By When you first glance at this model’s super skinny waist you might think the image was a result of excessive photo editing - but, shockingly, Ioana Spangenberg’s tiny waist is real.
The Romanian model has a 20-inch waist that is extremely narrow in comparison to the average model’s 24-28 inches.
Ioana, who weighs only six stone at a height of 5ft 6 inches, says she was of average size until her teen years: “When I was 13 my waist was around 15 inches. Someone could put their hands around it, their fingers would touch and they would still have extra room.” Now her waist is only five inches larger than a CD.
Her daily diet consists of toast with jam or eggs for breakfast, a snack of chocolate and crisps around 12pm. For lunch the model normally eats sausage, chicken and potatoes and later in the day she fills up on bread, meat and cheese sandwiches.
She said: “I just have a small stomach - it's a bit like having a natural gastric band. If I eat too much, I feel sick.
Ioana added: “In Romania it’s better to be overweight because that means you are from a wealthy family...so while my friends were going out and dating, I was sitting at home with Mars bars wishing I could fatten up.”
However, after meeting her husband, Jan, in 2006 she changed the way she thought about her body.
Jan encouraged her to celebrate her thin figure and posted some photos of her online, after which she started to get modelling jobs.
“My husband Jan says he has never met a woman who eats as much as me. These days I am much more happy with the way I look, and I have Jan to thank for that.
“I would still like to gain weight so I don't look so shocking. I get people taking photos of me in the street. But I'm finally comfortable in my own skin.
“After all those years of hating my body, it felt amazing to have any attention at all. Now I love it.”
The Romanian model has a 20-inch waist that is extremely narrow in comparison to the average model’s 24-28 inches.
Ethel Granger, whose 13-inch waist was documented as the smallest in history, transformed her waist with the help of severely pinching corsets. However, Ioana says her tiny 20-inch frame is natural and insists she eats a lot but can’t put on weight.
Ioana Spangenberg © Barcroft
The 30-year-old, who has 32-inch hips, told The Sun: “Every day I eat three big meals and I snack on chocolate and crisps all the time. No one seems to believe that.”
[See also: Will Diane Von Furstenberg stop fashion's skinny obsession]
Ioana, who weighs only six stone at a height of 5ft 6 inches, says she was of average size until her teen years: “When I was 13 my waist was around 15 inches. Someone could put their hands around it, their fingers would touch and they would still have extra room.” Now her waist is only five inches larger than a CD.
Her daily diet consists of toast with jam or eggs for breakfast, a snack of chocolate and crisps around 12pm. For lunch the model normally eats sausage, chicken and potatoes and later in the day she fills up on bread, meat and cheese sandwiches.
She said: “I just have a small stomach - it's a bit like having a natural gastric band. If I eat too much, I feel sick.
Ioana added: “In Romania it’s better to be overweight because that means you are from a wealthy family...so while my friends were going out and dating, I was sitting at home with Mars bars wishing I could fatten up.”
However, after meeting her husband, Jan, in 2006 she changed the way she thought about her body.
Jan encouraged her to celebrate her thin figure and posted some photos of her online, after which she started to get modelling jobs.
“My husband Jan says he has never met a woman who eats as much as me. These days I am much more happy with the way I look, and I have Jan to thank for that.
“I would still like to gain weight so I don't look so shocking. I get people taking photos of me in the street. But I'm finally comfortable in my own skin.
“After all those years of hating my body, it felt amazing to have any attention at all. Now I love it.”
What do you think of Ioana Spangenberg’s figure?
Former plus-sized model shows off her new slim figure
Topshop drops photo of 'too skinny' model
Model mocks American Apparel plus-size competition
2,691 comments