‘I can’t get skinnier than my bones’ Top model HITS out at the industry
Model Robyn Lawley is the face of Pantene, has designed her own swimwear collection and has been on the covers of Vogue, Elle and Sports Illustrated and yet she admits she has been dropped from major beauty campaigns because of her size 16 frame.
In a recently published interview with The Cut, the Australian beauty described how she would be hired for jobs based on her photos but as soon as agents realised she was not a sample size model, she would be let go.
She said: “My agency, when I signed with them, sent me out to all the beauty clients. My Italian agency did the same thing.”
“I got booked from everyone. Then, as soon as they found out my size, they all dropped off.”
Robyn – who runs the food blog Robyn Lawley Eats – has been outspoken over her dislike of the term "plus-size" and in the interview highlighted how strange it is that one term is used to describe every woman who wears clothing larger than a size 8.
She said: “Plus-size is a really broad term. If you're going to label sizes 8 to 18 plus-size, you're labelling the majority of women plus-size.”
When asked if she’s ever been worried about her weight, the curvy model answered with an honest “yes” but rather than stressing over being too big, Robyn said she was freaked out over getting too thin.
She said: “I found these crazy, old photos of me modelling and they took my breath away.”
“I was so skinny, and it was just not good enough. It wasn't skinny enough. I had tried everything and I had whittled myself down to a point where I couldn’t be skinnier.”
“I can’t control my bone structure. I can’t get skinnier than my bones. I can’t. You can change the sample.”
“Seeing those pictures reminded me that it’s important for girls not to feel like that. I was weak. I needed to be fit, healthy, and young.”
Robyn recently made history when she was the first non-sample-sized model to cover Sports Illustrated.
She is the latest in a string of high profile names – which includes Amy Schumer – calling for greater diversity in the industry.
Since more and more high street brands are now adding extra sizes to their lines, we're hopeful that fashion is slowly becoming more inclusive.
