Model Erin Heatherton has revealed that she took pills and injected hormones in order to lose weight and meet the beauty standards of the Victoria's Secret lingerie brand, for which she walked for years.
"I share my story," he explained, "because I don't want anyone to have an eating disorder or to hate their body."
"I know how that feels."
"I think there can be ambitious [physical] goals without illness and eating disorders," he said.
Heatherton, now 32, indicated that she reached a tipping point at the age of 25 when she realized that her body was not the same as before.
“Everything I did did not give the same results. It was only a little bigger. In hindsight, it's just how biology and the body work.
You are not the same size when you are 18 years old as when you are 25, "he explained in a podcast created by C13Originals and Campside Media, which was echoed by People magazine.
In frustration with getting the desired results, she decided to see a nutritionist who prescribed an amphetamine-like pill that suppresses her appetite.
Erin Heatherton on the runway at the 2009 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.Patrick McMullan / Getty Image
In parallel, the model also injected a hormone that is produced during pregnancy called hCG:
"As a diabetic I started to prick myself in the stomach every morning"
Heatherton considers that he was a victim of his emotions because of the pressure he felt to be at a certain physical level.
"I was very much against everything I was doing, but I was doing it reluctantly almost to feel the pain or feel how bad it was," he explained.
[Hospitalizations of young people for eating disorders grew in the pandemic, according to study]
The model, originally from Illinois, was a
Victoria's Secret
Angel
between 2010 and 2013,
and her image has been part of brands such as Chanel, Marc Jacobs, Michael Kors and other well-known brands.
But she regrets that none of the companies that hired her cared about her health: "I have no faith that these people really cared about me," she said, "it's just business."
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Following the release of Heatherton's statements, Victoria's Secret responded to People magazine noting the brand's efforts to include models of different sizes.
[Eating disorders also affect men and like these celebrities]
"There is a new leadership team at Victoria's Secret that is fully committed to the ongoing transformation of the brand with a focus on creating an inclusive environment," the company wrote in a statement.
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This year, and as a result of social pressure for other similar cases, the brand replaced its models with women who promote changes in the stereotypes of female beauty and called them
VS Collective
or Victoria's Secret
Collective
.
Among them were actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas, soccer star Megan Rapinoe, and Brazilian model Valentina Sampaio, who is the brand's first transgender model.
In 2019, a petition was signed to protect models from sexual misconduct and misogyny.
More than 100 women alleged abusive behavior at the company.
In 2020 Leslie H. Wexner, owner of L Brands, which owns the company, resigned due to his business ties with Jeffrey Epstein, a millionaire who committed suicide after being arrested for alleged sexual abuse of minors.
The
Victoria's Secret
angels
created a culture of beauty that was desired in the entertainment world
and taken as a reference by young people and girls.
Heatherton now says that she has learned to forgive herself and has redirected her energy to be a "catalyst for change."
