ROSHUMBA: FOR ME, SIZE 0 IS NOT HEALTHY

ROSHUMBA: FOR ME, SIZE 0 IS NOT HEALTHY

Supermodel Roshumba Williams has seen it all, and now the 40-year-old former Sports Illustrated swimsuit model tells Life & Style that looking back, she would have done a few things differently. “I would have been much healthier and more balanced in my mind-set,” Roshumba says about her more body-conscious days. Instead, admits the 5-foot-11 stunner, “I got a little crazed. Now it’s important for me to be a good example for young girls in the industry.” Here are a few more quotes from her story.

Were you ever a size 0?

I never got that small. That’s not realistic or healthy because I’m 5-foot-11. Me being a size 0 would be a detriment to my health. But when I was working full-time and doing runway shows, we weren’t expected to be that small. That whole anorexic phase came five or seven years ago. Before that, it was the Brazilian girls who had curves and long, sexy hair. Supermodels had curves!

Who do you think has a perfect body?

Probably the most perfect body is Heidi Klum’s. She has three kids and she looks like that!

What is a typical model size today?

For a runway girl, probably a size 2. Zero would have been maybe a couple of years ago. For catalog girls, a size 4. Bathing suit girls, a 4 or 6. I know the CFDA, Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg — all of these people stood up and created a committee where they just came together and realized it’s important for models to feel supported at a healthy size and healthy weight. It’s a high pressure career with a lot of competition, but people are stepping up to the plate.