How the 'thigh gap' became the latest pressure point on a woman's self-image
Once, only models were determined to make sure that their legs didn't touch. Now it has become a widespread, harmful – and often unachievable – obsession
Model Robyn Lawley, who has appeared on the cover of Vogue, was condemned on social media for not having a 'thigh gap'. Photograph: Jon Gorrigan for the Observer
She may have modelled for Ralph Lauren and appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia, but when a photo of Robyn Lawley wearing a corset appeared on Facebook the responses were far from complimentary. "Pig", "hefty" and "too fat" were some of the ways in which commenters described the 24-year-old. Her crime? Her thighs were touching. Lawley had failed to achieve a "thigh gap".
The model, who has her own swimwear line and has won numerous awards for her work, responded vehemently below the line: "You sit behind a computer screen objectifying my body, judging it and insulting it, without even knowing it."
She also went on to pen a thoughtful rallying cry for the Daily Beast last week against those who attacked her, saying their words were "just another tool of manipulation that other people are trying to use to keep me from loving my body".
The response to her article was electric and Lawley was invited to speak about thigh-gap prejudice
The model, who has her own swimwear line and has won numerous awards for her work, responded vehemently below the line: "You sit behind a computer screen objectifying my body, judging it and insulting it, without even knowing it."
She also went on to pen a thoughtful rallying cry for the Daily Beast last week against those who attacked her, saying their words were "just another tool of manipulation that other people are trying to use to keep me from loving my body".
The response to her article was electric and Lawley was invited to speak about thigh-gap prejudice
