She’s voluptuous, sexy and
an international sensation
MODELLING is hard work! Having worked as a fashion editor for a decade or two, I saw first-hand just how demanding it can be. And I was just a small fish in a small sea!
So when an Aussie model – or any model for that matter – makes it big on the world stage, it’s a big deal because they become part of a very small but select market. But when a plus-size model cuts through on the international stage, it’s an even bigger deal. They’ve had to fight harder to get there.
But big really is beautiful. The demand for plus-size models isn’t big in Australia – well not yet anyway. Sure there’s a market here but, comparatively speaking, it is small. (We’re a big country with a small population.) So if you’re good at what you do or you’re a “big fish in a small pond”, you head overseas because that’s were the big bucks and opportunities are. Sorry, but that’s the truth of it.
All the attention placed on being thin is exhausting, not to mention dangerous. But if yesterday’s article on the Huffington Post website is anything to go by, it appears that plus-size models are shaking up the fashion industry and redefining the rules of modelling. And it’s about time. The piece – Best Plus Size Models: Who is dominating the industry? – listed our very own Robyn Lawley as one of the world’s top 10 plus-size models.
As a healthy size 14-16, New York-based Lawley, who is represented by Bella Model Management’s Chelsea Bonner, is officially regarded as plus-size or, as some in the business call, real-size models. However, if clothing sales are anything to go by, statistically she is normal size.
The amazonian beauty who grew up in Sydney’s western suburbs is chalking up some of the most coveted and prestigious jobs in the notoriously weight-obsessed fashion world. She has appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia and Madison, as well as countless editorials for magazines such as Vogue Australia, Glamour, French Elle, Mode, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan. She is also the first plus-size model to appear in a campaign for Ralph Lauren.
Lawley, who is now regarded as a supermodel, “made peace with her body and hit the big time” and making the world’s top 10 list is testament to that.
You go girl. It’s time to embrace and celebrate the real woman!
Are you frustrated by the limited choice of clothes available for real-size women? Do you struggle with your body and how to embrace your curves? Do you have a role model or women you aspire to? Do let me know.
Labels: Bella Model Management, Chelsea Bonner, plus-size models, Robyn Lawley
