An Australian Miss Universe finalist, whose rail-thin appearance caused a stir as she pranced down the catwalk in a bikini, tells Good Morning America, she was singled out and victimized for her skinny appearance in the contest.
"I've never been anorexic or bulimic, I've never been malnourished or underfed," Stephanie Naumoska said. "I live a healthy, active lifestyle."
Critics, citing the model's visible bones and ribcage, said Naumoska's emaciated look was a danger to herself and those looking to emulate the her. A judge in the competition remarked he would have "wanted to go and feed her straightaway" if he was her daughter.
The 19-year-old brunette is at 5 feet, 10 inches tall and weighs 105 ponds with a body-mass index score, at 15.8, less than the 18 score she would need to be considered malnourished.
Naumoska said she wasn't malnourished; she said that if she was, her hair and skin wouldn't look as healthy as it does, and she wouldn't have the energy to prepare for the grueling contests.
The director of the Miss Australia pageant said Naumoska's Macedonian heritage was the reason for her appearance.
"The women do have long, lithe bodies and small bones," Deborah Miller told UK Daily Mail last week. "It's their body type, just as Asian girls tend to be rather small. She doesn't have an eating disorder or anything like that. There's nothing wrong with her."