So this model Ali Michael, who appeared on the cover of Teen Vogue, gained five pounds and was shunned at Paris Fashion Week. Like "sent home to Texas" shunned. The media is up in arms — although anyone who covers fashion and is surprised by this is either lying or not paying attention.

While this isn't a new story — silly models are always trying to eat — it's eerily similar to the plot of Melissa Walker's new book, Violet By Design. The second in a three-part series, VBD follows the teenager Violet as she tries to become a model. Along the way, she gains weight, battles eating disorders and deals with other aspects of the glamorous life. We're not a teenage girl, but we enjoyed it. At the very least, it's better than looking at yet another set of runway pics.

(Full disclosure: Melissa's written and taught for mediabistro.com many times before. But she's great, so we don't care.)