Jessica Leahy is more than just a model – she’s a writer, producer and an overall force of nature with many accomplishments under her belt. This Australian beauty is all about advocating for diversity, women, and self-love. Here’s everything else you need to know about this inspiration.
1. Jessica Vander Leahy’s background is Australian Papua New Guinean. She was born in Australia but spent the beginning of her childhood years in Papa New Guinea, where her dad is from.
2. She grew up in the jungle in a highlands town called Mount Hagen. Later, she moved to Sydney, Australia, spending her teenage days in Sydney’s Sutherland Shire.
3. At the age of 12, she wanted to put a TV news reader, which she thought was glamorous. At the age of 18, she wanted to be a masseuse. She even took some courses but soon realized that she didn’t like to touch strangers.
4. At one point, she didn’t think that a size 16 girl like herself could be a model because as a teenager, “plus size models” didn’t exist.
5. She’s a big fan of the artist Frieda Kahlo.
6. One of her favorite books is “Wild” by Cheryl Strayed.
7. Jessica started her career as a journalist in women’s media and then pursued modeling afterward. Her Instagram account makes for a fascinating feed.
8. At age 19, she signed with a plus-size modeling agency for the first time.
9. She wrote “Loved People Love People,” a children’s book about body positivity and self-love. It celebrates people of all sizes and shapes.
10. In 2017, she wrote an article about what being a female POC working in the fashion industry meant. At the time, she was modeling in NYC. In it, Leahy wrote, “Change is coming. It might be slow, but it could be for good.”
11. She started a platform called Project WomanKIND, which highlights and celebrates the lives and achievements of women On the platform, there are a series of conversational videos that Leahy produced herself. Many of the women are curve and plus-sized models in the industry with a body-positive mindset.
12. She’s written a range of articles on all kinds of topics, from being Serena Williams’ bra testers to discussing why smart women fall in love with bad men.
13. In Leahy’s eyes, fashion is everything when it comes to expressing yourself. She told Elle Australia, “I definitely have always had a keen interest in fashion. I’ve always been encouraged from a young age by my mum and women around me to express myself with my clothes. For me, wearing an outfit isn’t just about putting on clothes, it’s really about expressing myself and showing the world how I feel that day.”
14. She doesn’t like following trends or dressing for others’ approval. Instead, she likes to get creative with clothes and wear them how they weren’t intended to be worn, whether backward, sideways or upside down.
