Not Just Any Hourglass

No, your eyes aren't playing tricks on you, and this isn't Photoshopped madness. V Magazine just released a preview of their upcoming issue, and the Terry Richardson photo shoot above features model Jacquelyn Jablonski and 'plus size' model Crystal Renn playing an haute couture version of simon says. An in depth preview of the spread is currently on The Cut, and I have to say it's amazing to see Renn literally use her assets to put her competition to shame. She's fierce from "H to T" as Tyra would say. Meanwhile, other magazines are honing in on the 'plus size' trend through other dubious means, namely sticking a regular size model into some padding and calling it a day. The photo shoot below is from the third issue of German magazine I Love You, and was inspired by... you guessed it: Joan from Mad Men. I love me some Joanie more than anyone, but when you try to reproduce the curves of a woman with some padding the result is less than appealing. I appreciate the effort, but couldn't they have found a real voluptuous woman, and not just a model to fill Joanie's shoes?

Via New York Magazine and Cat Party

Full & Fabulous

Plus size model Crystal Renn is gorgeous at any size, but her story differs from most models in the fashion industry. It wasn't her jutting collar bones, or her gaunt stature that garnered attention, but rather the reemergence of her natural size. After battling an eating disorder, and reclaiming her curvacious body, fame came calling. She recounts that arduous journey in her new book Hunger, released yesterday by Simon & Schuster. The Mississippi native was told to shed 70 pounds in order to reach her model potential, and she did just that by starving herself. Even after the dramatic weight loss, Renn was told she was still not thin enough. Faced with that horrible realization, Renn decided enough was enough. She underwent a complete mind/body makeover, and emerged as the fierce full figured vixen shown above. Featured on the covers of French, Italian and American Vogue, Renn feels like she's finally made it, and she did it all with the body God gave her. It's inspiring to see such a healthy figure being praised by the likes of Jean Paul Gaultier, a longstanding member of the fashion elite. Fashion has seen many trends come and go, but it has rarely embraced reality with such fervor. Momentum seems to be growing with Glamour magazine's latest nude icon, Christina Hendricks' bodacious curves, and now the gorgeous Crystal Renn showing us all that reality can be a beautiful thing. Amen to that.