Poppy Cross Goes To Hell & Back For A Victoria's Secret Angel Body

American website rehabs.com recently overviewed the evolution of the female figure over the last 100 years, reminding readers that the most admired models have always been consistently slimmer than the average American woman. The disparity is growing however, with American women becoming larger and models thinner. 

In the days of Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Linda Evangelista and all the ‘supers’, it’s estimated that with watching her diet and consistent exercise, about 25% of women could achieve a model figure — or close to it since height is always above average for models. Today that estimate is 2-4%.

This spring saw a flurry of new regulations around model BMIs for fashion shows, with even France, home to the androgynous, gamine figure seeking to crack down on the use of too-thin models with a ban on BMIs under 18.

Many protest the use of BMI as an indicator of health and wellness, because it fails to distinguish between muscle and fat. Looking to update any new thinking in the model BMI debate, I was surprised to come upon this gem of information from the Telegraph UK:

Dr Véran (the French neurologist and politician who sponsored the French legislation) notes that the World Health Organisation defines anyone below a BMI of 18 to be suffering from malnutrition. This would rule out celebrated names such as Karlie Kloss (no longer an Angel) , Alessandra Ambrosio and Candice Swanepoel who, as Victoria’s Secret underwear models, are feted for being “curvaceous” despite their miniscule BMIs.

As a 10-year veteran of Victoria’s Secret, I know that the world’s largest lingerie brand has always promoted a vision of good health and a positive body attitude. In overviewing the changing bodies of women as a beauty ideal, Rehabs.com concluded that the 2000 body ideal is that of ‘a Victoria’s Secret Angel, described as tall, thin and leggy models with big breasts, flowing hair and toned bodies.’ The website uses Adriana Lima as an example.

The Diet and Workouts of VS Angels

Writing for Daily Mail UK this Sunday, Poppy Cross set out to see if she has what it takes to achieve the body of a Victoria’s Secret Angel.

Victoria’s Secret requires all its Angels to be 5’9” tall minimum and have 24 in. waists writes Cross. VS Fashion Show consultant Sophia Neophitou-Apostolou explains: ‘It’s like being an Olympian — they have to be in peak condition.’

Cross sets off on her quest for an Angels body, advised by personal trainer Dan Roberts and New York nutritionist Dr Charles Passier, both of whom work with the VS models. (Read Elle magazine’s Dec 2014 Following the 6 Step Victoria’s Secret Angel Diet with Dr Passier. A major article on trainer Dan Roberts and the Angels is on ilongevity.com)

Weight training is to be the key and this will include squats, dead-lifts, weighted lunges, bicep curls, tricep dips and press-ups. I am to be ‘eased’ into the programme, with one weight session with Dan each week supplemented by three to four other ‘homework’ sessions – sprint interval training for 20 minutes one day, weight training on my own for an hour the next, and classes including Pilates, boxing and ‘Ballet Beautiful’ (Angel favourites, I’m told).

In what became a four-month journey to a VS Angels body, Cross writes that all her suffering and exhaustion aside, and with sessions with Dan increasing to four a week, she is exercising six-seven days a week and sometimes twice in a day. However, the determined fitness blogger is dead-lifting 72kg — more than she weights — by the third month.

Cross has a weekly sports massage with Sarah Dewey, such a beneficial experience that she doubts she could have continued without it.

Dr Passler puts Cross on a high-fat, high-protein, low-carb diet. Anything with sugar is out, including fruit. The Angels digest plenty of supplements including a vitamin and mineral complex, digestive enzymes and BCAA’s (branched-chain amino acids — to ensure that her body burns fat and not muscle for fuel), accompanied by SeroSyn for positive mood.

Next Cross graduates to the ‘pre-catwalk’ diet, consisting of proteins and fats. To keep up her energy, she has two tablespoons of oil or better with every meal.

I have a post-workout whey protein shake made with coconut water or unsweetened almond milk, plus a protein bar as a snack. I’m to train on an empty stomach, apart from black coffee and water mixed with the vitamin and mineral powder. Some research shows this forces the body to burn fat for fuel and spikes hormones that will encourage muscle growth. I struggle to get through a training session without yawning at least a dozen times.

My last meal of the day is at 6pm – to prevent laying down calories as fat – and there’s no alcohol. So long social life. I never feel starved, just unfulfilled before bed. I also find I’m not quite so, er, regular due to the lack of fibre in my diet.

Dr Passler warns: ‘No-carb diets are not for long-term use. The potential long-term effects are nutrient deficiencies and an imbalance of normal gut bacteria’.

Poppy Cross Victoria’s Secret Results

At the end of her four-month journey to gain a VS Angels Body, Poppy Cross heads over to the University of Westminster. Her weight hasn’t changed, but she has dropped a dressw size and her waist has shrunk, along with her bust. Her cholesterol levels have also dropped and these images are of the new Poppy.

Follow Poppy’s blog here.

Considerations

What does it mean that the most well-paid models in the world now have a body BMI that is considered dangerous by the World Health Organization? I don’t think that any of us can make the argument that the Victoria’s Secret Angels are suffering from malnutrition. In fact, they just may be some of the healthiest women in America.

The question of their relevance as an ideal body type does seem important, since the only way the majority of girls and women can ever achieve something remotely resembling a VS Angel body is through very strict diet and calorie control, a path that is unhealthy for many. 

We speak often of images in fashion magazines and models on catwalks, and even I have been quick to blame it on the French.  So it’s a bit sobering to understand that the majority of models representing the world’s largest lingerie brand — Victoria’s Secret —  would also be banned from catwalks if the new model BMI policies are actually enforced.

Yes, we can qualify the discussion with the reality that models can be naturally thin and still be healthy. And yes, BMI is not a clear measure of a healthy body. But it seems worth asking what it means for any society when its ideal body is now a size bordering on malnutrition for the majority of women who can’t endure or afford the grueling self-discipline found among Victoria’s Secret Angels.

This is food for thought, and I must consider it. The best we can do is to try and inform women of exactly how difficult it is to achieve an Angels body. We can love the girls and applaud their success, but we must keep our heads on straight with the goal of achieving good health and wellbeing in bodies that are more naturally achievable with focus and self-love. ~ Anne