An article in the November issue of Glamour discusses beautiful woman who are larger than standard sample sizes and continues the discussion started by a photo of plus-size model Lizzie Miller from the magazine’s September issue. Along with the article, titled, “Oh. Wow. These Bodies Are Beautiful,” is the above photograph of seven models who are all closer to size 12 than size 2.

The photograph is beautiful and pictures Miller, Crystal Renn, Amy Lemons, Ashley Graham, Kate Dillon, Anansa Sims, and Jennie Runk. The article raises a few good points, i.e., we should stop nitpicking about minor flaws and feel comfortable in our bodies. But why did the models have to be naked?

Kind of ironic, huh? A book called Hungry that I just ate right up as quickly as I could. But model Crystal Renn‘s autobiography is that good. Seriously, I could not put down Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves for two days straight.

In her incredible memoir, written with former Sassy health editor Marjorie Ingall, Crystal shares how she was just a teen girl living with her grandmother in Clinton, Mississippi, when a modeling scout changed her life. The scout approached her at a charm school class and said Crystal could be just like Gisele Bundchen if she wanted to—meaning, she had to take off a lot of weight. Over the next several months, a 165-pound Crystal became anorexic, starving herself so she could drop 70 pounds and become a “straight-size” model.

After years of envying Kate Moss‘s seemingly infinite closet and Gisele‘s parade of bang-able boyfriends, a girl would be right to think the hardest part of a model’s life is choosing whose yacht in Ibiza to sunbathe topless on today.

But a few years ago, “America’s Next Top Model” began to peel back the layers of the modeling industry (well, with a weird, Tyra Banks-ian spin), and then a blogger called Tatiana The Anonymous Model chimed in on Jezebel about her take on a model’s life. But the piece de resistance on the Ugly Side Of Modeling canon is Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves by plus-size model Crystal Renn.

Model Crystal Renn appeared on “Good Morning America” this morning to promote her book, Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition, and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves. Crystal was discovered by a model scout as a teen in Clinton, MS, and was told she could be a supermodel. But there was a catch: She would need to lose 70 pounds off her 5’9” frame first. She did and got a $250,000 contract.

But after starving herself for years, Crystal decided she didn’t want to abuse her body anymore and decided to let it be the way it wanted to be, which was a size 12. While this isn’t the usual size fashion models come in, Crystal says she has been more successful since being true to herself, appearing on the cover of four international editions of Vogue, in various ad campaigns, and on the runway for Vena Cava, Heatherette, and Jean-Paul Gaultier. We’re not models, but her message is one we should all heed: Be yourself and you’ll get farther in life. Aww ... [GMA]