How do super models stay so thin?

'She ate cotton balls just to survive': Models candidly detail the dangerous tactics some fashion stars use in order to stay skinny enough for the runway

Denmark-native Sannie Pedersen, 27, admitted that when she first moved to New York she would only consume a cup of coffee and 20 cigarettes per day
At her thinnest, the 5'11" model weighed only 100lbs, and she recalled how one teen model almost killed herself by eating cotton balls to feel full
Sannie is now a healthy 121lbs and wears a size 0 to 2, but she claims she is often told in castings that she is fat, and one unnamed designer called her 'obese'
On Thursday, former model and anorexic Victoire Dauxerre, 23, published her memoir Size Zero - My Life as a Disappearing Model
She revealed how the pressure to lose weight saw her eating just three apples a day and drinking cans of Pepsi Max to feel full

Published: 11:41 EST, 10 February 2017 | Updated: 12:06 EST, 10 February 2017

Table of Contents Show

'She ate cotton balls just to survive': Models candidly detail the dangerous tactics some fashion stars use in order to stay skinny enough for the runway
Why are super models so skinny?
Are super models too skinny?
Are all supermodels underweight?
How do male models stay so thin?

A 27-year-old catwalker is lifting the lid on the dangerous and even life-threatening lengths some models will go to ensure that they stay skinny enough to appear on the runway.

Denmark-native Sannie Pedersen admitted that when she first moved to New York she would only consume a cup of coffee and 20 cigarettes per day because she wanted to book runway shows so badly. In 2012, the 5'11" model weighed just 100lbs and it pained her to sit down because there was so little fat on her body.

Five years later, Sannie is now a healthy 121lbs and wears a size 0 to 2; however, she is frequently told at castings that she is too fat to model.

Model woes: Sannie Pedersen admitted that when she first moved to New York she would only consume coffee and cigarettes . She is pictured on the runway at the World Fashion Parade

Although Sannie has managed to find a balance with her career and her health, she told the New York Post that there are plenty of other models who are going to extremes to stay thin.

'I saw a 16-year-old model almost kill herself. She ate cotton balls just to survive,' she recalled.

The dangerous trend of filling your stomach with cotton balls or tissues to trick your body into feeling full has been not-so-secretly used by models for years despite the risks.

Wrong message: The 27-year-old, who once weighed only 100lbs, is now a healthy 121lbs. However, she said she she is often told she is fat during castings

Eddie Murphy’s daughter, Bria Murphy, admitted that some models eat cotton balls dipped in juice to stay skinny when discussing the pressures of being a runway star on Good Morning America in 2013.

At the time, Dr. Ovidio Bermudez, the chief medical officer at the Eating Recovery Center in Denver, warned that women who ate cotton balls faced the risk of choking, and malnutrition, and they would likely develop an obstruction of the intestinal tract — a mass called a bezoar.

Sannie also told the New York Post that many models eat slices of only one apple throughout the day, and that is it. She even noted that one friend of hers took pride in having one apple slice leftover at the end of the day.

Pressure: Eddie Murphy’s daughter, Bria Murphy, admitted in 2013 that some models eat cotton balls dipped in juice to stay skinny. She is pictured on the runway that year

'Models go through hell to stay skinny,' she explained.

The blonde beauty claimed that last September during Fashion Week one unnamed designer called her 'obese', while she heard a founder of an international agency say, 'it's my agency, and I like anorexics,' right in front of her.

And at one past runway show, Sannie said she had to sneak in the bathroom to drink water because some designers ban models from eating or even drinking anything ahead of the show because they don't want them to look bloated.

On Thursday, former model and anorexic Victoire Dauxerre, 23, published Size Zero - My Life as a Disappearing Model, a candid memoir about the struggles she faced to remain competitive as a top model.

Starving herself: Former model Victoire Dauxerre recently revealed how she only ate three apples a day and drank cans of Pepsi Max to feel full. She is pictured on the runway in 2010

Fueling the fire: The 23-year-old (pictured now) said agents literally 'applauded' her as she became even more dangerously underweight

The Parisian described how she had to starve herself on just three apples a day and cans of zero-calorie Pepsi Max to become one of the fashion world's most sought-after names.

Victoire explained how she weighed just 98lbs when the likes of Dior, Chanel and Alexander McQueen were booking the 5'10" teenager.

After being scouted at the age of 17, she was cast in jobs that allowed her to fly all over the world, but her eating disorder has left her with lasting health problems and at one point she was told she had the skeleton of a 70-year-old.

Brutally honest: Victoire, who is pictured at her thinnest, candidly detailed her struggle with anorexia as a top model in her new memoir Size Zero - My Life as a Disappearing Model

Spreading the word: Victoire, who is now a healthy US size 4, is pictured promoting her new book on Good Morning Britain earlier this week

She would take laxatives and enemas after eating and did not menstruate for six months while starving herself as a model, something she claims has left many of her friends permanently infertile.

As Victoire became even more dangerously underweight, she was also told to shave her arms and thighs, which had become hairier as a natural response to keep the body warm after severe weight loss. But she was so unhealthy that the hair on her head started to fall out.

Now a US size 4, Victoire, who was once named one of the top 20 models in the world, has broken the 'code of silence' on the quietly encouraged starvation that she claims models are still forced to endure today.

'It is pernicious. They don't tell you "you have to lose 22lbs in two months". What they say is "you need to be this size to fit into the clothes, otherwise you don't get any work". Then each time you come back into the agency and you are skinnier they literally applaud you," she said.

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Why are super models so skinny?

When showing off their newest fashions, designers obviously want their outfits to look as beautiful as possible. In order for that to happen, the clothes need to drape and flow, which happens naturally when they are placed on a tall, skinny frame. That is why most mannequins come in such a small size.

Are super models too skinny?

Many models suffer from eating disorders such as bulimia and anorexia trying to stay thin because a “successful” size is 0-2. In one study, 81 percent of the models surveyed reported a body mass index of less than 18.5, which is considered underweight by the World Health Organization.

Are all supermodels underweight?

Through anonymous survey responses, the researchers found that 81% of models possess a Body Mass Index, or BMI, that would be classified as underweight. Most models reported being underweight, and many turn to unhealthy methods to keep the pounds away, researchers found.

How do male models stay so thin?

The top male models have workout routines that are strikingly similar to professional athletes, even though they pose for pictures for a living. Weightlifting and cardio helps them shape their chiseled torsos, while diet helps them lose unwanted lbs before a big show or photo shoot.