Every year we get inundated with headlines and Instagram posts revealing the insane diets and exercise regimes that Victoria’s Secret models follow to get in peak/impossible runway shape. These range from the tough-but-fun #TrainLikeAnAngel hashtag to Adriana Lima’s stringent week-long liquid fast. But rarely do we get such a candid revelation about the emotional toll of conforming to such unrealistic beauty standards.
Former Angel Erin Heatherton has now lifted the lid on her own experiences prepping for the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and, shocker: it wasn’t all motivational gym selfies and group trips to Juice Press. The catwalk queen and the lingerie giant parted ways in 2013, but only after constant instructions to lose more weight had led to depression and a very unhealthy relationship with food. “I was really depressed because I was working so hard and I felt like my body was resisting me,” Heatherton recently explained to Time. “I got to a point where one night I got home from a workout and I remember staring at my food and thinking maybe I should just not eat.”
It seems the model is now channeling her negatives experiences into an empowering new initiative. After revealing that she couldn’t continue “parading my body and myself in front of all these women who look up to me,” she posted a photo to Instagram along with a caption asking fans to “stay tuned” for a further announcement. “I stepped away from hiding behind a fabricated version of myself,” she wrote. “I no longer put actions behind my fears and insecurities. I made a choice to redirect my energy to be a catalyst for change. To create a channel for women to become the truest versions of themselves, along with me. (Stay tuned for more…) In the end, if you aren’t being true to yourself, then what the fuck is the point.”
Credits
Text Hannah Ongley
Image via Instagram