Imagine eating just three apples a day, every day, for eight months. For Victoire Maçon-Dauxerre, this wasn’t a bizarre fruit challenge—it was a desperate attempt to fit a beauty ideal that nearly ended her life. Five years after her ordeal, her journey speaks volumes about the dark side of fashion and the relentless quest for thinness.
From Fashion’s Bright Lights to a Dangerous Spiral
At 18, Victoire Maçon-Dauxerre was plucked from the street by a scout from Elite agency, catapulting her into the dazzling world of high fashion. It sounds like a modern-day fairy tale: overnight stardom, endless photo shoots, and the coveted status of being one of the most in-demand models worldwide. But behind the glamorous curtain awaited a brutal reality.
Her daily life soon revolved around castings, runways, and an unforgiving schedule. This headlong rush into modeling, however, dragged Victoire into a whirlpool of obsession and deprivation. The pressure was crushing—forcing her to adopt a draconian routine: three apples a day, with a small serving of fish or chicken just once a week.
- Only three apples per day as her regular meals
- Fish and chicken only once a week
- Rapid weight loss of approximately ten kilograms in two months
Despite the pounds melting away, an invisible torment haunted her. As Victoire lost weight, she felt even fatter. Her anxiety manifested in her ruthless eating habits. She told Vanity Fair that she justified this regime to herself by promising a return to a normal diet soon—but a persistent voice in her head kept her trapped, always fearing she wouldn’t fit into impossibly tiny clothing sizes (32-34).
The Physical and Emotional Toll
The numbers are staggering: at 1.78 meters tall, Victoire dropped below 47 kilograms. Rather than glowing under the spotlights, she became, in her own words, a “coat hanger.” Yet this was the price of entry for the world’s runways.
Far from the sequins and champagne, Victoire was spiraling towards disaster. The consequences?
- Mental anorexia
- Overwhelming emotional distress
- Relentless stress
Her mother’s heartbreak paints a chilling scene: catching a glimpse of her daughter’s skeletal body in the bathroom, panic-stricken, she brought Victoire a roasted chicken—which Victoire devoured in one sitting. “She saw I was starving,” Victoire recalled during TF1’s Sept à Huit. But even this fleeting comfort couldn’t halt the downward slide.
Her relationship with her own body was forever altered: “They wanted me, sure, but only thin. I was beautiful because I was thin. That was my only value,” Victoire shared. The vicious circle of anorexia tightened its grip. The bitter irony? While being pushed to lose more weight, her own photos were most often retouched, with extra thighs and cheeks added to project a healthier image than reality.
After leaving modeling, the spiral continued. Victoire fell into bulimia, then depression, and ultimately attempted suicide—a tragedy that led her to a psychiatric clinic. Survival, for her, was not a certainty, but a result of sheer determination and, eventually, help.
Reclaiming Life: New Beginnings and Advocacy
Fortunately, Victoire found a path to healing. She began acting studies in London and worked at Shakespeare’s Globe Theater. The performing arts became her form of therapy, slowly knitting back together her mind and body. “Seeing people on stage made me want to go there myself. Then I studied at the drama conservatory and it was therapeutic. I reconnected my body with my mind,” she shared with Vanity Fair.
Today, Victoire plays Vanessa, the resident chef at the Spoon in the daily TV series « Demain nous appartient » on TF1. Her transformation from fashion’s fragile darling to a working actress is as encouraging as it is hard-won. But she hasn’t forgotten what almost broke her. Now, Victoire is an activist against the cult of thinness in fashion and modeling.
She’s also working on adapting her raw and truthful memoir, « Jamais Trop Maigre. Journal d’un Top Model » (Never Too Thin. Diary of a Top Model), for the screen. She’s co-producing the film with the team behind « Vikings, » a series where she also portrayed Nissa in its sixth season. She notes with a wink that she won’t play herself, but will have a supporting role.
Victoire also lends her energy and experience to associations such as Imhotep and Ateliers Mercure, a think tank focused on developing new health policies.
Looking Ahead: A Cautious Hope
Every scar tells a story, and Victoire Maçon-Dauxerre’s is a lesson written in hunger, resilience, and hope. After years spent as a prisoner to the mirror, she encourages us to look deeper—and perhaps to offer compassion instead of judgment. If you or someone you love hear the echo of her story, don’t wait to seek help. Life is worth much more than even the shiniest runway.
John is a curious mind who loves to write about diverse topics. Passionate about sharing his thoughts and perspectives, he enjoys sparking conversations and encouraging discovery. For him, every subject is an invitation to discuss and learn.
