Last week, 23-year-old Australian model Robyn Lawley was named as the new face of a British lingerie brand. At the time of the announcement, there was cause for celebration.
The brand (Boux Avenue) replaced their size 10 ambassador with size 16 Lawley. Hurrah! Three cheers for diversity! Wasn’t it great to see a fashion label mixing it up a little and trying to promote healthy body image?
Apparently not.
Only days later the conversation has turned. It’s now become a debate over whether Lawley is really the size she says she is. Which is a shame, really. Sometimes it feels like a fashion brand takes one tiny step forward and then because they haven’t quite got to the diversity finish line yet – we tear them down.
News.com.au reports:
Daily Mail readers were outraged, some of them criticising the label for airbrushing the images and others saying Lawley must be smaller than she claims.
“It’s all very good picking a size 16 model, but then airbrushing her until she looks about a 12 kind of defeats the point,” one reader wrote.
robyn-lawley robynlawleygqmamamia images via Bella model management images via Bella model management images via Bella model management images via Bella model management images via Bella model management images via Bella model management Robyn Lawley models for Cosmopolitan Australia Robyn Lawley models for Cosmopolitan Australia Robyn Lawley models for Cosmopolitan Australia Robyn Lawley models for Cosmopolitan Australia Robyn Lawley models for Cosmopolitan Australia Robyn Lawley models for Cosmopolitan Australia images via Bella model management Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn on the cover of the March 2012 issue of Madison Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley robyn-lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley robynlawleygqmamamia10 Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley Robyn Lawley robyn-lawley_in-black-lingerie.jpg robyn-lawley-french-elle-2011-11.jpgLawley hit back when contacted, saying she certainly is a plus-size model.
“I embraced my size years ago and just because I’m tall doesn’t change the fact that I am a size 16,” she tells us via email. “And like everyone in my size range still struggle to buy high street and designer wear in my size as they usually stop at 12-14.
Mamamia has previously reported that:
Twenty-three-year-old model Robyn Lawley doesn’t think of herself as “plus-sized”. She prefers to use the term “normal sized”. And given the average Australian woman is a size 14-16, that’s exactly what Lawley is. Normal.
The Aussie model is making headlines this week because she’s just been signed as the face of a UK lingerie line – Boux Avenue is replacing their size 10 ambassador with size 16 Lawley.
This from The Huffington Post:
The 23-year-old cover girl first made waves when she graced the over of Vogue Italia last year, but she’s continued to be a source of inspiration for aspiring models (and women in general) by encouraging them to have healthy body images — no easy feat in the modeling world.
She also runs her own food blog called Robyn Lawley Eats (hurrah!) where she uploads pictures and recipes her favourite meals – which is focused less on celery sticks and more on cupcakes.
What do you think of the criticism that Lawley is not the size she says she is?
Top Comments
On Ellen today, Robyn Lawley said she's now an "American size 12" (so she's lost weight I guess, since her 6'2" height hasn't changed). Definitely not a "plus-sized model" now. I'd simply say Amazon woman. Great looking though. Yes, I agree with a prior comment that she's equivalent of a size 6 shorter woman. ...So says a 5'9" sized 24 true-plus-sized woman. Me!
I think that its so refreshing to see what pretty designer swimsuits look like on someone curvy :) I personally think that it is much more attractive than a skinny model! Because.... men like meat and dogs like bones..!
Also, having a more curvaceous model grace the pages of a magazine gives so much more hope to the general population of women.. ''well she looks good and she's not super skinny!!'' Obviously models are upheld as the ultimate beauty.. if theres a bit more meat on the bones of models, I think most women will feel a that beauty is attainable. I think the media should emphasise HEALTH rather than SIZE.