I’m
No Angel, Kylie Bisutti revealed the hidden clandestine of the modeling
industry and being a Victoria’s Secret model winner. She described how she met
and married her husband, Mike and the effect her marriage had on her career. The
book disclosed how she left Victoria Secret and became a Proverbs 31 wife. She began
modeling in Las Vegas at the age of fourteen and she quickly learned that sex
sells and the industry knows that men are drawn to this. Throughout the years, she
has witnessed mischievous individuals trying to entice young girls into human
trafficking in Thailand, girls struggling with eating disorders, and being
asked to dress immodesty. She has also seen hair designers cutting off models
bangs, hair extensions being pulled out and taking out hair roots, hair burned
by the flat irons, and models having to wear Saran Wrap. The hair designers and
photographers are brutal and relentless in their pursue of obtaining a certain look
for their photos. All for the price of beauty.
Kylie is very candid about her experiences with modeling and
her painful past including her mistakes. She shared her personal struggle with
fitting into the mold of the world and the high demand of beauty. At one of the
photoshoots, she couldn’t find all of her clothing and she asked an intern
where the rest of her outfits was located. The interned yelled across the
studio and asked, “Hey, does anyone know where the rest of the big model’s
clothes are?” (Page 105). She only weighed 115 pounds. Satan tempted her to
check out the other model’s labels on their clothes and she noticed that most
of the girls were a size 0 or a size 00. She realized that she was only a size
2 and she was considered a big model.
She also opened up about being a conversation she had
with her agent and she couldn’t understand why she kept being asked to do test
shoots. Her agent stated her harsh opinions of why she couldn’t go to Fashion
Week castings. She declared that, “It’s because you are a fat pig right now.
You are a cow, and I don’t want any of my clients to see this way! Your thighs
are too big. Your butt is too big. You’re just… big!” (Page 106). Eventually,
Kylie begin obsessing over her body image and the way she looked. She was determined
to lose weight. Her agent told her over the holidays to lose two inches off
your hips and two inches from your waist. She finally got down to 108 pounds
and she began to get to do more photoshoots. Then she dealt with trying to
maintain her current weight and be skinny.
The book also included a thirty day “True Beauty Makeover”
section at the end of the book. It had a scripture verse, a small story, two questions,
and a true beauty tip for each day.
I loved the transparency that Kylie displayed throughout
the book. She exposed the hurtful comments that she has received and the past
mistakes she couldn’t undo. I liked how she was honest about losing her
virginity to a boy in high school and how she regretted that choice. He started
by quoting movie lines from The Notebook and he asked her to take a drive with
him and he even put on a love soundtrack that she made him. Then he processed
to pressure her and said he wanted her to be his first, which later the rumors
were he already was having sex with another girl. That guy was a baiter! I
especially liked how she stated the warning signs and the red flags she should
have seen from the guy. She shared how
she came to know Christ and how he forgave for her decision. This part of her
story could vastly assist young girls in learning from the effects of making small
compromises and the lines some guys will use on our girls.
I would recommend this outstanding book to any young
girls as well as older women who have low self-esteem and they are obsessing over
their body image. Women with eating disorders would immensely benefit from the
personal stories that Kylie Bisutti has experienced. Even men can benefit from
reading this book and they can began to comprehend the extraordinary demands
the industry is putting on our young girls and women in general. Her story was
heartbreaking and very eye opening on the issues of striving to look like an
image on a cover of a magazine or a TV screen. I’m a guy and her courageous story
was inspiring and it made me recognize the importance of protecting my future daughters
and instilling in them, the way God sees them. It also showed me how I’m
supposed to treat my future wife. I also loved the encouraging story about how
she met her husband and how she is trying to be a Proverbs 31 wife. This served
as a great reminder to me that God is already working behind the scenes and is
writing a love story between my future wife and me, even if I haven’t met her
yet. This book is a wonderful encouragement to young girls and women on
focusing on true beauty which comes from the inside! If you’re looking for a phenomenal
gift to give to a young girl, then this book is the one to give! It has the
potential to change their life and I’m praying it does!
Tyndale House Publishers has
provided me with a complimentary copy of this book.
If you would
like to purchase a copy of I’m No Angel
check it out on Amazon.com:
Check out the Book Trailer:
Meet Kylie Bisutti:
Kylie Bisutti is
a former Victoria's Secret Runway Angel. At 19, she beat out 10,000 other girls
to win a modeling contract with Victoria's Secret, but upon achieving her
lifelong dream, she realized she could not reconcile her work with her
Christian beliefs, so in December 2011, she quit modeling for Victoria's Secret
and dedicated herself to being a role model for young girls - her message being
the importance of dressing modestly, honoring your body, and that true beauty
lies within.
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