Rosalie Nelson:
'to the bone'
The Australian model battling the UK fashion industry's toxic beauty standards.
'to the bone'
Rosalie Nelson was just 22 years old when she walked into one of the UK’s largest modelling agencies.
At 55kg, a UK size 8, she was told she needed to lose weight to reach the agency’s high standards.
After four grueling months of intense exercise, dieting, and calorie counting, Rosalie returned to the same agency almost a stone lighter.
But they told her to lose more weight. They wanted her ‘down to the bone’.
Six years later, Rosalie reflects on her mental health: “It’s taken me a long time to get to where I am now. I find it really difficult to reach out for help.”
In the past, Rosalie participated in an array of crazy exercise regimes and fad diets in order to maintain her slender figure and access to work.
Now, she exercises some-what regularly and eats when she’s hungry.
She said: “I find that what works best is just listening to your body."
Rosalie’s astounding story places wider issues of toxic beauty standards in the UK fashion industry into a human perspective.
She said: “When I look in the mirror, I see someone that is healthy and comfortable in their skin. That’s because I had the guts to carve out my own path and refuse to let people pressure me into losing more and more weight.”
Credit: sandrareynolds
Credit: sandrareynolds
Credit: @rosalienelson
Credit: @rosalienelson
Credit: @brianrolfephoto
Credit: @brianrolfephoto
Get to Know Rosalie
Rosalie Nelson, 28, was born in Canberra, Australia.
She then moved to London aged 22, after modelling in Australia for four years.
Rosalie is currently an ambassador for the UK Parliamentary Society for Arts, Fashion and Sport, as well as a community member of the Conservative Foreign and Commonwealth Council.
During lockdown, Rosalie dedicated time to looking after her physical and mental wellbeing: hiking, painting, and sculpting.
She said: “I’m excited for the world to go back to normal so that I can go outside and see my friends.”
The Campaign
Rosalie Nelson started her petition ‘Create a law to protect models from being pressured to lose weight!’ on change.org six years ago.
The petition currently has a staggering 379,741 signatures.
It states: “Modelling can be a very lonely place, especially for girls working internationally who are away from the usual support network of friends and family."
"Being surrounded by girls who are all striving to stay thin can perpetuate bad eating habits and encourage eating disorders.
“I’ve been on shoots for up to 10 hours where no food is provided - the underlying message is always that you shouldn’t eat.”
Credit: @rosalienelson
Credit: @rosalienelson
Rosalie is campaigning for modelling agencies to consult with doctors to provide personal exercise regimes and diet plans.
She is unwavering in the opinion that agencies should be doing more to protect the physical and mental health of their models.
She said: “Whilst the health of models ultimately comes down to the models themselves, we are dictated upon how we should look and how we should be. So, the responsibility of maintaining our mental wellbeing should come under the agencies we work for.”
There are currently no laws in place to protect models, no charities set up to support them, and no HR systems within modelling agencies.
“You model for five to ten years at most, and then you’re left with whatever you’ve done to your body for the rest of your life."
Most models are afraid of speaking to their agency because it's their agency that is pressuring them to lose weight.
She said: “There needs to be some sort of system where if a model is having a hard time at work, a photoshoot, casting, staying away from home... there should be someone that they can speak to about it.
“The standard for models in Australia is that they want a more healthy, fit shape. Here in the UK, if you go one or two inches over the measurement that your agency wants you to be, they will cut you off. They will tell you that you get no more work, and you don’t get to do any more photoshoots.”
Travelling the World
Interactive map of Rosalie Nelson's travels
Despite the hardships, the long working days, and the weird diets, Rosalie has met some remarkable people and visited some breathtaking places.
If it were not for modelling, she wouldn't have had these incredible experiences.
“Being able to travel and work is something that I think everyone should be able to experience in their lives, because you find out so much about yourself and so much about the world, and I think there’s nothing more valuable than that.”
Credit: @rosalienelson
Credit: @rosalienelson
Credit: @janabartolo @jeddcooney @mimsymakeup
Credit: @janabartolo @jeddcooney @mimsymakeup
Credit: @rosalienelson
Credit: @rosalienelson
Credit: @rosalienelson
Credit: @rosalienelson
Retrospect
There’s been a lot of change in the modelling industry since Rosalie started her petition.
UK fashion brands are undoubtedly more size-inclusive and conscious of promoting body positivity than they were in 2015.
However, there remains significant room for improvement in the modeling industry and the beauty standards they promote.
Looking back on her career, Rosalie said: “What I was doing five years ago by starting my petition, or what I’m doing now - trying to get better treatment, I wish those things were implemented ten years ago when I started,” said Rosalie.
“I probably wouldn’t have ever become a model if I’d known how hard it is.”
Rosalie's greatest regret is putting herself under so much pressure to be thin and pushing herself too hard.
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