I'm dishing out my first hand experience on what models eat, after spending three days with them during the F1 event. I took it upon myself to broadcast to the world that not all models have eating disorders (they still bitch and backstab, mind you). I'm not sure if it's because they're Asians, or because they're in their teens, or because they have a bone density 20% lighter than normal human beings. Or maybe they just have superfast metabolisms that even batting an eyelash burns 100 calories.
During the event, most of us got out of bed late, and we typically lumped breakfast with lunch at around 1PM. For one model, lunch translated to a McDonald's cheeseburger, Coke and fries, and for another, a chicken turnover pie. One model chomped on a curry puff and washed it down with a tall Starbucks Frappuccino. If you think they force themselves to throw up after eating, I didn't see anybody make a beeline for the ladies' room, so trust me when I say they're not bulimic.
We have dinner at around 7 or 8PM and models usually trundle into the huddle room grumbling about their aching feet and how hungry they were, as if they haven't been fed for days. One model would always ask me if I was going to eat my rice and was delighted to find out I hardly ate rice. She grabbed all the rice she can scoop out of my bento box, and started scouring for other rice sources. This girl was downright skinny - I wish I knew where she stores her rice reserves. There was a time when one girl brought in a box of Popeye's chicken for dinner, and it's ironic to see how these girls munching on the drumstick had legs as skinny as the chicken they're eating.
I've also worked with girls who have a flourishing relationship with desserts. Everytime the waiter brings out a fresh tray of lavishly decorated cocoa concoctions, their eyes would follow the waiter hungrily and they literally drooled over the fancy tarts. Towards the end of the night, one of the models couldn't resist asking the food & beverage coordinator if we could try the desserts. It only took a winning smile from the model and we had our daily supply of tarts, tiramisu and chocolate truffles from the buffet table. The models devoured the heavenly blocks of chocolate and colorful shotglasses of lush cream and strawberries without a care for calories or their waistline.
By now, you're probably whining "life is unfair!", rocking back and forth, and regretting to have foregone that doughnut this morning, because, hey, this whole diet thing is pointless anyway. You're probably itching to strangle these models who can eat anything they want and not worry about gaining weight. Know that my sympathy goes out to you. Like you and most people, I am predisposed to fast weight gain (no thanks to my dad's fat-storing genes) and have to work harder to combat metabolic slowdown in my late 20's. But I don't mind, because this has forced me to choose a lifestyle that's healthier and more sustainable in the long run. The extra rice and Popeye's chicken wings will eventually find their way into these girls' hips, and they will start packing on the tubs of lard once they hit their 30's.
But then again, maybe they won't. I can then say life's a bitch.
