Plus size model holds record for world's largest hips at 8 feet round
Published January 21, 2013
The Sun
Mikel Ruffinelli, of Los Angeles, Calif., boasts the world’s biggest hips — measuring more than eight feet round.
The mother of four’s amazing natural 100-inch curves mean she struggles to get through doorways — and needs two seats on planes.
Mikel, 39, drives a truck because her more than 400-pound frame cannot squeeze into a car; she also needs a reinforced chair at home. Yet the plus-size model – only 140 pounds as a teenager — is proud of her figure and does not want to lose weight, even though she often attracts jeers.
“Everywhere I go I get attention for my hips — both good and bad,” Mikel said. “When I walk down the street, I can hear the shutters going on camera phones and people laughing at me…Some people assume I’ve had surgery to enhance my…hips, but it’s all natural. I think that it’s the result of having four children, but large hips also run in my family.”
Mikel was a normal-sized youngster and even in her early 20s tipped the scales at around 180 pounds. But at 22, she put on more than 50 pounds after having first child Andrew, now 18. And after daughters Destynee, 13, Autumn, 8, and Justyce, 7, followed, her weight and hips ballooned further.
But despite her curves she stands at just 5 feet 4 inches and has a proportionally small 40-inch waist
“When I travel by plane or train I have to buy two seats because I can’t fit…into one,” Mikel revealed. “It gets quite expensive. I drive a truck rather than using public transport wherever possible, because it’s big enough to fit all of me in. Going through tight spaces is sometimes a problem for me and I have to go through doorways sideways.”
Yet she still enjoys joining in family activities such as keep-fit routines at home and trips to the park and seaside — where she shows off her 42D breasts in a revealing two-piece costume.
“Finding clothes to fit my bottom half is a challenge,” she said. “I have my lingerie custom-made by seamstresses.”
Mikel also defiantly vows never to diet after vainly struggling for years with slimming plans.
