Ep 186, Why Vegan Model Activist Robyn Lawley Eats Her Spinach
You might know her from the cover of Italian Vogue, campaigning against Victoria's Secret for its lack of diversity, or her new role as ambassador for organic beauty brand INIKA, but what Robyn Lawley wants to talk about is spinach. In this candid interview, she tells her powerful personal story of overcoming some pretty scary health issues, and challenges us all to rethink our relationship with meat and dairy products.
We're used to talking about vegan diets as planet-friendly and cruelty-free, but could their anti-inflammatory properties also help people heal from auto-immune conditions? While the studies are scant, and the official line remains that: in general, autoimmune disorders cannot be cured - what you eat obviously plays a role in the body's complex responses.
When Robyn was diagnosed, while pregnant, with Lupus, her health outlook seemed bleak. Doing the rounds of hospitals and conventional doctors left her feeling frustrated and hopeless. But as a young mum with a thriving fashion career, she was determined to try everything before succumbing to the suggested chemo treatments. For Robyn, following a strict "hyper-nourishment protocol" (powered by green veg and flax seeds) had far-reaching effects. Today, her lupus is in remission, and she hopes to help others.
Going vegan, she says, was a win-win - it also allowed her to reduce her climate impacts and do something about the nagging guilt she felt the more she learned about animal cruelty in the factory farming system.
INIKA is a beautiful, luxurious organic, vegan beauty and skincare brand, based in Australia but sold in 35 countries. It’s certified organic, vegan, halal, free from animal testing, and plastic neutral.
They say: “We wanted a cleaner beauty space free from toxic chemicals - it had to be pure, organic ingredients that enhance your natural radiance. That goal is unwavering.
We remain 100% Australian-owned but continue to grow, with physical presence spanning 35 countries. We believe that it is important to know what we are putting on our skin. Which is why we pride ourselves on creating organic and natural products that are effective and free from nasty chemicals.” Discover here.
NOTES
SPINACH belongs to the Chenopodioideae family, (also known as goosefoot), which includes beetroot, chard and quinoa. Spinach leaves are dark green because they contain high levels of chlorophyll and health-promoting carotenoids. It’s rich in iron. According to BBC Goodfood, “spinach is anti-inflammatory and anti-cancerous, has long been regarded as a plant which can restore energy, increase vitality and improve the quality of the blood.”
LUPUS “is a serious autoimmune disease, which means your immune system attacks healthy cells by mistake. It’s also chronic, meaning it lasts a long time and requires long-term treatment. Lupus is one of the most complex autoimmune diseases there is. It affects each person differently with symptoms that are sometimes hard to detect and differ from patient to patient. This makes the disease hard to diagnose and arriving at effective treatments very challenging. ” via Lupus Research Alliance It can affect the joints, skin, kidneys, blood cells, brain, heart and lungs. Symptoms vary but can include fatigue, joint pain, rash and fever. These can periodically get worse (flare up) and then improve. According to some doctors, “there’s no cure for lupus. current treatments focus on improving quality of life through controlling symptoms and minimising flare-ups. This begins with lifestyle modifications, including sun protection and diet. Further disease management includes medication such as anti-inflammatories and steroids.”
In 2017, Robyn was diagnosed with APS. “Antiphospholipid antibody syndrome is an autoimmune disorder associated with lupus. Antibodies, a type of protein, help defend the body against infections, but with APS, the body makes antibodies that mistakenly attack phospholipids, a type of fat that damages cells, including blood cells. This damage causes blood clots to form in the body’s arteries and veins, which can block blood flow and damage the body’s organs.” via Lupus Research Alliance.
WORLD LUPUS DAY is May 10.
Robyn says: “The prescription doesn’t always come in a tablet. I was given no hope by mainstream doctors.” Working with Dr Brooke Goldner changed this for her. Brookner developed a nutrition-based treatment for for her own autoimmune disease that she describes it as a hyper-nourishing protocol - “essentially is a raw vegan diet that is free from added oils. It focuses on maximizing water intake, omega 3 intake, and the consumption of the most nutrient-dense foods – vegetables, especially green veggies.”
Read post here.
GARY FANCIONE is a Professor of Law at Rutgers University School of Law-Newark. He received his B.A. in philosophy from the University of Rochester, and his M.A. in philosophy and his J.D. from the University of Virginia. He was Articles Editor of the Virginia Law Review. His books include, WHY VEGANISM MATTERS: THE MORAL VALUE OF ANIMALS. More here.
Robyn covered Vogue Italia for the June 2011 issue, along with American models Candice Huffine, Tara Lynn, shot by Steven Meisel (above).
That same year, she was also the first plus-size model to appear in the pages of Vogue Australia in the magazine’s 52-year history.
VICTORIA’S SECRET In 2018, Robyn created a Change.org petition with the hashtag #weareallagels calling for people to boycott Victoria’s Secret because of its 1 dimensional representation of beauty. She wrote:
“JOIN ME and let’s help change the minds of Victoria’s Secret to be more diverse and inclusive of body shapes and sizes on their runways! As women I want us all to join together and say I AM enough, I AM beautiful, I AM unique and I WANT to see my body shape represented in your shows or I vow to never buy your product again.”
DIVERSITY ON THE 2023 RUNWAYS So, have things improved? According to a 2023 story in The Cut: “Even though over the past decade there has been an increase in the visibility of plus-size models like Ashley Graham & Paloma Elsesser it turns out that the fashion industry still needs to do a much better job regarding size inclusivity on the runway. This season, there was chatter about the return of ultra-thin models … Watching show after show, it seemed that the fashion industry was doing worse in terms of body-size representation. If you found yourself wondering if there were fewer plus-size models on the runways, you weren’t wrong.”
According to research by Vogue Business, “of 9,137 looks across 219 shows in New York, London, Milan, and Paris, only 17 brands included at least one plus-size. That means that 95.6 % of looks were worn by models in U.S. sizes zero to four.” Alas, fashion is still mostly obsessed with size 0.
Robyn on the cover of The Sunday Times Magazine, June 2012.
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