In pursuit of an ideal weight, women can do a lot, even though thinness is not always a sign of health, beauty, or femininity. Some people are so obsessed with standards imposed on them by society that they develop self-esteem issues and eating disorders. But the story of French model and actress Isabelle Caro isn’t quite like anyone else’s.

She was born in 1982 in Marseilles and could have been a completely ordinary girl if it wasn’t for her mother’s fears. Isabelle’s father would often go on business trips, leaving his wife alone and upset. The daughter mostly saw her severely depressed. Over time, Marie Caro started to fear that her little girl would grow up and leave the family nest. She was terrified of being left completely alone, so she used to measure her daughter’s height all the time and practically didn’t let her out, as she believed that fresh air makes children grow up faster.

Isabelle loved her mother very much and didn’t want to hurt her. So, she decided to stop growing and almost completely refused food. She had severe anorexia nervosa from the age of 13 when she decided to become a model, but her mother didn’t see anything wrong with the fact that her own child was practically starving all the time.

CBS / YouTube

Isabelle began to realize that she wasn’t alright when she was taken to hospital for exhaustion. Being 5’5", she weighed a mere 55 pounds; she was so weak she couldn’t walk. Therapy was effective: the girl once again experienced the taste of food and wanted to live like everyone else, and even dreamed of having a child one day. Surprisingly enough, it was still possible, despite her mother’s attitude and resulting nervous breakdown and starvation.

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Although Isabelle had been a model and actress for some time – she had played in the theater, usually portraying sick people – she became really famous in 2007. Caro was so emaciated that at the age of 25 she looked like an exhausted old woman. She became the face and “body” of a social project aimed at drawing attention to the problem of anorexia. Isabelle’s shocking photos demonstrated what indifference could lead to.

CBS / YouTube

CBS / YouTube

A year later, Caro wrote a book in which she described in depth what it’s like to live with anorexia, and passed a warning to anyone who dreamed of a career in the movies or on the catwalk. She was invited to various events, shared her story with journalists, and managed to reach the weight of 73 pounds. But the girl’s life didn’t get better. In 2010, she passed away: her depleted body just couldn’t cope with respiratory disease.

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It’s hard to say whether the mother realized that she was crippling her own child, but in January 2011, Marie committed suicide. We don’t believe that Isabelle’s always absent father didn’t notice what was happening to his daughter, knowing full well about his wife’s delusional dream to stop her from growing up. It’s likely that both Isabelle’s parents were so absorbed in themselves that they preferred to let things take their course.