Now this is fashion news we love to hear: Robyn Lawley is on the cover of the March issue of Madison magazine (scroll down to see the cover). This makes her the first Australian plus size model to grace the cover of an Australian fashion magazine. Huzzah!
——
Aussie model, Robyn Lawley has already had phenomenal success overseas in her short career; appearing on the covers of both Italian Vogue and French Elle. And now, Australian Vogue is following suit and breaking with 52 years of tradition to feature her as the first plus-size model to grace its pages.
Now we know that a size 14 is not plus-size in any sense of the word, but finally we are starting to see some changes in the way magazines are treating body image. This is something that Vogue Australia editor, Kirstie Clements, acknowledged in the September issue’s editors letter.
“This is the first time Vogue Australia has shot a larger model and of course now that we have done it, I ask myself why we didn’t do it sooner. But that’s because Robyn is especially gorgeous. I went to the shoot to meet her and was transfixed by her beauty and poise. She is a truly super duper model.
When a plus size model first turns up to the studio, she may be an anomaly to a team normally used to working with size 6’s, but once photographer Max Doyle started shooting Robyn, we quickly readjusted our preconceived notions of beauty. She doesn’t actually look plus size to me at all now.
I said to a colleague on set later that day, “And men like curves don’t they?” He looked at me like I was an idiot. “Yes Kirsty, we certainly do” was his laconic reply. It’s an interesting conversation – the world of high fashion and fuller-figured women. One that needs to be continued,” Clements said.
Here are the shots of Lawley in the September issue of Vogue, along with some career highlights:
Robyn Lawley models for Cosmopolitan Australia
Comments
31 Comments so far
REAL SIZE! Yay!! She is gorgeous but not plus size. Probably plus size compared to all the skinny, skinny models though…..
loading...
I have to say, seeing someone who looks like she’s smaller than me (in some photos) being called “plus size” is more upsetting to my self esteem than seeing much skinnier women who I already know are an unrealistic image o the majority of women. It’s a disgrace that she’s being called plus size, and it’s also annoying that they’ve effectively cut her middle out of all those photos so that her exposed skin is just her fatless calves and forearms. That says to me that they’re really still scared of her fat and scared of her curves. We need to be embracing both as a common feature of women’s bodies, not hiding them in every photo, particularly not when that’s the whole point of featuring her in the first place! It almost reminds me of those Kaiser ads a few years ago “apple or pear” and “column or hourglass” which features near-identical models with no discernible body difference (and with their heads cut off). In this case, theyve touted a “curves” issue and then hidden all her curves!!
loading...
And you describe Robyn as plus sized??? This confuses me as she looks great and what I’d consider to be healthily normal. Plus size denotes ” large ” or ” big ” or ” over weight “. Shouldn’t we be celebrating different sizes without labelling them.
loading...
im a young girl and i certainly dont want see size 0 models who sont set any example what so ever
i say gooooo plus size models are gooorgeous and im defintely not the only one who thinx that xoxoxoxo
loading...
I’m so saddened to see comments referring to more typical models as “stick thin”, “shapeless”, “look like androgynous young boys” (if they’re going to be androgynous, why can’t they look like androgynous young GIRLS, at least that way they can retain the femininity you so desperately want to snatch from them).
If you don’t want to be defined by your size and shape, then STOP DEFINING EVERYONE ELSE BY IT. I, as a natural size 6, want to be just as accepted as you do. I support the use of so-called “plus-size” models and then some; I truly believe that diversity is the key.
But until women stop this ridiculous polarisation of thin vs. not thin and just embrace ALL women, we have no hope of seeing ourselves as anything other than objects to be looked at and commodified.
There doesn’t need to be an us and them. There can be just an us, if only you could see past your own prejudice and realise that all women can have self esteem issues and that all women deserve to feel comfortable in the body nature gave them – whether that body is smaller than average or larger than average.
For what it’s worth, I think Robyn looks absolutely stunning and I am very glad to see a spread using a “plus size” model that also has her actually wearing clothes which is the point of fashion. I really like the spread and hope to see more in the future.
loading...
People aren’t targeting women like you, but some women who are models who deliberately starve themselves till their ribs and bones stick out obviously. There is a very big difference.
loading...
I just love pic 15! Now that is a real body and makes me feel so much more inspired to buy a bikini than a waif with not a hint of skin roll would ever do.
loading...
What an inspiration! I feel certain that if there were more women like this in magazines, men and women alike would have a much more realistic image of true beauty.
When I contrast these photos with the stick-figure-esque photos of models that you usually see, I can’t help but feel that this woman looks so much more beautiful, healthy and full of life.
loading...
she is beautiful need to see more women of avergae size on and in mags!!! i love love love her shoes in photo 8! does anyone know who they are made by?? thanks!
loading...
She looks like a healthy, normal size woman to me and yes it is great that she has made the cover of Vogue and other magazines but it also reflects that the fashion industry and modelling has a warped sense of what is “plus size” or normal (Size 6 or 8 isn’t normal for most people) or fashionable. I am a curvy size 14 and I do not consider myself “plus size” just healthy and fairly average in size.
loading...
After reading this I googled Robyn (who is gorgeous and normal sized, not frikin “plus sized”…i wonder how it would make them feel if all the super skinny models were referred to as “undersized”!!) and I found this pic of Robyn as the face of “avella” http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150259817304379&set=pu.175775249378&type=1&theater . Okay it clearly states that they do clothing for size 18-26…but Robyn is a size 14!! Why are they using a model who is a lot smaller than the clothes they sell? It just shows that so called “plus size” models aren’t plus sized at all!
loading...
Same reason as they get size 0 models to advertise ‘normal’ size clothing? It makes the clothes look good. Not advocating this by the way just stating. But I find that really interesting that it’s a trend continued into larger clothing size ranges.
loading...
“we quickly readjusted our preconceived notions of beauty” this is a damning statement to me as it implies they didn’t think anyone over a size 8 was beautiful before.
Sure they haven’t used plus/normal sized models before but I always took that as being because it wasn’t what their market wanted, not because the editors didn’t think these models were beautiful enough.
loading...
Unfortunately, I don’t think women idealise thin because they want to impress men. I honestly believe the issue of size is isolated to women, what they think and what they think other women think. We know men like curves. It makes sense to us, we get it.
But if I’m feeling self conscious about going somewhere and I’m getting dressed up and spending time on my hair and make up and accessories and clothes and a million other invisible things, it’s only 10% about how I feel I’ll be judged by men. The majority of my anxiety is about how other women will perceive how I look (this is of course before I floor them with my enviable personality).
I feel vulnerable because it’s women who will know that the barely discernible muffin top happening up near my bra is because I’m wearing my squishy pants to hold my tummy in. It’s women who will know that my handbag isn’t a real Vuitton but a Thai rip off. It’s women who will know my blonde highlights aren’t real and will look for the tell-tale roots.
We know our flaws and so we spot them in others very quickly.
Men, not so much.
loading...
She is so NOT “plus sized”, whatever the heck that means!!
She is a NORMAL shaped woman, with breasts, hips and legs, instead of a flat chest and toothpicks.
When they feature a size 18-20 model on the cover of Vogue, I might accept that they are going “plus size” – this is just representing the average, rather than the anorexic.
And yes, it’s not the average bloke who is yearning to see stick-thin, shapeless models who look like androgenous young boys! I’m not even sure other women want to see models who look like that. So who is it that is shoving this mysoginistic image down our throats?? I, for one, do not wish to look like a 12-year-old boy.
So, yay for a realistic model, but this should be the norm, not the exception.
loading...
About f*&^ing time! It’s outrageous that size 14 is considered plus size. She’s gorgeous and so are many women that wear this size and plus! Now all we need is for designers to make clothes that actually fit these sizes…
loading...
I’m not going to leap for joy or pat Vogue on the back just yet. Until they begin to feature various body types on their covers – ‘plus’ size, slender, very skinny, true plus size, ‘average’, top heavy but skinny legs, or bottom heavy with smaller boobs etc etc, I remain cynical. Yep, it IS wonderful to see Robyn on the cover, but I feel like it might be tokenism. Call me a cynic – I am! But I’m concerned that this will be the only time for a long time again that we’ll see a size bigger than a size 6-8 on the cover of Vogue. Just my two cents…
loading...
When will we lose the term ‘plus-size’? She’s a model. A gorgeous one.
Like ‘gay’ marriage. Isn’t it just marriage?
loading...
I so agree Ally. I am a size 18 and feel they may just as well call it “fat size” for what it infers. I am a very fit , healthy woman who is comfortable in my skin except when I go shopping for clothes. The model is gorgeous , but plus size – my (big, fat, gorgeous)arse!!!!
loading...
“And men like curves don’t they?” He looked at me like I was an idiot. “Yes Kirsty, we certainly do” was his laconic reply.
Because so mamy men buy Vogue? I”m confused byy that.
loading...
My first thought to her comment was well yes you are an idiot to ask such a question and then what sort of world are you living in and what men are you associating with to not realise that most men like women with curves…
loading...
She’s still really rather quite skinny, isn’t she?
loading...
I wish I could be that “plus-sized”! She has an amazing figure.
I have nothing at all against using models of Robyn’s size (and honestly, she still looks very slim to me) in magazines but I hate the way the fashion industry expects to be patted on the back for it. I don’t know, something about the way “plus-sized” models are talked about really rubs me the wrong way. I guess part of it is I don’t know why we have to draw attention to the fact that “HEY, WE’RE USING A PLUS SIZE MODEL!” I’d be more impressed if they included more average sized girls as a matter of course, as opposed to making a big deal about it on the odd occasion they actually do.
If that makes any sense at all!
loading...
I totally agree – and I’m also torn between thinking ‘who cares about stupid Vogue, with its skinny models and $3000 handbags’, and feeling ‘oh, it’s so glamorous and beautiful and I wish I had that handbag’.
loading...
I would KILL to look like her.
She’s magnificent!
loading...
Robyn is an absolute babe! Will be buying September’s vogue to show support for using her on the cover
loading...
Me too, I’m heading out now to buy it!
loading...
That’s plus-size??? She looks…. normal.
Oh, right.
loading...
While I love that she’s in Aussie Vogue, this feels a little like bandwagon jumping to me. Why did it take this long, and why wasn’t she in Australian Vogue first when she’s from Australia (a la. the other supers, Gemma, Nicole, Jess, Samantha, et al.)?
loading...
Size 14 is most certainly plus size for a model.
loading...
Well, it shouldn’t be.
loading...