Size Zero

My Life as a Disappearing Model

By: Victoire Dauxerre

Narrated by: Emily Lucienne

Length: 6 hrs and 33 mins

Publisher's summary

A memoir of a brief career as a top model - and a brutally honest account of what goes on behind the scenes in a fascinating closed industry.

Scouted in the street when she was 17, Victoire Dauxerre's story started like a teenager's dream: within months she was on the catwalks of New York's major fashion shows and part of the most select circle of in-demand supermodels in the world.

But when fashion executives and photographers began to pressure her about her weight, forcing her to become ever thinner, Victoire's fantasy came at a cost. Food was now her enemy, and soon, living on only three apples a day and Diet Coke galore, Victoire became anorexic.

An unflinching, painful exposé of the uglier face of fashion, her testimony is a shocking example of how our culture's mechanisms of anorexia and bulimia can push a young woman to the point of suicide.

It is the story of a survivor whose fight against poisonous illness and body image shows us how to take courage and embrace life.

©2017 Victoire Dauxerre (P)2017 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"A poignant book." ( Elle)

Very Enlightening!

My thanks to Victoire Dauxerre for having the courage to write such an amazing account of her life as a model.
This book opens our eyes to the REAL LIFE these beautiful people go through. Both the men and women models.
Emily Lucienne has a pleasant voice. Very easy to follow along with.
I highly recommend this book!

The Life of a Model

OK, I admit I enjoy reading about the problems of others, especially beautiful others. It reminds me there are disadvantages to everything, problems everywhere and not to judge a book by its cover. As lucky as she is, with her beauty and her rapid rise in the modeling profession, it's not worth it. Her original direction, as an ordinary student and scholar, is inherently more rewarding. I hope she's doing something fun now because that modeling life sounds truly awful.

Good Book. Glad I listened.

great insight into the modeling world and this young woman's life dealing with her anorexia and the stress of a models life.

Incredible insight into the world of modeling

Victoire Dauxerre has done an amazing job pulling you into the world of modeling. I could not stop listening to her story. Emily Lucienne also did a fantastic job narrating this book. why do these designers feel they can treat these young women the way they do. It's horrendous! It's so close to slave labor it's frightening. It is mentally, emotionally, and physically abusive treatments. I don't understand how it is allowed to continue. I'm so happy for you, Victoire, that you were able to get out when you did. You are a strong, intelligence, and extremely beautiful woman both inside and out.

Loved it!

I loved this book, Victoire is so well-spoken and seems like such a sweetheart. I applaud what she has done to expose the truth behind this industry.

Nice listen for a dark subject.

I listened through the book quickly. The narrator is clear and articulate. The story overuses the same descriptive words, but it was entertaining and enlightening of the size zero world of fashion modelling.

Great Book Easy To Follow Cool Viewpoint

Where does Size Zero rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I used to be a high fashion model and this rings true for a certain type of girl. I am naturally thin actually so I didn't have this experience but I saw many many girls suffer and die. I decided to quit even though I was successful because models are abused emotionally and otherwise. So I recommend you read this to get one perspective and there are others of coarse. I think it's great that this author is acting now as sounds like a super interesting person and I wish her well.

Must read

Every young girl I know hates to be a model, but no one knew how much it took to be there. After hearing this book I am certain I don’t want to follow that route.

Thank you victoire for sharing this story, and helping to warn other girls.

Pretty interesting insider story

I think I'm the most surprised to realize the life of a model is pretty boring, as well as dehumanizing, mind numbing and overall poorly paid. That said, Victoire told the story of all the waiting, inhumane treatment and lack of eating in a fairly interesting way. Based on the title and the profession, the inside stories of the need to be thin, the disordered eating and the sleazy managers were unsurprising. I thought her strongest storyline within the memoir was the rift her year as a model created within her family, and how her parents' complete lack of understanding about the details of her experience led them to give her disastrous parental advice over and over (Stick to it! Don't quit! You signed a contract, that's pretty serious, you should abide by it! Etc.). Once they understood what she was up against, it was very nearly too late for real intervention.

Emily Lucienne did a good job with the narration and made the author sound likeable and relatable. Overall decent book.

An interesting topic and but a dull person

Despite how often the author reminds the listener that she is educated and well cultured, she doesn't really come off that way in this book. She has very little to say that is interesting or memorable. However, to me the book is worth it for the insight into the cruel and manipulative fashion industry.