Despite body activist movements, greater diversity representation in the media, and an awareness of how the media can impact mental health, the luxury lifestyle industry is fickle with images of glamorous people, boasting their diets, strict fitness regimes, and makeup hacks. The reality behind the façade advocated by the modelling industry has recently been revealed by Julia Datt, actress, model, writer, and founder of This Model Eats A Lot.

Transforming her lifestyle from being in the heart of a toxic modelling industry in India, to finding her inner peace through indulging on luxury travel and food, Julia has created an online space to promote body neutrality, share her dining and travel experiences around the world, and share an inside view on the negativity the modelling industry advocates.

Since being scouted as an awkward 14 year old on holiday, with braces and glasses, it came as a shock that someone from such a glamorous industry could view her as beautiful, and this is exactly what Julia has set out to change. As an advocate of body neutrality, Julia aims to change the standards of what it means to be a model, and even what it means to be beautiful. Embracing her natural beauty, and wanting others to do the same, Julia lives by the body neutrality mantra of owning her own body for herself, and not for others. Whilst the body positivity movement focuses on every individual loving their own body, body neutrality offers the opportunity to normalise and embrace natural beauty, rather than hide away and be ashamed from features often ignored in glossy magazines and billboards.

As Julia has said herself “One important part of body neutrality for me is not feeling the need to wear makeup 24/7 – I try to practice this as much as possible in YouTube episodes and Instagram stories to normalise how women look bare-faced and embracing our natural beauty with all its stretch marks, dark circles, pores, acne. Society has dictated that these regular human occurrences are something to be ashamed of and that the use of filters should be mandatory.”

Having secretly modelled behind her parents’ back as a teenager in Australia, to making the decision to begin a career in India, Julia’s insight into the industry has led her to lifestyle now, which focuses more on seeing food as a friend, rather than the enemy. Not believing in cheat meals, as labelling food in this way as disruptive can have an incredibly toxic effect, Julia has embraced food, following a 70/30 healthy lifestyle. This has allowed her and her brand to evolve, from just being a cheese and chocolate lover to having travelled to enjoy culinary delights around the world, the top of her list being the abundance of fresh seafood and the hospitality of the people in Montenegro.

Throughout her life, she has been inspired by strong, empowered women, such as Marilyn Monroe who, although perceived as a Hollywood sex symbol, was really a pioneer in feminism. Dedicating her life to psychology and introspection, Monroe achieved a true understanding of herself, vital to her success for her career in acting.

An actress herself, Julia realised that the key to happiness was gaining a greater understanding of herself, which she gained through forms of therapy, including yoga and journaling. The secret to her success has been investing in her mental health for the last four years, reflecting on her own and others’ behaviour and defining the person she wanted to be.

Having graduated from university in Australia with a business degree, experience working as a beauty editor in Sydney and for L’oreal in luxury procurement, Julia reached a cross-roads in 2009, when she chose to move to India, accepting the cultural changes that would come with the opportunities of modelling and acting there. Having never been accepted into the modelling industry in Australia, partly due to the lack of diversity, she faced a similar situation in India, where the cultural stigma surrounding the beauty of women was, and still is, particularly prominent.

Unaware of the culture, and learning the language as she lived there, Julia constantly felt like an outsider, as she had to work so much harder just to fit in, however, she became a runway model, working for the renowned modelling agency Elite. Although she had planned on modelling in commercials, she was pushed towards runway due to being taller than the average Indian model. A Western name and her Australian accent worked in her favour, despite facing backlash in India from the professionals surrounding her for her looks, darker skin, and curvier hips. The place of women in India is increasingly problematic, as Julia witnessed herself with social injustices going on around her and a general lack of body activism.

The biggest critique she received however, was based around the fact that she was an unapologetic foodie, which is why, after 5 years, she realised it was time to move on form this industry, and created her brand, that at the time, she hadn’t realised the extent to which it would grow. Speaking of her experiences that led her to this point in her life, Julia never thought she would have moved to India, or learnt about the culture, or met some of the incredible people she has, including Malala, whose bravery has inspired her.

The lack of activism and responsibility emanating from public figures in Bollywood is sorely lacking, which is why Julia has aimed to create a diverse and honest space to communicate that every single person is beautiful, and can be a model. Her brand, an oxymoron in itself, This Model Eats A Lot has shared her insight into the toxicity of the modelling industry and the experiences that have shaped her journey and identity. She’s created an honest space as an activist who has shared some of the key controversies in the modelling and media industry, turning her online platform to an opportunity of sharing her dining and travel experiences.

Hoping to have taught this positive message to the people she has come across in her life, whether it be the makeup artists who lamented over the colour of her skin, using lighter makeup and attempting to Anglicize her nose, or the young girls backstage during shows, Julia has become a role-model as she teaches others to embrace their own beauty.

Being a model to her is being a role model, allowing younger generations to see what true beauty is and how they have the power to change the modelling industry and accept their own worth. The industry today, with brands like Rihanna’s Fenty, is growing towards inclusivity and diversity, but there is still a long way to go, and activists like Julia are really paving the way.

For a further insight into body neutrality, or a glimpse into culinary delights around the world, follow @thismodeleatsalot on Instagram, @modeleatsalot on Twitter, and her Youtube account.