Crystal Renn via BlackBookMississippi-born Crystal Renn spent the first years of her New York life trying to look like Giselle. It was only when she began to eat that she had a career in modeling, as a plus-size woman. via Blackbook Mag

Now Crystal Renn has written a book called ‘Hungry’ and she’s the rage, following in the unleashed frenzy of women loving the Lizzie Miller story at Glamour Mag

I totally agree with Renn’s argument that American women obsess over their bodies. Some of this top model’s comments — like leaving the gym — I don’t endorse under any circumstances.

Absolutely, women must learn to love the woman in the mirror, with all her alleged flaws.

When we learn to love and take care of her — the woman who is each of us — the place of food in our lives changes. Will be stick-thin models with often-lost libidos? No. But for important long-term health reasons, we cannot say that weight and healthy eating aren’t critical issues in our lives, because they are.

We know now that obesity (BMI over 30) and overweight (BMI over 25) even shrink our brains, attacking our critical thinking faculties.

Model BMI’s of 18 also wreck physical havoc on the physical health of our bodies and our sexuality. Basically, we’re looking for that happy medium — moms and grandmoms of the 50s and the models of 50s and 60s fashion magazines.

In opening more dialogue around positive body image and my own journey to get to a good place with my body, I don’t want to send mixed messages to readers.

Anne of Carversville promotes a genuinely healthy relationship with food and exercise. I don’t believe that when it comes to the refrigerator, anything goes. And yet, this physical self-hatred must also stop because it’s a totally destructive relationship with our vitality and essence as women. A

Note also that Glamour is planning a followup fashion editorial on plus-size models, based on the Lizzie Miller fury. Great!

Update Feb. 9, 2011:

We’ve had a tough love moment with Crystal Renn today, supporting her at every step, except for her new Ford Model video. After watching her wax poetically on being crowned a princess by Karl Lagerfeld, Anne wrote Fashion & Feminism | Crystal Renn’s Miss America Chanel Moment.

The progression of our Crystal Renn writing, most recent to original is here.