Former Victoria Secret Model Turns Christian and Exposes Dark Side of Fashion

(Photo from Project Inspired Facebook Page)

Former Victoria's Secret model, Nicole Weider is on a path to expose the dark side of the fashion world. Her latest quest: Take on the fashion giant: Cosmopolitan magazine.

26-year-old Weider left Oregon at 15 years old to connect with the glamour world in Hollywood. Her success as a super-model became evident after landing jobs with Victoria's Secret and on the covers of racy magazines like Maxim and Esquire.

With all that success, she still felt used and empty. "I just felt degraded. The photographer was like, 'Nicole bend down, go lower, stick your chest out, suck in your stomach.' I felt bad about myself," Weider said.

The lifestyle had left her battling deep depression. Thankfully a Christian friend urged her to reach out to Jesus for help. "I just said, God, show me that there's a better way, and I accepted the Lord," she recalled. "And my mind was renewed through God and I just realized that my mind was almost like clear, and I knew that I was put on this earth for a bigger purpose," she said.

That bigger purpose is a calling to shine a light on the dark side of the fashion world. And, she's jumping in with both feet by taking on fashion magazine Cosmopolitan and their sexually charged content.

Weider said the magazine markets to teens by putting young actresses on the cover and then including sexual tips inside.  "It is so damaging because it's so explicit," she explained. "The sexual tips in there are just so pornographic and it's so harmful to girls because you have girls as young as 13 or 14 buying the magazine and taking the contents to heart."

Weider admitted that taking on the magazine giant will be difficult.  "Yeah, when I started this I had no idea what I was up against," she said. "I was in for a huge mountain. Unfortunately, the magazine has still to this day, not yet responded to me."

But with a little help from the internet and social media, the public is beginning to respond ... over 26,000 have signed a petition on Change.org.

In the petition letter, she states, “This publication has steadily declined into a full-on pornographic ‘how to’ guide for insecure women and vulnerable young girls. Almost every issue features inappropriate ‘tips’ to try new sex moves.”

For Weider, the magazine is another example of giving young girls the wrong message – that "your value is based on your sex skills." She said "The power is in numbers and most importantly we have God behind us," Weider said. "I know it's going to happen."

What's next with Weider? She said now that she's a Christian, there are certain types of modeling she won't do anymore. "I will not do any lingerie work. That is the No. 1 thing I will not do, and I will not do any swimwear," she said.

"I am now a married woman and my body is for my husband," she added. "I don't want to parade my body around to just anyone."

She's also passionate about being a good role model for young women and reaches out to them through her website, Project Inspired, where she also enjoys sharing the Word of God.

Her message to young women is to have a balance: enjoy fashion, but never lose sight of the fact that they are a beautiful one-of-a-kind creation, and that that true fulfillment only comes when you live your life for Jesus Christ.

Click here if you would like to sign the petition to cover Cosmo's explicit content.