Meet the first-ever curvy model to star in an unretouched self-tanner campaign
A self-tanner brand is breaking beauty ground with its choice of model. Isle of Paradise just launched a new campaign featuring the supposed first-ever curvy model to represent a faux-tan brand, according to the Daily Mail.
Well, that’s quite an accomplishment.
Carla Trujillo is the model making waves with Isle of Paradise. And while she’s not the stick-thin woman we typically see in ads, the model doesn’t consider herself plus-size. “I’m size medium in both top and jeans,” the Spanish stunner tells Yahoo Lifestyle. “I’m very athletic, I eat healthy … with my cheat meals now and then. I am a woman; my body changes, sometimes I am thinner, sometimes I’m bigger. I always love who I am, though, and I’m confident even though I do feel insecure sometimes.”
The 24-year-old has been modeling since she was a kid. “When I was only 5, I did my first photo shoot for a Spanish magazine, and when I was 11, I appeared in Vogue Kids Spain,” she shares. “It was always my dream, it was clear for me. When I was 15, I won a modeling contest in Spain. Representatives of agencies around the world were there, so this was a door opening to the international market.”
She adds: “One of the best signings I got was with Ford Models New York, and I also signed contracts with agencies in London, Paris, Milan, Hamburg, Istanbul …” Since then, she has modeled for brands like L’Oreal, and has been featured in magazines such as Marie Claire Spain and Cosmopolitan Spain.
While she’s quite experienced now, Trujillo says it was hard in the beginning both because she was young and because she didn’t look like everyone else. “I was different, I wasn’t a size 0,” she says. I shared castings with blonde, skinny, and light-skinned models, but I’ve never fit those standards. I was tanned skin, light eyes, and had a booty. I got a lot of no’s.”
Some people even tried to change her. “Five years ago, I changed agencies — they wanted me to be thinner. I was losing weight over two years, but it was never enough, so I stopped.” The model took some time off. “Contract issues made me stop working for another year, and then I signed with my current mother agency in Spain [View Management].”
The industry has changed in Trujillo’s favor over the last year or so, which is where Isle of Paradise comes in.
“Life shouldn’t be about size and shape, it should be about how something makes you feel. I didn’t look at any of the models for their particular shape, I just wanted them to have a personality and vibe that resonated with my brand,” Isle of Paradise creative director and founder Jules Von Hepp told Daily Mail, proving that no matter how fake the tan, we should always embrace real curves.
And that’s not the only way in which this campaign makes a statement. The images are completely unretouched. Of course, a tan tends to make everyone look better, but other than the fake glow (and a little makeup), the skin you see in these photos is completely authentic. “I didn’t know it would be unretouched,” Trujillo says. “But I feel comfortable with it. I think nobody is 100 percent perfect and I’m not afraid to show it.”
There’s more. Not only is this brand promoting body positivity, they’re also redefining the tanning industry by using only organic and cruelty-free vegan ingredients in their products. An organic fake tanner that celebrates real curves? We never thought we’d say those words in the same sentence. This is an oxymoron we can get onboard with.
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
Serena Williams is launching a beauty line — is there anything she can’t do?
How do you build self-confidence? 5 curvy fashion insiders tell all
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