With headlines everywhere declaring that lingerie giant Victoria’s Secret has cancelled its hugely popular Angels runway show, Robyn Lawley has every right to be slightly smug.
The hugely successful “plus-size” model (that’s a completely normal size 14 thank you very much) famously started a petition last year to encourage the lingerie brand “to be more diverse and inclusive of body shapes and sizes on their runways”.
Aptly titled #WeAreAllAngels, her initiative drew worldwide support and now many are saying the brand’s perceived 180 turnaround is largely due to Lawley’s passionate persistence.
In the latest edition of “Finding Fearless with marie claire” podcast, Lawley said she started the initial campaign because she wanted to see real women represented on the VS runways.
“Every year I would say this might be the year that they went down a bit more of a curvy route, or even just a more average size route,” Lawley said. “They sell my size, they should show it on the runway. It seems pretty obvious to me.”
“When I started talking about it I knew straight away that [VS Marketing Chief] Ed Razek would have something to say, because he always has something negative to say about plus-size models, trans-models or anyone different. Of course he did. He said, “No one wants to see that ever on a runway.”
“You just hear comments like that and you’re like, “Mate, you don’t even know what you’re talking about.” He has to change the game and get with the times, or they’re going to be shovelling their own company soon. And from now on it looks like they’re going to have to come up with a different way of doing it.”
While the reports of the show’s cancellation are still unconfirmed by Victoria’s Secret HQ, the company’s silence on the matter is deafening. But Lawley, in her typical understated manner, has already moved on and has her sights set on an even bigger battle.
Since having her daughter Ripley – named after Sigourney Weaver’s kickass lead character Ellen Ripley in Aliens – four years ago, Lawley has been diagnosed with Lupus and suffered a seizure which caused facial injuries. She is committed to beating the incurable disease and has won over a new legion of fans on social media for her honest account of the health setbacks she has endured. Similarly she is seeking an exhausting range of new creative outlets from music production, to cinematography, to documentary maker, to food blogger and of course her new `life mission’ – saving the planet.
“I think the environment should be on everyone’s mind,” Lawley said. “I especially care about getting people back into the dirt and growing their own food. As much as I love the fashion world, I think it’s the eco world that truly motivates me.”
We may have just found someone who can actually fix this.
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