Rachel Peru, a 56-year-old curve model from Skipton, has shared her journey from struggling with body confidence and an eating disorder to modelling globally and championing body acceptance. Peru, who began her modelling career in her 40s, credits a Macmillan Fashion Show and a significant photoshoot alongside celebrities Lizzo and Ashley Graham for her transformation.
Growing up, Peru, who was curvier than her peers, developed an eating disorder in her late teens that lasted until her mid-20s. She recalled receiving praise when she lost weight, even when she was struggling with her mental health, including during a divorce at 40. This experience made her question societal perceptions of body image and her own self-worth.
A turning point arrived when a friend encouraged her to participate in the annual Ilkley Macmillan Fashion Show. Despite initial nerves, Peru found a renewed sense of confidence on stage. She continued to volunteer for the show for six years, eventually being encouraged by professional models involved to pursue it as a career. She sent basic images to agencies and was swiftly signed by a London agency, expecting only local lifestyle work.
To her surprise, Peru was soon offered swimwear and lingerie campaigns. Her career took an unexpected turn when, in her first year of professional modelling, she found herself on a week-long shoot in the Bahamas with Lizzo and Ashley Graham. She describes this experience as a "life-turning point," as being surrounded by women with natural body confidence significantly impacted her own mental well-being and set her on a path of body acceptance.
Now, Peru works to tackle the lack of representation in the fashion industry and promote body positivity. She has teamed up with friend Tina Boden to run workshops under the initiative 'Accepting Who We Are' (AWWA). Their activities include gathering women for sea dips and conversations about body image, and a live lingerie mannequin tour where they stand in shop windows in their underwear to encourage women to get properly fitted for bras, believing these small actions can make a big difference to how women feel.