Robyn Lawley

Robyn Lawley, born on June 13, 1989, is an Australian model, photographer, director, and writer. She is widely recognized for her advocacy regarding body-size inclusion within fashion and modeling. Lawley has made history as the first plus-size model to appear in editorials for Australian Vogue, feature on the cover of an Australian fashion publication, and participate in advertising for major international brands such as Ralph Lauren and Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue.

Lawley grew up in Girraween, New South Wales, alongside two older sisters, raised by her parents Chris and Janne. She attended Macarthur Girls High School. At fifteen, she considered signing with a standard modeling agency but chose to pause for a year. After returning to work briefly in standard sizing, she decided to stop trying to maintain a size eight body and instead joined Bella Model Management, an Australian agency for plus-size talent, when she was eighteen.

Her modeling career began with a shoot for Dolly in 2006, followed by work for EziBuy. Over time, Lawley secured covers for publications such as Cosmopolitan, French Elle, and Marie Claire. A major landmark occurred in June 2011 when she appeared alongside two other plus-size models on the cover of Vogue Italia. In March 2012, she landed the cover of Madison magazine, and she subsequently posed for editorials in Dazed & Confused, Glamour, and several international editions of Elle. On the runway, she walked for designers including Peter Morrissey and Elena Miro.

Throughout her career, Lawley has starred in commercial campaigns for labels such as Lane Bryant, Marina Rinaldi, Chantelle, H&M, and Mango. She made history as the initial plus-size model to be featured in Ralph Lauren's in-store advertisements. In late 2013, she appeared in a fine art exhibition in Chelsea titled Size Does Matter. In 2015, she became the first plus-size model included in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue as a "Rookie," subsequently returning to the magazine for multiple consecutive years.

Beyond modeling, Lawley launched a collaborative swimwear collection in 2013 and expanded into photography and video direction, filming commercial and documentary content. She has also contributed articles to The Daily Beast and written a regular column for 9honey. In 2018, she launched a global petition advocating for greater size diversity in Victoria's Secret runway events, which gathered over 10,000 signatures and influenced the brand's eventual show cancellation and rebranding.

Additionally, Lawley created and hosted the Audible podcast series Everybody between 2020 and 2021. After establishing a successful food blog titled Robyn Lawley Eats, she published a cookbook with Random House, though she later adopted a vegan lifestyle and distanced herself from the non-plant-based recipes. This lifestyle transition led to her becoming an ambassador for PETA Australia and the vegan cosmetics brand Inika Organic. Her achievements have been recognized with honors including the 2011 Australian Cosmopolitan Fun, Fearless Female Rising Star Award and Model of the Year at the 2013 Full Figured Fashion Week.