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Model Robyn Lawley’s Swimsuit Spread in Cosmopolitan Makes Waves In The Fashion Industry As Well As Her Appearance On Ellen And Other Projects

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The press is abuzz about Australian plus size model Robyn Lawley this week.  She has a spread in Australian Cosmopolitan, modeling swimsuits from her own line that launched earlier this year. She was also a guest on the TV talk show Ellen talking about her experiences in the fashion world and how it needs to change. We also learned that she is being featured in an art gallery exhibit in NYC.

Robyn has been very outspoken about her feelings about the term “plus size” — she said in a recent interview as quoted on FashionTV.com:

“This whole ‘plus-sized’ term has really had a negative effect on women. It’s okay in the fashion world referring to us booking models, but in the regular world I shouldn’t be called a ‘plus-size’ at all.”

While the public may view her as not being plus size, Robyn works in an industry where size zeros are the norm. At 6’2″ and a size 12, she is considered plus size.

So her spread in Cosmopolitan is a pretty big deal, especially with her modeling her own swimwear as well as other pieces from other Australian brands. The fashion world continues to chat about it and while it may seem to some that she doesn’t represent the plus size woman, this is a step in the right direction for plus sizes to be more accepted in mainstream fashion publications and media overall.

Robyn describes her designs as swimwear for “fashionable women with curves” with her collection available in sizes 8 – 18.

Here’s some images from the spread (click on the image for a full size view):

To read more about Robyn’s Cosmopolitan swimwear spread, click here.

On Ellen, Robyn spoke about her struggles in the modeling industry and how she dieted in an attempt to be the “right” size to model. And then she just decided to accept and love her body because she’s not the problem. It’s the industry that needs to change. She told Ellen:

“Food’s not the problem, it’s society. We’re all hating on so much things, but we should just be, you know, accepting our natural size.”

She thinks consumers have the power to change fashion. And she believes that a range of sizes and ages should be represented on the runway since a woman’s body changes and develops over time. She told Ellen that we should all love our bodies at our natural size and not the size that the media and society is telling us to be. Well said, Robyn.

Ellen interview pic

To see an excerpt of Robyn’s interview with Ellen, click here.

If you’re in the New York City area, you can also see Robyn in a new art gallery exhibit by Danish photographer Kenneth Willardt called Size Does Matter at the 558 Gallery in Chelsea. According to the press release, the exhibit features large-scale works in bold colors of Robyn posing with a menagerie of creatures large and small. The images juxtapose size, shape and color to explore concepts of femininity, power and the natural world.

KENNETH WILLARDT SIZE DOES MATTER

The exhibit opened on Friday, November 8 and will be available for viewing through December 8, 2013.

To read more, you can find the press release by clicking here.

We’re sure we have not heard the last of Robyn Lawley and we can only hope this will open the door for other plus models to speak out openly and publicly about the state of the modeling/fashion industry and the changes that need to be made.

Photo credit(s): Cosmopolitan, Ellen.com, PR Newswire