Australian plus size model Robyn Lawley is one of the top plus models in the world, having been featured on various high fashion magazine covers, walked in Milan Fashion Week and even was chosen this year as the first plus size model ever to work for Ralph Lauren. Despite all of her career successes, Robyn has also fallen victim to cruel criticism and comments regarding her body.
Robyn wrote an article for The Daily Beast that went live yesterday, where she talks about a situation that occurred last year related to the ‘thigh gap’ trend that is currently gaining popularity online. She tells the story of how she responded to such comments and her thoughts on this trend, as well as body image in general.
A photo of her surfaced on a Facebook page that promotes “thigh gaps”, that Robyn describes in the article as a “new trend of thinspiration that pressures women and girls to pursue a ‘thigh gap,’ which is defined as the space between one’s thighs”. Here is the photo:
The un-touched photo features Robyn in lingerie with a gap between her thighs. Fans of the Facebook page bombarded the photo with negative comments because they felt her thigh gap was not large enough. It was to the point where she was even called a pig. Robyn explains in the article that after trying to ignore the comments and remain quiet, the comments grew to such an alarmingly high number that she felt compelled to respond.
She thanked those who defended her and wrote the following to those who posted the degrading, insulting comments:
“You sit behind a computer screen objectifying my body, judging it and insulting it, without even knowing it.”
She goes on to discuss her own experiences with body image and the article is so in-depth and personal. It really is a topic all women can relate to. The ‘thigh gap’ trend is a scary, alarming trend that is perpetuating eating disorders and unhealthy body images. We applaud Robyn for coming forward and being vocal on this important topic.
Robyn said it best when she said:
“The truth is I couldn’t care less about needing a supposed “thigh gap.” It’s just another tool of manipulation that other people are trying to use to keep me from loving my body. Why would I want to starve and weaken my natural body size? I’m not saying women who have it naturally are unattractive. But I would have to change my entire frame just to achieve something that seems so trivial.”
Well put, Robyn.
To read Robyn’s entire article on The Daily Beast website, click here.