
Content warning: This post discusses eating disorders and may be triggering for some readers.
Taylah Roberts was only 17 when she appeared on Australia’s Next Top Model.
Before the high schooler was allowed to vote or legally have a sip of alcohol, she was thrust into the modelling industry.
It was the beginning of a tense relationship with the fashion world for the now 24-year-old photographer and doula, one that she’s since left behind. But despite Taylah’s move away from modelling, she wants other young women to know what she deems to be the truth about Fashion Week.
This week, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week is showcasing the craftsmanship of Australia’s most celebrated designers. But despite the glamorous connotations, it didn’t take long for Taylah, when she was walking its catwalks, to discover what it was really like.
Jessica Vander Leahy Speak On Australian Fashion And Body. Post continues after video.
Taylah says the self-doubt that the modelling industry fostered in her caused her to suffer an eating disorder.
She says she thought about taking up smoking to curb craving to eat, despite the spreads of food we see on behind the scenes Instagram stories at MBFWA.