When Meredith Hattam signed her first contract at 19-years-old, she lost 20 pounds in seven weeks. But she only did so because she was encouraged by her agents to lose weight.
At the time, Hattam "didn't understand that 800 calories a day countered by two-hours of exercise was a starvation diet," so she lost the weight.
In a personal essay for the blog Fashionista, the now 27-year-old Hattam writes about her experience as a model in China- and the harsh living conditions and starvation she endured.
Hattam first recounts traveling on a train from Beijing to Chengdu with another model, 16-year-old Lana from the Ukraine.
"Lana is quietly salting a hard-boiled egg. Eggs- and only eggs- are all she'll eat for the next 10 days, but not because of any dietary restriction," Hattam wrote.
"Our modeling agency has cut her weekly allowance, as she's exceeded the body measurements clearly defined in her three-month contract. She has yielded to what, in industry-speak, is called 'getting fat,' and must now take drastic measures to reverse the damage," Hattam wrote.
Hattam was measured by her modeling agency every Monday morning. If her weight went past the limits specified in her contract, she faced being kicked out of her apartment in China and sent back to the U.S.
In another essay for Vice magazine, Hattam reveals that she was forced to live in "shabby, dorm-like apartments" with 12 other models, according to the Daily Mail. The apartments had four bedrooms and two bathrooms, which cost nearly $600 a month. The only thing Hattam found when she arrived at the apartment was a couch, and no bed, the Daily Mail reported.
On top of that, Hattam barely made any money. Forty percent of the money made from bookings went to the agency and another 10 percent went to the scout. The rest of the money went towards Hattam's living expenses, according to the Daily Mail.
"By the time we leave China," Hattam wrote, according to the Daily Mail, "we'll have earned nothing at all."
Now Hattam is no longer a model, but works in the U.S. as a graphic designer for the nonprofit group The Model Alliance.
"I am actually grateful for my failed career as a model, because it gave me the insight on how to assist other women who truly need support," Hattam wrote.
