Georgina Burke features on Sports Illustrated magazine says stylists refused to dress her

An Aussie-born Sports Illustrated model has spoken about crying when she was first styled for a red carpet appearance after landing the coveted title of ‘rookie’ in the iconic swim issue.

Georgina Burke, who was born in Brisbane, Queensland, is one of just eight women selected to appear as a rookie model in the coveted swimsuit issue after becoming a ‘curve’ model in the US.

Ms Burke, who was bullied for her size 14 body while at school in Australia, is currently touring America to launch the magazine, which also features Elon Musk’s 73-year-old mother Maye.  

For the launch parties Lauren by Ralph Lauren asked to dress her in their iconic clothing line, something that meant a great deal to the model who had previously struggled to get stylists to work with her. 

For the launch parties Lauren by Ralph Lauren asked to dress her in their iconic clothing line, something that meant a great deal to the model who had previously struggled to get stylists to work with her

Ms Burke features as one of eight 'rookie models' in the latest Sports Illustrated swim magazine

Ms Burke features as one of eight ‘rookie models’ in the latest Sports Illustrated swim magazine

‘It was a highlight of my career to have the biggest US brand rally around me and put their resources into dressing me for the events. I cried happy tears when I was shown my outfits because it’s been such a battle to be dressed for red carpet events at my size,’ she said.

The average size of an Australian woman is between 14 and 16, but standard retailers often stop their clothing sizes at a 12. 

‘I wanted to show the world, and maybe a few stylists who said no to dressing me, that it is possible to dress in high fashion when you are over a certain size. I wanted to highlight that throughout the tour as I am the same size as the average woman. We want and deserve to have beautiful fashion options for special events.’

Ms Burke has her own swimwear line, aptly named Burke, and is represented by IMG Models based in New York City. 

Ms Burke has her own swimwear line, aptly named Burke, and is represented by IMG Models based in New York City

Ms Burke has her own swimwear line, aptly named Burke, and is represented by IMG Models based in New York City

'I really enjoy being in group discussions on panels with all the other SI models and having the chance to speak on topics close to my heart such as mental health and having a healthy relationship with yourself,' she said

‘I really enjoy being in group discussions on panels with all the other SI models and having the chance to speak on topics close to my heart such as mental health and having a healthy relationship with yourself,’ she said

‘I really enjoy being in group discussions on panels with all the other SI models and having the chance to speak on topics close to my heart such as mental health and having a healthy relationship with yourself,’ she said. 

Controversial Canadian psychologist Dr Jordan Peterson decided to quit Twitter in early May after coming under furious fire for saying that a plus-size Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model is ‘not beautiful’. 

Dr Peterson, 59, who is famous for his stances against political correctness and ‘woke’ ideologies, shared his views on the magazine’s latest cover star Yumi Nu on Twitter, posting an image of the 36-year-old curvy model’s shoot, while writing: ‘Sorry. Not beautiful. 

‘And no amount of authoritarian tolerance is going to change that.’

Within seconds of posting his tweet, Dr Peterson – a clinical psychologist, author, and former professor at the University of Toronto – was met with a flurry of criticism from other users, many of whom began taking aim at his own appearance, while others labelled him an ‘a***’ and a ‘freak’. 

'Professor against political correctness' Dr. Jordan Peterson has announced that he is quitting Twitter after coming under furious fire for saying a plus-size model is 'not beautiful'

‘Professor against political correctness’ Dr. Jordan Peterson has announced that he is quitting Twitter after coming under furious fire for saying a plus-size model is ‘not beautiful’ 

Singer Ciara and plus-size model Yumi Nu (pictured) round out the four cover stars to grace the front of the latest issue, which hits newsstands on May 19

Peterson, 59, who is based in Toronto, made the comment about this cover image of plus-size Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model Yumi Nu, 36

Nu, who is a Japanese and Dutch recording artist, became the first-ever Asian plus-size model to be featured in SI Swim as a rookie last year

Nu, who is a Japanese and Dutch recording artist, became the first-ever Asian plus-size model to be featured in SI Swim as a rookie last year

‘My guy you look like a child’s skeleton covered in mayonnaise with dryer lint on the top. You’re in no position to be assessing anybody’s beauty you rickety junkie,’ one person fired back at Dr Peterson, who is the author of the international bestselling book 12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos. 

Others flipped the script by copying the words from the psychologist’s tweet and re-posting them with a picture of him. 

Initially, Peterson stuck to his guns, firing back at ‘panderers’, and insisting that the decision to feature a plus-size woman on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit was ‘a conscious and cynical manipulation by the oh-so virtuous politically correct’.

In another tweet he added: ‘It’s a conscious progressive attempt to manipulate and retool the notion of beauty, reliant on the idiot philosophy that such preferences are learned and properly changed by those who know better.’

However, after he continued to be bombarded with what he described as a ‘vicious flood of insults’, Dr Peterson called it quits, announcing that he was ‘departing’ Twitter, while branding the social media platform ‘intrinsically and dangerously insane’. 

‘The endless flood of vicious insult is really not something that can be experienced anywhere else,’ he wrote. ‘I like to follow the people I know but I think the incentive structure of the platform makes it intrinsically and dangerously insane.’

He continued: ‘So I told my staff to change my password, to keep me from temptation, and am departing once again.

‘If I have something to say I’ll write an article or make a video. If the issue is not important enough to justify that then perhaps it would be best to just let it go.’

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