I’m No Angel by Kylie Bisutti
Tyndale House Publishers, May 14, 2013
In December 2011, 21-year-old Victoria’s Secret model Kylie Bisutti stunned the fashion industry when she chose faith over fame and fortune and made the switch from supermodel to role model.
In I’m No Angel, Kylie shares her story—from her early years struggling to make it big in the cut-throat world of modeling, her “big break” winning the Victoria’s Secret Angel competition, and the disillusionment and spiritual warfare that followed, to the moment she realized that she could no longer reconcile her career with her Christian beliefs, surrendered her life to God, turned in her Angel wings, and dedicated her life to preaching a message of modesty and inner beauty.
Along the way, Kylie talks about her personal struggles with inadequacy, low self-esteem, and her near-constant quest for approval in a world where you can never be thin enough, pretty enough, or sexy enough. She helps readers understand that true beauty lies within and that real fulfillment comes from knowing, loving, and serving Christ.
It seems this book is making some waves. As it should. A former Victoria’s Secret model leaving all the fame and money behind for God and his standards. Who wouldn’t be interested in Kylie’s story?
For that reason this is a really important book for parents to read and take into consideration the impact our western world places on beauty and the impossible goals set by our image focused society. Kylie’s story is engaging and easy to read. As she talks about her experiences in the modelling world, one gets to see the extremes women go to achieve a certain look deemed “beautiful”. It’s heartbreaking really. Even more heartbreaking is the fact that young girls around the world are striving or starving for this same “beautiful” look.
Kylie’s faith journey is one that might make some people say: “How can she be a Christian and still do Victoria’s Secret’s contest and the life after it?” For me, though Kylie still had some things to learn about God’s standards. Her husband faithfully prayed everyday for her to come to this realization. Also, people need to take into consideration, that although a Christian from her mid-teens, modelling took over her life and in this world Godly people are scarce. With a family not Christians (although gleaned from the book they take family and morals seriously), how can Kylie truly grow to be all that God has for her? Something else that struck me about Kylie’s journey, is that although she struggled to see God’s standard for modesty, God didn’t forget and he turned a bad situation into good – his good and Kylie’s good and a good for thousands of other girls who need to hear Kylie’s story.
I really enjoyed this book and it made me stop and think about some of the messages I inadvertently send my own daughter about looks etc. I do this unknowingly, as simply being a part of our western culture, a culture that is obsessed with looks. Thank you Kylie for writing this book and sharing your story with the world. I pray many people will be impacted by it and thus brought closer to God.
Jess is a mum of two children and married to the calmest man alive. She loves to bake and go for walks. A writer of contemporary romance, Jess write stories about the heart and where love is worth the journey.