Ervin ventured to obtain roles as an actress but gave up on the idea when she was constantly offered roles as an alien or monster.[1] Later she studied law and exercise physiology. Tired of the office life that she had pursued and unhappy with her weight, she joined a gym but strove for an unrealistic size 0 physique that almost resulted in ending her life.[11] Eventually she developed a healthier body image and began to view herself as a super-sized version of Super Woman and became a personal trainer devoted to instilling realistic expectations for herself and her clients. She tours the world participating in height comparison photo shoots and regular modeling jobs and posts her tour on her website.
In the September 2013 issue of Harper's Bazaar, Carine Roitfeld, former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, wrote an article, "Carine Roitfeld's 'Singular Beauties'", with photographs by Karl Lagerfeld.[14] The article includes 25 models and is "an homage to the diversity of women". Among the models are Scarlett Johansson, Carmen Dell'Orefice (82 years old), Gabourey Sidibe, and Ervin, who is paired with 5'9" Xiao Wen. There is also a video about the making of the article in which Xiao Wen and Ervin appear.[15]
Personal life
Ervin underwent gender-affirming surgery in 2004.[3] In interviews, Ervin has talked about the problems of being a tall woman. Other topics she has addressed include her troubles growing up dealing with teasing in high school, family problems and her modeling experience.[10][16]
