Victoria’s Secret model Bridget Malcolm has revealed that she was rejected by a high profile client, after gaining half an inch around her waist whilst in the grips of anorexia.
The 27-year-old uploaded a snap of herself in a red bikini to her Instagram account from the time in question – a point at which she was so malnourished that she ‘hadn’t had a period in months,’ and ‘needed to sleep 12 hours a night in order to function.’
‘This was me, a few weeks after I got rejected from a high-profile client…The reason for my rejection was ‘Bridget’s body does not look good enough,’ she wrote. ‘The most messed up part of all this though, is that I had been accepted by this client when I was half an inch smaller in previous years.’
Part of the issue stemmed from the fact that the industry demanded that she get down to a much smaller size than the one pre-determined by her DNA.
‘Until this year, I was expected to remain a hip size of 35 inches or under. My set point is at least an inch higher than that. It is just the way I am built.
‘Some models maintain the required size effortlessly. I am not one of those girls. And that has certainly been a huge amount of pressure on me for the past 14 years of working as a model,’ she said.
It was the gain of that original half an inch that sparked her recovery.
‘I’m thankful that the sheer insanity of being rejected over half an inch of gain (which was not enough to get my periods back, or stop my hair from falling out) was enough to get myself into recovery from my eating disorder.’
‘For the last year, my weight has not fluctuated significantly. And for the last two years, my weight has not dipped out of its current BMI bracket’.
Good news is, the Australian believes that serious change is afoot.
‘The fashion industry is truly changing,’ explains Malcolm. ‘The fact that I am welcome on these sets exactly as I am, and I am being rewarded with work for my health, fills me with such hope for the future.
‘I can’t remember the last time I was on a set and was made to feel self-conscious about my body.’
This article originally appeared on Women’s Health UK.
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