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Sports Illustrated Model Details Anorexia Battle To Help People With Body Issues

Sports Illustrated Model Details Anorexia Battle To Help People With Body Issues

At her worst, she didn't eat for 10 days and relied on a packet of cigarettes to suppress her hunger

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

While Sports Illustrated is one of America's most read weekly sports-related publications, it has an issue every year that attracts a lot of attention for all the obvious reasons.

The Swimsuit Issue has been around since 1964 and had included some of the biggest models on the planet, including Elle Macpherson, Rachel Hunter, Heidi Klum, Tyra Banks, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, with Eugenie Bouchard gracing this year's cover - much to the support from her dad.

Another model to grace the pages of the magazine was Mia Kang in last year's Swimsuit Issue. It's not hard to see why: the Hong Kong-born beauty embodies the type of figure that regularly appears in publications like this.

But two years before these pictures were published, Mia was battling anorexia that saw her frame shrink. The model has posted a side-by-side comparison shot of her when she was a size two and now as a size eight.

Mia Kang/Instagram

She wrote on Instagram: "I hadn't eaten solid food in 10 days and smoke a pack of Marlboro Lights a day. I was obsessed with my collarbones, ribs and hip bones showing.

"I was obsessed with having a thigh gap. I was about to shoot Sports Illustrated Swimsuit for the first time and was trying to look like a [Victoria Secret] angel. I was told by the industry I never looked better but still had a little more weight to lose.

"I hated how I looked so much I thought I was fat and lived in constant anxiety."

But Mia says as she learned how to control her anorexia she ended up loving her curves, admitting she 'finally became a woman'. The model says it's been a long journey, but she's managed to come out the other side and respect her body.

Mia Kang/Instagram

However, she's not completely free of her demons.

She added: "It isn't easy for me to post these pictures because I still have a disease that I have to live with for the rest of my life. A small part of me looks at me now and hates it. Eating disorders and body dysmorphia don't just disappear but you can learn how to manage it and heal.

"You can reprogram your thinking. I want to put the images out there that I never had. I want to show women that it's ok to gain weight.

"We have the pleasure of having fluctuating bodies, enjoy your curves, enjoy being a WOMAN. Be healthy and be confident. We have one body and one life, don't let your insecurities hold you back from happiness."

Good on you Mia, hopefully your message of body positivity reaches people all around the world.

Featured Image Credit: Mia Kang/Instagram

Topics: Mental Health, Inspirational