Victoria's Secret model, Bridget Malcolm, has spoken out about the pressures that models face in the fashion industry.
While the 27-year-old, who is recovering from anorexia nervosa - now says that the industry is beginning to champion healthy lifestyles - this reportedly wasn't always the case.
Earlier this week, Malcolm, who hails from Australia, took to Instagram to post two pictures of herself at the height of her eating disorder.
The caption detailed how she was treated by clients at the height of her eating disorder, with Malcolm going onto reveal that she was even fired from one job for gaining half an inch to her waist.
"This was me, a few weeks after I got rejected from a high profile client. And now. Strong and happy. The reason for my rejection was “Bridget’s body does not look good enough”. The girl in these photos hadn’t had a period in months, and needed to sleep 12 hours a night in order to function," she wrote.
"The most messed up part of all this though, is that I had been accepted by this client when I was half an inch smaller in previous years. I am so thankful that all this is behind me. It has taken a lot of work and recovery, but I am so grateful that there is a place in the industry for me now, at my healthy weight. I am proud to be working today with people who support health in women."
In a follow-up blog post, published on Tuesday, the model elaborated on her journey, disclosing that she is now "free from food fear".
"I am very happy to say that my body has reached its natural set point. For the last year, my weight has not fluctuated significantly," Malcolm stated.
"I know that for a lot of people, this is not a big deal. But I have spent the last 14 years attempting to get as small as I can, and then dealt with the mental fall out when I would inevitably gain all the weight back, and then some. I can honestly say that I am now free to eat whatever I want, whenever I want. And what I see in the mirror doesn’t change dramatically."
"This year I made myself an agreement. I would return to full time modelling work, if, and only if, I was able to maintain my weight," she continued. "If I was able to be free to eat healthily, work out, and do the job that I love, then I would continue. My health is my utmost priority."
"And I am extremely excited to say that I have had loveliest year of work thus far into my career. My wonderful agent has made it a point to send me to sets where I am welcome at my healthiest. And these sets have been only loving and kind towards me. I find myself doing fittings with clothes my size, and if the clothes are too small, alterations are made sans comments about my size. [...] This to me shows that part of the fashion industry is truly changing."
Good on you, Bridget!