AT FOURTEEN, I WAS A REGULAR JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IN CLINTON, MISSISSIPPI, WHEN A MODELING SCOUT TOLD ME: YOU COULD BE A SUPERMODEL . . . BUT YOU’LL HAVE TO LOSE A LITTLE WEIGHT.

FOR GLAMOUR, FAME, AND ESCAPE, I LOST SEVENTY POUNDS.

This is a photo of me at SIXTEEN, when I signed a big modeling contract, moved to New York City, and started traveling around the world.

It is also when I developed a ferocious case of anorexia and exercise bulimia.

Until I decided enough was enough—I wanted to live.

And so I ate. And ate.

Offering a behind-the-scenes peek into the modeling industry, as well as a trenchant look at our weight-obsessed culture, Hungry is an inspiring and cautionary tale that will resonate with anyone who has battled society’s small-minded definitions of beauty.

This is me NOW, the leading plus-size model in America.