Filippa Hamilton, the 23-year-old stunner in the ad, was let go "as a result of her inability to meet the obligations under her contract," with Ralph Lauren or -- as her agency was told -- because she was a bit too large to fit into the clothing. Interestingly, they had recently issued a statement on the issue claiming she was "beautiful and healthy" -- is this to suggest that they'd prefer to have skeletal and gaunt models representing their brand over beautiful and healthy ones?

It's hard to have sympathy for a company that perpetuates such an unhealthy body image, and they definitely won't get any from Hamilton. "I think they owe American women an apology, a big apology," she said in the NY Daily News. "I'm very proud of what I look like, and I think a role model should look healthy." Amen, sister.

Click on the video below to see Filippa talk about her weight.

Sadly, many women are not happy in their skin. Katherine Heigl says she'd rather have Nicole Richie's body.

Women who are overweight face many health risks, such as heart disease and type II diabetes. And Martha recently told us how overweight women tend to be more impulsive. But overweight women face some risks you might not expect:

• Being fired. Could it be because people who are overweight have a higher rate of absenteeism? Or is it because of a prejudice? It's hard to pinpoint the reasons why, but medical research shows that overweight women run a higher risk of losing their jobs.
• Being the victim of a crime. Overweight women run a greater risk of being victims of crimes. They're also more likely to become criminals.
• Financial woes. Overweight women are more likely to find themselves broke.

It's a chicken and the egg situation, really. Is a woman's weight causing these negative life events or are the negative events causing stress that leads to overeating and obesity?

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Aaron Ferguson, a former accountant for Rachael Ray's TV cooking show, has filed a $1 million lawsuit after being fired. Ferguson has battled anorexia for about six years. While employed on Rachael Ray's show, Ferguson says others treated him with hostility because of his condition. He says that his supervisor made "vile, discriminatory, and hurtful comments."

Ferguson, who began working for CBS Television Distributions, Inc. in July 2007, says that he complained about the discriminatory language regarding people with anorexia, but the situation didn't improve. He was fired in October 2007. Ferguson feels he was terminated because he complained about wrongful treatment. Rachael Ray is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit.

If you know someone who is battling anorexia, bulimia, or other eating disorder, they need your support and understanding. HelpGuide has some information on eating disorders and how to best support loved ones who are battling the condition.

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