ROBYN’S SELF-LOVE QUEST
THIS MODEL AND ACTIVIST WALKS THE WALK AND NOW TALKS THE TALK WHEN IT COMES TO BODY POSITIVITY
Even though Robyn Lawley first found fame as a trailblazing Australian model, she can rightly be proud of her many other achievements. Not only is Lawley, 31, a champion for body positivity and inclusivity, she can now add podcaster to her résumé. Every Body with Robyn Lawley: Surviving & Thriving in a Body Shaming World is her contribution to the body diversity discussion.
The episodes feature guests including Jameela Jamil, Dascha Polanco and Turia Pitt among others. Lawley, who became a model at 18 and is 189cm tall, says she was inspired to work on the podcast after questioning some aspects of the body positivity movement – asking who it leaves out and what blind spots she possesses. “I’d been wanting to do a podcast for ages,” Lawley tells WHO over Zoom. “This felt like a great topic to start with.”
An inspiring list of guests feature on the podcast. Did you have a wish list?
Some of the guests were friends of mine and some were from my wish list. I’ve wanted to talk to Turia Pitt for ages, so having her involved was like a dream come true. I felt so fortunate to speak to all my guests, which also includes a woman who gave birth by the side of the road and a man who trod water for 29 hours . They were all very generous, informative and entertaining. All of your guests – and yourself – share some pretty personal stories. How hard was it to work with that content? It was a bit of an emotional roller-coaster for sure. One of my favourite episodes is the one in which I speak to my doctor, who shares some very important tips around healing and about my lupus – which I’ve got into remission. [Lawley was diagnosed with the autoimmune condition in 2015.] For those listening, I think the power of the series is in sharing stories, so they can potentially help others.
You mention in the first episode that you’ve always been a bit of a s--t stirrer. Why do you say that?
I think I just never want to be ashamed. When I came out about my epilepsy, I had an agent message me saying, “Do you think that was wise?” I was like “Yes, of course, we’re all human and we all have flaws.” I came out about my epilepsy – and the stroke that caused it – because being a survivor is an incredible thing and should be celebrated. I’m going to share it and not be ashamed of it, especially if it can help someone. You’ve long been a body positivity activist. Things have changed, but where
“Being a survivor is an incredible thing”
– LAWLEY
do you see room for improvement?
I’m so proud of the [fashion] industry, as things have improved drastically for sure. But we’ve got to keep up that body diversity and inclusivity in campaigns, because all bodies are good bodies and need recognition.
Do you think becoming a mum to your daughter Ripley drove you to speak out? Most definitely. She’s 6 but she looks like she’s 11 because we’re all so tall in my family, so she’s going to go through exactly the same body stuff that I went through growing up. But I hope that by speaking out, I’m teaching her to rock it and never to feel any shame or hate. I campaign for and talk about body diversity because
I want her to feel nothing but pride in her body and to see it represented out there.