Former plus-sized model shows off her new slim figure

Crystal Renn was once a celebrated model for flaunting curves down international catwalks - but today she is raising eyebrows, thanks to her new dramatic weight loss.

She showed off her super-svelte frame in a slinky golden gown at the Metropolitan Opera Season in NYC this week a far cry from the size 16 body figure she used to boast.

Renn, who worked for many years as a successful plus-sized model had been praised for paving the way for other ‘big’ models.

At the height of her career, she walked the runway for Jean-Paul Gaultier and Chanel, appeared in the pages of the several major fashion magazines like Vogue and Elle and in big ad campaigns for fashion brands including H&M, Mango, and Jimmy Choo.

Renn is also the author of the book Hungry: A Young Model's Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves which focused on her experiences in the fashion industry and her battle with anorexia that almost took her life in her teens.

[Gallery: Model photos of plus-sized Crystal Renn]

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The model who once seemed content with her plus-sized status said: “I don't want young women to think being thin is the only way to be beautiful. Beauty is not a pant size. I'm known for my body and I'm proud of my body.”

Now, her signature curves have been replaced by a tiny waist and chiselled cheekbones highlighting the drastic change to her figure.

Last year Renn’s weight loss became a talking point as she spoke about dropping dress sizes from a UK 16 to a 12-14. She addressed critics about her weight loss and said she had not been pressured by anyone to slim down.

In a blog posted on the Ford Models website, she wrote: “When this whole weight loss thing happened, I think that a lot of people wanted to point their finger at somebody. I think that they wanted to find a conspiracy where there absolutely was none.

“A lot of people said the industry was pressuring me, my agency was pressuring me, I was pressuring me, but it was just not the case in all three cases.”

Fast forward a year and her famous curves have completely disappeared prompting critics to re-question the reason behind her body transformation.

Becca DP from website Holy Moly! said: “Crystal Renn used to be an example of the industry’s changing attitudes towards beauty, but now she’s just an example of how women must change to be accepted by that industry. What we see in old pictures of Renn is defiance, determination and a great body. What we see in these new pictures is resignation, sadness and defeat and, what’s worse, just another skinny model.”

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