A snipped from NYMag caught my eye today. The headline read “Call Crystal Renn fat, and she’ll eat your tacos.”
Aside from the catch-your-eye wording, I was beyond curious as to what this actually meant. As we know, Crystal Renn is a plus-sized model who recently released her book, Hungry: A Young Model’s Story of Appetite, Ambition and the Ultimate Embrace of Curves
Here’s the story:
Before she became a plus-size model, Crystal Renn [sic] was sent home from a catalogue shoot in Chicago because she was “too fat.” She recalls: “I have to say that I don’t run into many people who are capable of such disgusting behavior, but this particular person was one of them. I had just turned 17 at the time. After the client told me, ‘You’re fat,’ I went and ate all the tacos and all the meat at the catering table and was like, ‘Thanks for the food,’ and walked out.”
While it’s certainly not the most “appropriate” or “elegant” way to handle such an abrasive remark, I loved the fact that she didn’t break down and cry – she didn’t validate that person’s opinion by allowing them to affect her, or get victimized – she ate their motherf!@$king tacos, and left.
I view this as a positive step. Then again, creative vindication has always been a hobby of mine, and I always enjoy seeing it done well. This is one of those things that I’d wished I’d done after I already broke down crying, and moped off the set. “Man, I should have eaten all their tacos. That would have been sweet.”
So now that we’re thinking about it – what would you do?
How would you handle a situation where your professional skills (in Renn’s case – her body) were put down, brutally, at your job? What if it was body-related?
Let’s figure it out now, so we can be sure to leave these situations feeling empowered, instead of cut down.
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That’s kind of great and hilarious… and very self-composed for a 17 year old.
I hope I’d be smart enough to call them on their behaviour but I’m more likely to seethe internally. That said I did have a similar situation at a retail job where they verbally abused me and, with no basis, said I wasn’t doing a good job. I basically told them I quit and walked out. Decades later it still feels good.
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Posted by Poochie | March 19, 2010, 5:19 pmThat is AWESOME. However, I don’t usually have the composure to do/say awesome things like that – I would probably completely lose my temper and then wish I’d said or done something different later.
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Posted by Michelle | March 19, 2010, 7:13 pmI would love to say that I’d come up with something witty, while maintaining the delicate balance of appropriate and fair.(Even if that person had not.) Likely, though, I would cry. Nevermind that she was 17; that was impressive for anyone. Good for her.
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Posted by Cals | March 19, 2010, 11:04 pmI think anything that is personally a sensitive subject would be equivalent to an insult toward one’s body in a professional situation. For me, that would probably be not being smart enough or strong enough. If I was told either of those by a boss…well, honestly, I would probably bite back tears and never want to show my face around whoever was there again. After reading this, however, I would try my best to make a professional, albeit biting and witty, response and gallantly hold my head up high.
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Posted by lorax | March 20, 2010, 6:51 amwow i love crystal. i would totally do the same thing.
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Posted by thefatandskinny | March 22, 2010, 9:50 pmElegance is not always necessary. Sometimes it’s good to forget about being ladylike and just eat a bitch’s tacos. Good for Crystal.
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Posted by WendyB | March 28, 2010, 2:48 pmAll you can do is be you. Hold your head up high and continue forward with the same confidence and skill that got you to your position to begin with.
.-= Empress´s last blog ..Zara Spring 2010 Lookbook Part 2 =-.
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Posted by Empress | April 3, 2010, 9:57 amI luv that instead of saying something equally evil she just let it slide and did something positive (eating yummy is always good)
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Posted by M | April 3, 2010, 11:22 am