 at 12:19 pm
Nikki- When you say :’and you wonder why we are so messed up…’
refering to yourself and others who have eating disorders, frankly I don’t think people care, there are more pressing matters in the world that actually do matter. If I or anybody else cared about every single unhappy person I come accross it would make my life impossible.
WE don’t wonder and spend a lot of time why you have eating disorders or anything or want to bitch you all the time were trying to open your minds to the reality of your illness.
John
17 Mar 08 at 2:43 pm
John:
first off, i never said i had an eating disorder. sure, ive had my fair share of problems, but so has 99.9% of the world. when i said “and you wonder why we are so messed up” i meant “we” as a society. the world around us is so incredibly screwed up, and nobody does anything about it. i am just trying to point out that its that we are adding to the fire by critizing someone in the condition. its like teasing and torturing a kid for being fat. its basically the same thing, and its just tragic that nobody sees that.
also i found the fact that you said “there are more pressing matters in the world that actully do matter” very disturbing. you obviously dont understand the weight of the disorder (no pun intended). most people that criticize dont know the first thing about anorexia.
Nikki
17 Mar 08 at 6:55 pm
also i found the fact that you said “there are more pressing matters in the world that actully do matter†very disturbing……………
So an eating disorder isn’t as important as third world poverty, child abuse and unlawful killings ??
Get real!
John
17 Mar 08 at 7:42 pm
well think about it. anorexia is simply a slow suicide. a punishment. i find it to be a very important and sensitive issue.
and i bet our world wouldnt be as screwed up, if people actually cared for another human being besides themself. if we all helped a little bit, if we all cared, if we all gave, we wouldnt be so screwed up. anything involving murder or abuse or rape or suicide or starvation is horrific, but alas, we have wicked humans killing and raping because they “feel” like it. i dont mean to get into a polemic, but honestly, you sit here and say that there are worse things than anorexia that we should worry about…. yet what are you doing to help? there are more people contributing to the iniquities of the world than actually putting aside their personal wants and needs and doing something about it.
Nikki
18 Mar 08 at 4:03 am
there’s nothing wrong with anorexia…. being fat is wrong
Raya
19 Mar 08 at 1:05 pm
Well go on being anorexic and kill yourself….how selfish…to do that to your family. And personally…while I’ll agree that SOME clothing looks better on skinny..(but sorry NOT EMACIATED) models…I saw a runway show with the playboy bunnies…and WOW…clothing looked WAY better on them. Well..maybe they just look so much better than the emaciated model that designers are afraid people will focus on the model..not the design. In that case it makes sense as to why they choose homley and emaciated models. Skinny people ain’t better…REAL WOMEN have CURVES…girls are skinny. But…obesity is just as much a problem as anorexia. It’s just another way to slowly kill yourself. Why can’t people just be happy– and healthy with the body they were given. Not everyone’s meant to be a size zero…but on the flipside…I just don’t think anyone is meant to be a size 26. It’s not healthy either.
Whatever
19 Mar 08 at 3:45 pm
raya, i cant beleive you’d think that a skinny person like that is healthy. If you think like that, it obvious you have problems yourself, and need some help. anorexia is a disorder for a reason, that people who have it need help before they kill themselves of malnutrition. the girl who is size 12 is obviously fitter and wiser to actually eat FOOD than starve to be someone they’re not. Get real and get help raya. If you dont you’ll starve like that anorexic and wont live to see you’re kids grow up, let alone have kids.
sarah
21 Mar 08 at 9:45 am
Raya-
i give you props. you have managed to get a rise out of every single Jen-fan here. good work =] hahahaha.
Nikki
21 Mar 08 at 5:09 pm
There’s nothing wrong with being Curvy!!! I’m a curvy girl and i love it! In my opinion clothes look way better on curvier girls coz they fall better on the bust and hips! Yes some styles of clothing do suite skinnier people, i wont denigh that, but i would much rather be a healthy curvy person than a skinny person who looks like death! Jen looks great in that pic the swimming costume looks like it was made for her figure but the other girl just looks really really ill.
Cato
23 Mar 08 at 5:38 pm
I’m a curvy girl and i love it! sure perhaps i could lose some weight, but not to the extent that i’m on deaths door! A lot of clothes look good on skinny people, that’s true but the same can still be said for curvy women as well! AT least i know that with my curvs i give great huggs :D! I do feel sorry for the girls who are anorexic but if they are then it’s up to them and the modeling agencies to see sense and to get them some help! I praise Giovani Armani for speeking out about too thin models and using girls with REAL curvs!
Cat
23 Mar 08 at 5:46 pm
To be skinny is such an achievement… you don’t have to be conscious of your body and you can find more clothes’ sizes that will fit… I think that just like people who think that their is a problem with anorexic and bulimic people and think they shoud be sent to a rehab clinic… .the same thing should be done for fat people and obese people… if any of you agree with me please add me on facebook
we have plenty of groups that support my thinking
Raya
24 Mar 08 at 10:04 am
Sorry to break it to all of you, but there are people who are naturally that skinny. I’m “technically underweight,” and couldn’t gain weight if I tried. My BMI is 16.2 - I eat healthily and sometimes unhealthily, I exercise frequently, and lead a generally healthy lifestyle. The fact that all of you assume the girl on the right has an eating disorder scares me.
Yes, the girl on the left looks better in these pictures, however, how much of that is due to the way she’s posed and the background? She is lit flatteringly, her legs are posed in a way to make them look smaller, her hands are on her hips, which creates the illusion of them being smaller, she has been told to smile, her hair and makeup are done much better.
Labelling all thin women as “anorexic” is incredibly insulting, and quite disturbing. You wouldn’t look at someone who seemed nervous and tell them “you’re schizophrenic, you hear voices, you need to go get help, you’re disgusting” would you? If you saw someone with old, healed cuts on their arms, you wouldn’t tell them “you’re depressed, it’s disgusting, people who aren’t are better than you.” You just don’t know if someone has a mental disorder by looking at them, and assuming all thin people/models have eating disorders is ridiculous and insulting. The number of people who have told me I’m anorexic and I should get help rises almost daily. I know, and my doctor knows, that I lead a healthy lifestyle, and am anything but anorexic.
Saying that REAL women have curves is also incredibly insulting. I do have curves - my waist-hip ratio is 0.8, which has been determined to be the most attractive waist-hip ratio to men through clinical studies. I wear a 32C bra - naturally. I’m pretty sure I’m a “real” woman, and actually a pretty attractive one at that. Men don’t seem to have any inhibitions about snuggling up to me.
Kate
24 Mar 08 at 3:27 pm
Raya I’ve seen your facebook and trust me, doesn’t matter how skinny you are it won’t fix that face of yours.
Being too skinny or too fat is “generally” unattractive, but there’s always someone out there who finds skinny or fat people attractive. So saying “no ones wants to see big people” is wrong, since you aren’t everyone.
Skinny people aren’t the only bad people, though. It’s more accepted to put down skinny people for whatever reason. I’m guessing because bigger people feel more self conscious since a big percent of models are skinny?
Martin
24 Mar 08 at 6:26 pm
after reading this…my only question (as I may have missed something here)
why is everyone diagnosing these woman as people with any issues at all? who is to say this girl is anorexic, or that the other one doesnt TRY to be anorexic just to be the larger size she is….Who is to say they are depresessed? Maybe this is just how they look. Just as I diet and still stay larger, i have friends that try to eat because they are too thin- sometimes you just can not change who you are. As long as you are healthy- who gives a you-know-what what others think??!?? i hope they are both laughing at everyone here! Although, i think it is a wonderful debate- maybe just one better generalized with out some strangers pictures….
sam
25 Mar 08 at 7:28 pm
Dear kate, thanx for your opinion which I must say I completely agree with…
and martin… how would you know which Raya I am?? there’s plenty? and please stop hating
Raya
26 Mar 08 at 5:17 pm
Jesus. As long as people are happy about themselves, with no pretenses bothering them, who cares how you look. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
An earlier post here saying skinny people don’t have to worry about their looks, is not true. I’m naturally skinny, 5′3” and a hundred pounds (99 lbs actually i think) and have a small frame. I used to be 95 lbs and looked really unhealthy. It took me 2 years to gain only four pounds (mainly through building muscle mass). I look a little bit fine now, but wish I could gain more, because my standard of beauty is having a little bit of mass. So it really depends on what you see as beautiful. But most importantly, people have to have a healthy outlook in life. I don’t hate myself for not being able to gain more weight easily. I accept it as an imperfection. And I think I’m beautiful even if I’m imperfect. Everybody has something to nitpick about themselves; everybody has differences. But it shouldn’t cause them to hate themselves or hate others, or to think of themselves either as superior or inferior or to judge others just like that. Because I’m sure somewhere out there, there’s at least one person who thinks you’re beautiful, and at least one other who thinks you’re not. But whichever you are is not up to them. It’s entirely up to you.
Pauleen
16 Apr 08 at 12:03 pm
Raya, you lost credibility from pretty much when you mentioned aneroxia to be a good thing. We can all clearly see intelligence isn’t your thing.
Well yeah, Jen’s legs aren’t perfect but guess what, she’s so much hotter than Miss Berglund there. I mean, this isn’t about who’s happier, healthier etc. modelling should be pretty much just the hottest of the hot chicks out there. And Jen despite being larger, is hotter, there’s no denying that
Alluette
17 Apr 08 at 12:41 am
HELLO.NICE PICTURE
MAHAN
20 Apr 08 at 7:10 am
Raya,
YOU stop hating. Wasn’t it you that said: “I hate them… Despise them” about fat people?
What if you met the coolest person online who shared all of your interests, thoughts, and sense of humor to find out that they were heavy? But to you size 10 is probably heavy.
-B
PS: To the guy that said that Jen is fat… Get real. It’s guys like you that deserve a swift kick in the nuts on the behalf of all of the girls who STARVE themselves to get attention from pigs like you.
PSS: Kate–Kudos to you for just being yourself!
Belinda
21 Apr 08 at 10:26 pm
hey,ive read alittle bit of your swearing to ehac other and my opion is that everybody should do what they,want and really anorexic people doesnt look beautifull ,better to be normal that anorexic sad and depressed,but these designers want to hang over their fashion pffffff fuck them all ,all these magazines show children and people have to be ……everybody should live how they mean and anorexic people should die .,its their own faults …..
Someone
1 May 08 at 3:29 pm
let’s be careful not to let the pendulum swing too far the other way! I know there is a major problem in media’s portrayal of women and it needs to be addressed but this might not be the best example. BOTH OF THESE WOMEN ARE AT AN UNHEALTHY WEIGHT. And both face real medical repercussions because of it. Jen does not eat healthy and does not exercise very much. How is that being a good role model. The article doesn’t talk much about Marianne’s habits but I don’t think she does any kind of aerobic exercise because if she did she would probably have a little more muscle on her thighs. And if she’s not working out then i can’t imagine that she’s eating much. I feel like i can relate to Jen in that I have had a history of bad diet mixed with sedentary lifestyle. I was unhealthily overweight (obese by medical terms. about the same as jen, maybe a little slimmer). In my case I wanted to lose weight to look good. But i couldn’t do it. My motivation was too tied to the super skinny image so universally idealized until recently. and depression slips in when your not fitting your ideal image. I couldn’t stay on an exercise program and healthy diet when my motivation was good looks. It wasn’t until I found my motivation in the health of my body(mainly, having a strong healthy heart and also secondarily a well aligned musculoskelatal structure)that i was able to stick to longterm healthy eating and healthy lifestyle. I’m happy, i have more energy, i feel way more agile than before, and as a happy side effect my body is looking pretty good these days. healthy. I like the comment above that referenced eva mendez as a better heroine. I think we need to remember that just as serious as the “skinny” problem is the “obese” problem and we don’t want to swing from this platform right over to that platform.
kris
2 May 08 at 7:14 pm
oh, also i wanted to say that for all i know marrianne is eating healthily and exercising and in order to optimize her health she just needs to put on a little weight. there are actually some women with this body type. also i know that there are many women who eat healthy and work out and have bodies similar to jen’s, especially women who have given birth multiple times. It would still be ideal for them to try and figure out a way to shed some of that dangerous fat but not at the expense of their healthy diet.
The point is- when talking about these things we need to be careful not to categorize every skinny woman as a horrible person with eating disorders and every obese woman as a lazy pig. that is soooooo hurtful to the women who are naturally that way despite or as a result of a good diet and exercise.
kris
2 May 08 at 7:28 pm
Models are not role models for god’s sake!
what do models do to be called a “role model”? they have to be born pretty, walk good and take pictures!! come on! most of them can’t spell their own names, a role model for me is someone who works hard, study and has people to love, not just a girl with good genes.
Please girls burn all your magazines and read a book.
Greetings from Argentina!
Vic
3 May 08 at 3:29 am
Marianne is just naturally thin! You can tell from her bone structure that her frame is really long and compact. In all the footage of group meals, we all see her eating normally like everyone else (except perhaps for Jen who actually GAINED weight in the house).
My problem with Jen is that she said something about her goal being to change the way the public looks at beauty and modeling. In order to change the standard or “break the mold,” one must be spectacularly exceptional (”exception,” as in exception to the rule, being the operative word here). Jen is pretty enough and wears clothes quite well, but I’m sorry, she simply isn’t spectacularly exceptional enough to change the standard. She joined a show about supermodels, not plus-size or average working models, so it was only right for the judges and other industry experts (and the public!!!) to expect her to supermodel-sized.
Marianne may not have been the nicest person in the house (and because of the language barrier, it’s difficult to guess what she might have actually said had she had all the right linguistic tools), but Jen’s incessant kissing up and manipulative on-camera antics (she bloody LIED about having an illness that the doctor couldn’t find!!!) irritated me so much that I switched channels every time she started in on one of her spiels. I’m so bloody happy she didn’t win (yes, Albert and Luke sooo deserved to be in that final, and I’m sure Marianne was signed right after she was released from the show anyway).
I think that Jen and Waz would do much better as TV presenters. Perhaps they should host a show together and let the sparks fly!
Gabby
3 May 08 at 10:16 pm
hey guys. i feel really saddened reading these comments - why are you guys fighting each other? you all disagree - when in the history of the earth have all people agreed on anything? youre opinions on weight are as differnet as your weights themselves. for the record i’ll say their are bits i agree with and bits i dont but you know what? its pointless to sit here argueing when theres life to be lived. i see that this person raya has annoyed a lot of people, but to be honest, arguing with her wont change her opinion. she is a person who has every right to have an opinion, as well as kate and nikki belinda and everyone else. she thinks slim people are beautiful, larger people arent. the person ‘watever’ believes this is ridiculous, that emaciated people dont have a place on the catwalks and that real women have curves. you guys, does it matter what we say to eachother??? i personally have felt uncomfortable in my own skin. i have been slightly overweight and then dependant on my eating disorder and having eventually turned to eating healthily and taking care of my body, i have to say that you are both right and yet both incredibly wrong. healthy comes in all shapes and sizes - seriously, thats not just said to make us all stop starving ourselves to find a ‘perfect’ weight, its actually true. i have a friend who is naturally a (UK)size 14, and she is so healthy and fit - she can do that russian dance thing, you know when you squat down and jump up reli fast for ages cause shes got amazing muscles and she is happy with her weight. clothes look amazing on her. i also have a friend who is a UK size six, a US size 2 and shes perfectly healthy. shes petite, gorgoeus and has never had annorexia or helth problems because of her weight - neither have. they both recieve tonnes of compliments but there are also those who think shes too fat or shes too skinny. you cant please everyone.everyones different and thats the way it should be. real women come with curves - and real women come without curves. if we were all slim there wudnt be this problem and if we were all curvy we wudnt either. all you guys are beautiful to a lot of people, i bet my life on that. im nineteen years old, 5″6, 9stone exactly and a size 10. im big to some and tiny to others. but to my friends and family i am perfect whatever size i am. we’re all free to think whatever we want about peoplw who are bigger or smaller than us but whats the point? the media have their own ‘perfect size’ but we all cant be the size they choose because it wud be unhealthy for a lot of us. there are people who are endangering their health by eating too little or too much and both are bad because you’re destrying the body you were given. we shouldnt be constantly comparing ourselves to others. we should be sitting thinking (if it is the case) that i have legs and no matter what shape they enable me to walk and explore, or i have a mind which enables me to live, to think and to feel emotion. so is there any point in saying ‘youre smaller than a size 8 - you must be sick’ or ‘people bigger than a size 12 are fat and ugly’? we should respect food as the thing that keeps us alive and not abuse it. make the new ideal to make the most of your body by taking care of it, not undernoursihing it or overindulging. the reason were at eachothers throats is because the medias been this way for so long that wev been brainwashed. curvy girls criticising slim girls for not looking like ‘real women’ is as stupid as people above size 8 being labelled fat. i beleieve that the reason slim people are used as models is because of the cost of material and because curvy women are curvy in various places and difficult to tailor for wheras with slim people ther is a more straightforward sillhouette. but i think that any designer worth his slat should be able to tailor for larger ladies as well. i dont sit here to patronize, im sorry if it sounds like that. i just know the pain associated with eating disorders as ive had bulimia since i was 11 and have now recovered and realised how simple it really is. our bodies are instruments for us to live in on earth. while we are debating who is prettier, sexier, healthier or better, we are forgetting to live our lives and we cant get that time back. please dont forget that the two models jen and marianne are people with lives and both deserve to be happy, be loved and to feel free to live whatever life they chose whatever their size. i really didnt want to say do whatever you want and think whatever you want but i respect that you guys will and you should, but please just think about this. we are all the same underneath the skin, the fat, the clothes - and we all deserve to live life. so whatever you guys decide to do, whether its to eat what you want or chose to see some people in a different light because they weigh less/more than somebody else, please remember that no one can let you feel bad about yourself unless you let them. dont let this obsession with weight stop you creating a life you want cause we only get one go at this and no ones getting out alive. heck no ones even getting out with their body. and please know that i truly feel this way, im not saying this just to make people feel better or worse, this is the truth and realising it has set me free. and i know that in the future whether i stay this newfound healthy size, if i go up to a size 16 or shrink to a size 6, i will think what i think right now. take care guys
karen
4 May 08 at 9:58 pm
p.s. if anyone wants to talk, my hotmail is polomcsnow@hotmail.com.
karen
4 May 08 at 9:59 pm
oh my god jen looks stunning!!!
i’m 15, which is probably the worst age when it comes to eating and body image etc. i used to worry loads about my weight, now at size 10-12 i would much rather keep the curves than look like the other one.
all she needs is a good dinner down her neck!!
amber
5 May 08 at 10:33 pm
Wow what a stir. Reya, Fact is starving yourself can kill you see below
In August 2006, 22-year-old Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos died after starving herself. She had tried to live on nothing but Diet Coke and lettuce leaves for three months. Six months later, her sister Eliana Ramos, 18, was found dead in her bedroom. She, too, had worked as a model and her death is also linked to malnutrition and anorexia. In November of the same year, 21-year-old Brazilian model Ana Carolina Reston died from anorexia. Both models had a Body Mass Index of considerably below the critical 16 mark, which the World Health Organisation considers starvation.
However I do agree that being healthy (not necessarily skinny) is an important part of life and like anything it requires effort & maintanance. just like paying off a morgage or working on a career, health (i.e your strength, cardio fitness, flexibility and nutrition) should be maintained at an optimal level. Too me there is two ways of being unhealthy when it comes to weight and that is overweight (having trouble caring your extra weight up a flight of stairs) and includes underweight (looking more like a skeleton then a human). And we should care if we are either of these.
Steph
13 May 08 at 4:59 am
i have read through all these comments and i have to say i agree with Karen. Everyone is different and unique. and everyone finds different things attractive. to me, obviously Jen looks more attractive between the two pictures and marianne is too skinny. but i also think that it’s not a fair comparison. marianne’s photographer should be shot for that picture. it’s terrible. I think the main thing people need to keep in mind is this: no matter the size, whether its 4 or 18, it matters that the girl is healthy both in mind and body. and it matters that the girl knows that she is beautiful, no matter what others say. WE are different people with different likes and dislikes. I say, Be healthy and love who you are.
Bethany
16 May 08 at 6:48 am
Hey does anyone here think this “Raya” person is a hoax? I mean, we all know what ’she’ is writing is ridiculous. And it certainly sparked conversation!
But if not: Raya, there are clinics out there for the mentally ill like you sugar (oh, woops, did calling you ’sugar’ make you put on 5 pounds? Quick go vomit again to keep your quite obvious self-loathing at bay!!)
Pick up any psychology textbook and turn to the chapter on self projection. What you hate in the world is just a rejected part of yourself.
Hey babe, you’re a gorgeous, big voluptuous woman trapped in the body of a starving idiot filled with judgement and fear.
Peita
16 Jun 08 at 12:56 pm
Vouch to what nikki said she’s completely right, the modeling industry is and should be completely superficial, it all comes down to money and advertisement, it saves money and time to have a standard ideal of beauty in terms of weight and size. And there is always a right way and wrong way to do something, it’s not the modeling industry’s problem that girls are starving themselves as an easy way out. If you workout religiously and have an extremely healthy diet its completely possible to have a very thin figure, yes, it’s work, but it’s what models are paid to do. If you didn’t have to be so thin or fit an ideal body type, it would be too easy for anyone to become a model which would decrease the industry’s demand for models, which in turn would decrease pay roll dramatically. Also, that “full body” girl is ugly as shit anyway, regardless of her body weight.
Mia
16 Jun 08 at 4:19 pm
Ok ok all you ‘thin’ lovers, remember your point of view is just a fad too (and comments like ‘ugly as shit’ are indicative of the real problem, Mia. Remember, its self-projection.). Only in the past 100 years or so, compared to the entire recorded history of humanity, has thin = attractive (normally it equalled weak, diseased and barren, ie not a good genetic line to continue). And in that time about 50 years (the early 1900s, and the last 3 or 4 decades) have been devoted to worshipping thinness. Marilyn Monroe, the symbol of feminine beauty of last century was a size 14; the 1940s and 50s marked a reprieve from thin worship. This of course coincided with women being yanked back out of the workforce (after the war years) and shoved back into the safe ‘containment’ (for many, downright imprisonment) of the home.
Many people recognise that the oppression of women just shifted focus as we again came out of the confines of the home and the only role for women of the time, in the 70s, and women’s bodies became the terrain of oppression. Don’t kid yourselves, unless you get yourself educated and break down some of the negative views that you were raised within the context of and that surround us every day, your opinion is not your own. Its the result of advertising and the media, the result of corporations in fashion, ‘beauty’, weightloss and ‘fitness’, investing in your insecurity, presenting you with an almost impossible ideal that you’ll have to spend so much time and money trying to live up to. These corporations only exist because you’ve been duped into thinking that the way you were born is not ok, not inherently perfect. Industries dont care about people, about you or your health, they care about money. The real problem with this whole thing is that we buy it, hook, line and sinker. Unless you completely accept yourself (and for you thin-addicts this could mean experimenting with giving up dieting or going to the gym, putting on 20 pounds and STILL loving yourself without judgement, ie being psychologically out of the grips of the brainwashing of these corporations), you are the product of the greed and cynicism of a boardroom full of suits who WANT you to hate ‘fat’ people so that you’ll be terrified of being that way yourself & they can take your money. Your opinion is not your own. Instead of hating what you see in others, why dont you spent a little time imagining what it would be like if you really thought that a natural, healthy, vibrant fuller body was utterly beautiful to you, and more importantly, something powerful and meaningful to you? How free would YOU feel? How strong would you be? We all struggle with this. Lets get real about it. Turn it back on the money machines that started it and desperately want to keep it going! It may not be easy, but it is simple. Open your eyes. Ps, I think everyone that wrote anything here is very courageous, even if you dont think you are.
Peita
17 Jun 08 at 4:51 am
marilyn monroe was classed as beautiful and still is today she was a role model to 1000s of women out there, and she was a size 14 curvy and naturally beautiful, i think its pretty obvious who looks better in this picture, she looks healthy and happy, unlike that bag of bones to the right SKINNY PEOPLE ARE DISGUSTING
ellen
18 Jun 08 at 11:39 am
I think on behalf of both of these pictures there a happy median, as long as you feel good and feel confident in how you look (aswell as being healthy) be how you wish. In life people waste so much time judging others and worrying how people are judging them, sooner or later everyone needs to realize your life is yours and no-one eles, live it how you wish and if that involves being “skinny or “curvy” so be it.
Stevie
22 Jun 08 at 8:03 pm
obese is ugly, anorexic is ugly. they’re both unhealthy. get of ur ass & exercise and eat healthily. if u are naturally skinny and are healthy u will look it and vica versa. the girl on the left looks like she eats too much sugar and greasy fatty food(there’s nothing wrong with her size, she just needs 2 exercise and turn the blob into muscle), the girl on the right’s face is haggard and ill looking, but maybe its just a bad photo. lefty isn’t that pretty and probably only won because most people who votted are fat and lazy. even if she was the same size as the other girl she doesnt have a model face. the other girl is too skinny but her face is prettier and she poses better(i googled them). she just needs a few pounds(of muscle) anyway i’m going for a run, lifting sum weights and then having some steamed veg and fish for dinner yum!happiness
happy&healthy
4 Jul 08 at 7:20 pm
Why do all of you keep saying that she’s too thin? I mean, look at her face. She’s really TOO FAT for her length. If she would lose ten pounds she would look a lot better!
Jem
14 Jul 08 at 10:37 am
I think the one on the left looks wayyy better then the right. she looks DISGUSTING! I bet she can’t play any sports or go on a hike or anything enjoyable! I’m 5′8 and 135 lbs. I’m a 7 time track state champion as a sophmore in highschool. I have a 26 inch waist…BUT I HAVE BIG MUSCULAR LEGS! and it looks good! I would MUCH rather be healthy and muscular then a TWIG! EAT SOME FOOD!!!!!!!
Shannon
19 Jul 08 at 3:09 am
oh yeah and Raya, wouldnt you want to be recognized for an ACTUAL accomplishment? I’ve been in many newspapers…and people know my name because i’m an exceptional athlete. being annorexic will get you NO WHERE in life. you think you will acheive anything?! no. not one thing.
Shannon
19 Jul 08 at 3:18 am
I’d love to agree with most of you here and say that Hunter looks gorgeous..but I honestly think that Berglund looks better.
Alice
29 Jul 08 at 9:41 am
Jen’s body is beautiful. The body of the girl on the right is not attractive at all. She looks in pain, she has bags under her eyes, and her body is not realistic. Jen’s curves are very sexy and I’m so sick of skinny models and size zero expectations. It’s disgusting.
tiff
29 Jul 08 at 7:58 pm
i believe the girl on the right looks rather underweight. the girl on the left is a bit bigger than i would want to look. thats just my opinion! they both have nice faces….and as someone else above pointed out, lets not fail to notice that the magic of photography has been especially kind to one of these girls (in terms of lighting and angles) and quite the opposite to the other.
julie
7 Aug 08 at 1:33 pm
I am in my final year of my med degree and am finding many of the misconceptions on this board rather disturbing. From looking at these photos, and thats all they are, PHOTOS, you are not able to determine if either of the girls are healthy. The physique of the lady on the right is uncommon, yet this does not mean that it does not occur naturally. The lady on the left may or may not be within the healthy weight range for her (taking into account many other variables), the larger deposits of fat on her thighs as compared with elsewhere does by no means suggest that she is fat or unhealthy. Some people have even weight distributions, others do not. The lady on the left does not. Healthy bodies come in a range of sizes and please remember that the BMI is an out-dated and irrelevant measurement when discussing issues like these.
Vyda
7 Aug 08 at 1:47 pm
I agree with Vyda. Many body types are normal. People shouldn’t be condemning the thin girl or the plumper girl; they could both be perfectly normal.
Hannah
9 Aug 08 at 11:21 pm
omg.. im sitting here reading the comments and i cant beleive some of them! look how much prettier the ‘fat’ one is! who looks happier? the one on the left. the girl on the right looks like she is about to drop dead.. she should go eat a cheeseburger or something.. I dont think theleft one is one bit fat. I think she’s got a lovely figure and i think the skinny one looks like a skeleton… just my opinion but i think the fatter girl is stunning.
megan
13 Aug 08 at 1:14 am
MODELS ARE MEANT TO BE THIN SO THE CLOTHING CAN DRAPE BETTER.
It is their job to be thin and people who are overweight should not be modeling (except for plus size) because the clothing does not fall as well on their body types.
The girl on the right probably hardly got any sleep, is freezing, and is supposed to be serious looking — duh!!!
The girl on the right is in the warm indoors and I’m sure got more sleep than the girl on the right.
I feel that the girl on the right is so much better looking. She looks classy, upscale, and unique. The girl on the left is pretty as well (no doubt), but she is more average of a typical, everyday healthy female.
Change up the posing on the girl on the left though:
Have her face the camera like the girl on the right!
She will look awful in comparison…her fat will be extremely visible…
this is such a scam meant to make thin people feel bad.
The girl on the right is so much more beautiful though in my opinion — gorgeous!
Everybody is entitled to their own idea of beauty, however, I really think the girl on the right is ten times better looking than the girl on the left.
celene
21 Oct 08 at 1:42 am
First of, what an incredible amount of name calling. “stupid” “fat” “anorexic” “ugly” “better”… Jen Hunter is trying to make a name for herself, and lead the way for other women who will never achieve the very thin look, and lead the way for young women to know beautiful bodies come in all shapes and sizes. Jen may genuinly love the way she looks, or deep down feels hurt because she wants to be that thin and isnt. The thinner girl might also genuinely love the way she looks or she could be secretly wishing that it didnt matter so much. The clothes that a woman chooses dont necessarily look better only on skinny women. If they fit the women and are flattering to her figure they will look better for that woman. Whatever size she is. There are alot of problems in this world that is true and which ever ones each of us feels is more important that is also our choice. I believe which ever ones we can fix big or small that is what we should aspire to do until we can fix them all. If a woman close to each one of us, was unhappy and trying to be thin wouldnt we want her to feel better? Feel happy? What would you do to help them and would all the media images in the world help? I would help my woman by encourageing her to make healthy food choices, healthy excercise and a healthy attitude. Im positive that if more people spent more time doing healthy things with people they love, they would spend less time thinking about what they arent doing right.
samantha
25 Oct 08 at 4:09 pm
Interesting reading with some very worthwhile contributions. Regarding healthy weight, fat is pro-inflammatory so being overweight can contribute to inflammatory and other medical conditions. However, being too thin can lead to low oestrogen levels and this plus reduced stress on bone from being underweight can cause osteoporosis. I had a BMI of 17 until I was about 30 years old. Now it is 21 at the age of 50 years old. I have never undereaten and always exercised in some form e.g. biked to work, gone to the gym and done a lot of hiking. Hiking keeps bones strong if you are of low weight as you are carrying extra weight and putting stress on your bones through sporadic high impact movements. The tiny hikers can keep on mountaineering into their 80’s as their joints don’t wear out. I endorse the entries that said that ignorant accusations of anorexia can be tiresome. I would not like people to imagine I could be so disrespectful to my body.
Honora
9 Nov 08 at 6:42 am
THE RIGHT SIZED GIRL ROCKS -THE WINNER!
dum-de-dum-de-dum
12 Nov 08 at 11:27 am
To Raya;
If you refuse overweight people as friends, don’t you think you’re limiting your social opportunities? What if you were to apply for your dream job, but the boss was a huge lady or man? Would you no longer want to work there because you wouldn’t respect them?
Are any of your relatives overweight?
One more thing: if you met a very chubby little kid who liked you, would you be mean and tell him or her to go away?
It’s very VERY shallow and cruel to judge others on their weight. I’m heavy too, tho’ I’m working on losing the pounds. Still: my best friends love me for who I am, and they don’t dump me if I hit a rough patch and regain the weight.
Don’t worry about not wanting fat people for friends: most likely they wouldn’t want anyone with your attitude as THEIR friend.
Kim
16 Nov 08 at 2:16 am
Go Kim! I completely agree.
I’m 18 and size 0 makes me sick. i would love to go into modelin for the larger bust and for normal sized girls but seriously if i got made to become like that id quit. no matter how much i wantd to be a model. id never go that low to become a size zero
Raya, ur reli are a sick person. so so shallow if uve got friends im shocked. uve got the shittiest attitude ive known a person to have.
Skinny /size zero is not beautiful and pretty. its disgusting and wrong. there is nothing pretty bout seein peoples ribs and bones through their skin.
The fashion and modellin industry need to sort themselves out usin disgustingly skinny girls. its makin young girls think that skinny an anorexic is a good thing. its not. when i read that bit on the model droppin dead from self starvation. its wrong the model and fashion industry need to wake up an use real women with curves they are the people to look up to not models who starve themselves and in that models case drop dead for doin so.
jo
18 Nov 08 at 1:41 pm
ive read everyones comments and to anyone who thinks uk size 12 is fat and ugly is the reason raya is starving her self and all other young people im 19 and weigh 10 stone 6 and wear size 12 clothes some size 10 but not many as i have proud curves i would much rather have curves than bone sticking right out with no boobs. all mag’s are to blame hear and like i say thats why thers hundreds of people like raya. and also the girl in the right looks shocking i would never class that as a role model how could anybody class her as a role model when she starvs herself what kind of life is that?? it not we are human we are made to eat if we dont we dont live wher hear to love live and not go on like that!!!.. i have a younger sister who is 12 and already she is asking me how she can lose weight and be SNIKY shes only 12 and wanting too go on diets shes fine the way she is fully healthy and not even over weight but she goes to school and dousnt eat her lunch because of these mag’s showing fotos of size 0 and saying they look fab!!. it needs to stop 10years down the line everyone will be dieing of starvation!! its wrong and makes me feel sick that anyone can want to look like that. far enuf if u are born thiner and have always been that way but for god sake dont starve your self that way just enjoy life because everyone is beautful in ther own way. people need to stop letting models and mag’s take over ther life because its killing far to many already! and raya i hope you get some help so you can enjoy life because thers no way you can be i hope u do and look bak at what your saying and understand why its very wrong. but u need help first!!
rachael
8 Dec 08 at 3:43 am
SIZE 12? The women on the left cannot be a size twelve she is simply gorgeous! She looks beautiful I guess this is what REAL women look like.
Mary
12 Dec 08 at 1:51 am
i think everyone who thinks the model on the left looks fat is redic. she is stunning, obvoiously healthy…(narrow waist implys low risk of heart disease.) i think “curvy” is gorgeous!!! I am naturally big breasted..big hipped and im healthy. my little sisters are stick thin…but you know what its natural..they eat more then grown men..but they are heathly. stick thin and curvy…as long as you are heathly thats all that matters….OBESE…<—i hate that term becasue people even say dont follow what the scale says…healthy is happy…bones..you prob feel cold all the time, no one can man handle you because they would break you, and no one wants to hug a skinny person. im italian american we like our people well fed and happy…..im sorry bones showing is just disgusting.
ashaleena
16 Dec 08 at 10:46 pm