March 23, 2025 • 47 mins
Self-Worth, Social Media & Loving The Skin You're In.
Like most young girls growing up in a media-driven world, there comes a moment when you realise your body is being compared to others. For today’s guest, Riley Hemson, that moment came at just 10 years old—when she first believed that her worth was entirely tied to how her body looked.
Ironically, her journey to realising that wasn’t true came through social media—the very thing that often makes people feel less than. Now, Riley is not just an Instagram influencer—she's a business owner, the founder of Remmie by Riley, and a proud ambassador for L'Oreal Paris' Talk Their Worth Campaign, using her platform to inspire women to embrace their value unapologetically and without compromise.
What You’ll Hear:
- Riley’s journey from paramedicine to social media influence
- How sharing her life online helped her find confidence
- The impact of body image struggles from a young age
- Her experience launching Remmie by Riley and becoming a L’Oréal Paris ambassador
- The power of embracing your worth—online and offline
This episode is a must-listen for anyone struggling with self-doubt, body image, or the pressures of social media.
THE END BITS:
Listen to more No Filter interviews here and follow us on Instagram here.
Discover more Mamamia podcasts here.
Feedback: podcast@mamamia.com.au
Share your story, feedback, or dilemma! Send us a voice message, and one of our Podcast Producers will get back to you ASAP.
Rate or review us on Apple by clicking on the three dots in the top right-hand corner, click Go To Show then scroll down to the bottom of the page, click on the stars at the bottom and write a review
CREDITS:
Host: Kate Langbroek
Guest: Riley Hemson
Executive Producer: Naima Brown
Senior Producer: Grace Rouvray
Audio Producer: Jacob Round
Mamamia acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the Land we have recorded this podcast on, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation. We pay our respects to their Elders past and present, and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.
Become a Mamamia subscriber: https://www.mamamia.com.au/subscribe
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:09):
You're listening to a Mom and me a podcast. Mama
MEA acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters that
this podcast is recorded on.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
It takes a certain space in someone's life.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Surely to be being horrible to someone like it has
to be that classic tear them down so that you
feel better. It baffles me every time I open comments
and it's just people being nasty.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Because you can say it off a fake account.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
I don't mind, but can you just if you're someone
that leaves hate on people's pages, comment down below your age,
your occupation, and like what you like to do, because
what where are these people?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Like most young girls growing up in today's media driven world,
there comes a moment when you realize that your body
is being compared to others, and often it's you doing
the comparison. I remember when it happened to me when
I was fourteen and I'd saved up to buy this
crocheted bikini from Cama that I really wanted, and then
(01:20):
I spent the whole summer wearing a T shirt over
it because I was too embarrassed. Was I ashamed? I
don't know, too self conscious to actually wear the bikini
that I had wanted so badly well for today's guest,
Riley Hemson. That comparison moment came at just ten years old,
(01:46):
when she first believed that her worth was entirely tied
to how her body looked. Ironically, her journey to realizing
that wasn't true came through social media, the very thing
that often has the opposite effect, leaving us doom scrolling
through endless accounts feeling quite frankly unworthy. Riley started out
(02:11):
in paramedicine, but unexpectedly she found herself becoming an Instagram influencer.
It might seem like an unlikely career shift, but it
was through sharing her life online, particularly her realistic running diaries,
that she stayed accountable to the version of herself she
wanted to be. Instead of retreating inward, she chose to
(02:35):
be open, proving that self worth is not defined by size.
That message has shaped everything she's done since, from launching
her brand Remy by Riley, to becoming an ambassador for
Laurels Talk Their Worth campaign, which encourages women to embrace
their self worth and share it unapologetically. Her journey has
(02:58):
built a beautiful connection with her followers, who have watched
her learn to love herself, and in turn, they've learned
to do the same. Riley is the epitome of self
love and body confidence, showing that true worth has nothing
to do with size and everything to do with how
we see ourselves. Here's Riley Hempson. Riley Hempson, welcome to
(03:26):
No Filter.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Thank you. I'm excited to chat.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
You know your journey and it is a proper journey.
And I know that's an expression that people use and
make some people roll their eyes. But take me back
to who you were before, people like me knew you
as who you are now.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
So I started Instagram posting on Instagram, I guess my
platform which was called healthy Check one oh one all
these years ago. I started that in about twenty fifteen,
twenty sixteen. So before that, I was always a confident person.
Grew up doing speech and drama. It was one of
(04:12):
my top sideets in school. I was always an active kid.
But I have always been the bigger girl.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I have always been a plus size girl.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
I was always the fat funny friend as I like
to call it, and my whole life has been in
a bigger body. However, it never sort of stopped me
from doing the things that I wanted to do. Of course,
there were times where I felt like I needed to
be smaller, and I don't think I ever growing up,
(04:44):
had a point in my life where I didn't think
that would make me a better person and more successful.
Growing up, that's all I knew that to be successful
and to be worthy, you had to be smaller. So
that was always going on, thanks to the media, thanks
to you know, the school, the kids at school that
jump at any opportunity to call me fashion.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
But I sort of and I think that's the funny thing.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
I where sort of go back to, why didn't that
make me shy away from everything? Ah?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yes, this is the question, isn't it. Because you can
see in the world that some people are crushed like
a flower by those precious societal or for meilial or
or internal, those worst pressures of all, and they never
come back from it. And yet somehow you've been like
(05:40):
the water lily in the dirty pond, that there's this
blooming beauty about you. And do you tell me about
your family? What was the structure of your family?
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, so I'm the second oldest, I have an older brother.
Mom and dad still together, grew up with so it
was my older brother, me younger sister.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
She's a couple of.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Years younger than me, and then there was about an
eight year gap and a surprise little brother.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Aha, surprise, so surprised.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Yeah, we love them. It was definitely a shock to mom.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
But my sister and I were obviously very excited to
have a little baby.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
You know how girls just obsessed with having you know.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
The little little baby toys, and finally we've got a
real one.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
So I grew up sort of. I guess.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
My mum's one of four girls and her mum, my Grammy,
is still alive, and we recently lost my nana, who's
my great nana, and so I come from a family
of strong women. And don't get me wrong, there was
always sort of I mean my mum sort of and
(06:48):
her sisters grew up in that generation of weight watchers,
sure slim, all of the things. So there was always
that talk, and there was always talk about.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
You're looking good, you've lost way, you lost ways.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
That was always there, so I was always aware of it. However,
I feel like my successes were celebrated in you know,
the grades i'd get in school or how well I
did it in my drama production or the way that
you can light up a room and.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Make people laugh.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
And when I sort of look back on it, I
feel like being built up like that is sort of
the only way that I didn't just go Okay, Actually,
i am fat, and I'm never going to be successful,
and I'm not worthy, and I'm just going to completely shut.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Down because there was a period in your life in
which you weren't happy.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yes, so.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
My whole life, I'd sort of always been bigger, but
I was always really active, and I was always great
at sport, and I was always going out with friends,
and all of these things went through sort of a
bad relationship ended, and I found myself not doing all
of the things that used to make me happy. I
wasn't exercising anymore. I was using every excuse under the
(08:08):
sun to not be looking after myself. And so at
the time, because I wasn't doing all of these things
and I didn't have, I guess a good balance in life.
I had put on a lot of weight in a
short period of time. Looking back, it wasn't about the
weight at all. It was about the way I was
(08:30):
living my life. But at the time, that's the thing
that stuck up to me obviously, and that was you know,
I'd look in the mirror and go, I don't like
the way that I am. I've always been bigger, but
you know, I've put on weight in a short period
of time. My life doesn't feel good at the moment,
I'm going to once and for all make an Instagram page.
I'm going to lose the weight and I'm going to
become successful and worthy.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Right, And even that is interesting because those periods in
your life where everybody has them and they're not always
associated with your body image or what you think about
your physicality, but often for women, they are. In that
moment which was your kind of lower StEB you still
went't oh, I'm going to make an Instagram page, and
(09:16):
instead of retreating into yourself, went, I'm going to share
these with people.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Yeah, And I guess I've always sort of lint on
my friends and family for support and.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
I think also holding myself accountable that.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Has and looking back, you know, I was always trying
to lose weight.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
It was always in the back of my mind.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Yes, I was confident, and no matter what size I was,
I still was confident, or people would say that I
was confident. I'd sometimes just fake it. Yeah, that's what
you have to do sometimes. Yeah, I sort of I
think making that Instagram, I thought, once I do that,
I sort of can't go back on what I'm doing here.
(09:59):
It was a private page, though, so I only let
my friends join it.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
However, within the.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Space of a couple of months, I already had you know,
guys that I knew from school making accounts making.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Fun of me about it, and it still didn't stop me.
So I really don't know.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Obviously, you could separate shame so you weren't happy with it.
You don't have to be happy with your body, but
it's shame that makes you retreat and you are obviously like, look,
I'm going to do this.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah, and I think, yeah, touching on shame. I don't
think at any size or any point in my.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Life, I sort of ever let that affect what I
want to do.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Like I never would.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Go, oh, I hate the way that I look, I'm
I'm not going to go to that event, right, or
I'm not going to, you know, take a photo with
my friends.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I sort of I think every size.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
That I've been, yes, you know, I can be unhappy
with the way that I look, but I just never
let it hold me back and never let it stop
me from doing things. And I think that's sort of
the key when we talk about body image and self image.
I don't think I'm ever going to get to a
point where I'm one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Never going to look, you know, at a photo mysself.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
And go, oh, could look better there, or I don't
like the way I looked today, or looking back on something, Wow,
I look good there, what's happened?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
You know? I don't think I'm ever going to get
to a point where I never do that.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
But what I decided was, I'm not going to let
it stop me from living my life and doing what
I want to do, no matter what size I am.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
And were you a paramedic then you were working as
a paramedic.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Yes, I was studying right, yes, And so I think
going from school where you're in a structure, you know,
you've got your lunch breaks, you're walking to school, going
from that to then getting my license driving to class,
walking into class, doing that, and then you know, all
of a sudden could just drive wherever I wanted to.
And I didn't have the sort of structure. I stopped
(11:54):
going to the gym. I actually had an ankle injury,
but I played on that for years and news there
as an excuse not to be playing.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Sport and doing all of the things.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
So I got into this really bad routine and then
obviously the breakup and it's sort of all just compiled together,
and yeah, I just got into a place where I
wasn't living a balanced lifestyle. And that's when I decided
I'm going to make my Instagram and document my weight loss.
And I did lose a lot of weight. I sort
(12:23):
of honed in and I was posting all my workouts,
posting my meals. There were lots of times there where
I would unfortunately. I remember when I on a trip
with my friends and I was doing protein shake for breakfast,
protein check for lunch, and I'm having dinner.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Oh so grant, Yeah it got toxic.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Yeah, got toxic.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Often. I think people need to explore those areas to
know that that that ain't it. Chief as we enjoyed
saying three years ago, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Absolutely, Yeah, And I look back on that now and
my friends we talk about it.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
We're just like, that's just diabolical, Like how what was
going on there? But you know, a.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Young girl growing up with all of these pressures, and
you're constantly seeing all of you know, the this is
what I did to do this, and of course I'm
going to try any any quick fix.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
So, yeah, I sort of lost a lot.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Of weight, and on that journey, I realized that I
am still the same person. I still had the same values,
I still have the same friends. I still that's it's.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Who I am. And I actually, I'm.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Not going to get to a point where I lose
twenty five kilos and go, well, I've just got a
million times better, right, I'm you know, all of a
sudden worthy, That's just not how it works.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
But also, you were losing weight, yeah, something about you
was resonating with people and you were gaining followers. Yes,
so how is that transition happening? And what sort of
feedback were you're getting at the time.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Yeah, so lots of my following grew from doing sort
of like before and after photos and transformations.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
And when I.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Stopped doing that and came to the point where I realize,
you know, that weight loss isn't the ball end all
of my life and I'm not going to be this
completely different person and you know, I no matter what
size A, my body's going to change and I'm going
to embrace who I am. I did get messages from
people saying this, you know, isn't what I followed you for.
(14:27):
You know, you're pushing an unhealthy lifestyle now, which to me.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Was wild because you know, the shake shake dinner can
be the healthy part.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
But you know now that I'm telling people that just
love yourself and look after yourself and that's what you
need to do in this life and just get on
with it.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
That now, it doesn't resonate.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
So I had a few messages like that, and my
response to that was that's fine.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
If you're not there yet, you do you.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
I'm not going to try battle with someone about why
they should follow me. Now, that's their life and they
can deal with it. But the beautiful thing was so
many people came on the journey with me. They followed
me for weight loss initially and then sort of came
on this whole journey and their own body image and
self love journey happened as mine happened. And I still
(15:17):
have people following there that followed me from the very beginning,
which is crazy because I've been doing it for so
many years now that sort of watched me grow up. Yes,
so watched me meet Vita, who's my fiance now and
my favorite person in the world. And they've just seen,
you know, buy a house and get my two little
French bulldogs and it's yeah, it's so cool that we
can have all of these people that have the same
(15:39):
interests and you'll probably never meet them. Some you might,
but they just you have a friendship group online.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Well, because it's the capacities to show your true self.
That means that other people can properly connect with you.
And I know people talk about connection a lot, and
often I think it's actually disconnection. But there's equality in
you that is very attractive and it is I think
(16:08):
that genuine self love and so people appreciate that in you.
But also they want to know what that secret is
for themselves. They want to know what that capacity you
have that, even at your lowest deb to be confident
enough to go, look, I'm going to show myself. Have
a look at me, come join me.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yeah, And.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
On that note, since I've started running, actually that's sort
of showing a whole new side and the raw moments
where you know it's ridiculous that I'm running and crying.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
But I'm crying. I don't think that's ridiculous. I believe
running and crying go together, so do I Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
And so I think.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
For people to see, you know, that that journey and
that real raw, I'm going to give something a crack
that I've always been terrible at and I've always hated.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
That's really resonated with a lot of people.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
There's obviously people that have loved running, so they a
loving seeing me fall in love with it, fall in
love with them.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Some areasier than others.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
And then there's people that might want to try it,
you know from that they're just like me, have hated
it and aren't good at it, but they're going, you know,
I'm going to give it a crack, and that's done.
Running's done. Wonders for my self confidence?
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Why? Why do you think? Is it the is it
the psychological of taking on something that you hated and
thought you could never do, or is it the actual
shep grinding about physicality of it? Or is it everything?
Speaker 3 (17:43):
I mean, lots of people say running is mind over body,
which I agree with to an extent, because my body
is in pain, my body is in pain.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
It's not just your mind.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
You can't just completely block up the actual pain that
you're wishing.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
A bit in particular, because I'm very uncomfortable about boobs
when I'm running, I feel like that's a message from
God I shouldn't be running, and I've got these bouncing things.
Like what bit is the hard?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
It actually varies, it depends.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Sometimes I can get out there and I start and
I feel really good. Other times my body can depend
on what other exercise I've done. You can just feel
really stiff and you just sort of know straight away
it's not going to be a good one. Sometimes two
minutes into the and I'm still going very slow. I
can I'm already out of breath, and lots of It's
linked to your cycle as well as a woman, of
(18:34):
where you are at, what sort of energy levels you have,
and that's really interesting.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Which doesn't get a lot of attention paid to it
in women's sport generally.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
No, it's yeah, I professional athletes, I just.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Eve begame and you're in your luteel.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Face perfect you know, yeah, yeah, what.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Do you do there? So? Yeah, I think.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Pushing myself so far doing something that I just never
thought I was capable of doing. Then when things get hard,
you know, like I'll do a run in couple of weeks.
I always think back to certain really hard moments and
I go, I got through that, so I can I
can do this. I know how far I can push myself.
(19:20):
Something about that feels really special to me. But yeah,
I mean the endolphins just they do their thing, and
some runs are amazing and some runs aren't.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
But that's kind of the beauty of running. And I
guess like it sort.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Of reflects on life as well, like sometimes you do
wake up and you feel a million bucks, and sometimes
you don't, but you still get out there and you
go to work and you do the thing you go,
I go on see it, and I do the shoot
and you just get on with it.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
And you were a paramedic, so you knew how to
turn up to things you didn't want to turn up to.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah, yeah, I guess yeah, and doing paramedicine. So I
went into parentisine as soon as I left school, straight
in and I.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Studied for four years.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
It was actually meant to be a three year degree,
but I ended up failing one paper at one point,
which that took a time as well, that was a
terrible moment of my life. It was by half a
mark and one section and it was just yeah, it
was hard and that was yeah. Got through it though,
finished the degree. Yeah, And I guess, like being in school,
(20:25):
my top subjects were pe, physical education, art, drama, So
I was always sort of I loved being on a stage.
I loved performing, I loved being creative.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
I always loved that part of growing up and that
was my thing.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
And so to go on to paramedicine, I was sort
of like, what about that made me sort of gravitate
towards going and doing that degree.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I think.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Being around people, I always felt sort of accomplished when
I helped people, whether that I used to be the
makeup artist of our friend group, so you know, we
would go out, I'd be doing everyone's makeup. So I
think something about making people feel good made me feel good.
And yeah, I think the adrenaline and the thrill of
(21:16):
you know, you go to work and you don't know
what is going to happen, right, That's what I loved
about the job as well. But obviously very different to
what I sort of grew up like in school and
then now very different to what I'm doing now, which
I enjoy as well.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Coming up after the break, we talk about the dark
side of the online world and how to move past
toxic comments, and the evolution of you is kind of
like watching you step into yourself.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
That's a cool way to put it. I love that.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Also because you're bringing in the people that you love
with you.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Yeah, and recently I have sort of been thinking about
how obviously what I'm doing now, I never of imagine
in a million years that this would be my job,
but it.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Feels right like looking back on how I.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Was growing up, I'm like, this just feels like it's
meant to be where I am, and it's meant to
be my job. But if you ask anyone in high school,
yes especially me, with a like what are you going
to do when you grow up?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
What's your perfect job? This wouldn't even be the.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Bottom of the list. Well not, But if you ask
girls in high school now, I think a lot of
them would say what you do would be perfect.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Which is actually really cool.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
I love that now we can set our sights further
than just doing a degree. And of course, if that's
what people want to do, and that's what's going to
get them to their dream job. Then do the degree
one hundred percent, go to university, do the thing.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
But I love that now we.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Have options and we can sort of dream big. I
feel like that never was a thing when I was
in high school and was going, I'm going to go
and do that.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
No, especially back then, I think you created you created
a pathway that didn't exist. But you didn't even know
what you were doing. You were just thrashing your way
through the undergrowth with you know, some likera in one
hand and a protein shake in the other, you know, absolutely,
(23:37):
And then where were you at in your life when
you met when you met your shugs, when you met Veda.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
We met Wellington.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Actually he just came back and he's from Hawk's Bay
in New Zealand. He had moved to Australia to sort
of pursue a career in rugby league.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
AH.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
He did a little bit a bit of high school
and Australia and then went into a development team, I
believe for one of the league teams, an under twenties situation,
and then he went back to Hawks Bay for a
holiday to go and see his family and he injured
himself while doing sprints, so he went through sort of
a low point with that injury and then decided he
(24:14):
was going to go to Wellington to study accounting.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
And we met in Wellington the.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Clubbing scene and met one night and then went on
a date and.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
The rest was history.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
And we basically have never spent more than a few
days apart. And I was very much in my gym era,
so we used to go on little gym dates.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
And he is very much into his health and fitness
as well.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
So at that point though, I was finishing my degree
and then lining up a job to go into paramedics,
so and I did. I got an internship and I
worked for six months.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
So he was He's always.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Made my biggest support from you know, the moment I
met him. He just it's like he just knows whenever
I need anything, like he'll be, you know, picking up
the pieces when I'm upset. He'll be the first one
to say, you know, that's an incredible opportunity. He is
always the voice of reason. I am a risk taker.
(25:13):
I will just jump at anything. I get really excited
by something and go I want to do that now.
He is always the one that takes a step back
and goes okay that we need to actually think about this.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
What could go wrong?
Speaker 3 (25:23):
What's your ultimate goal? Where do you actually want to be?
Is this getting you any closer? Does this job.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Align with what you what you stand for?
Speaker 3 (25:32):
He is a huge part of the success that I've
had in my job. He's just yeah, we are almost
like opposites in the way that we are with people.
He's definitely more reserved and shy, and I'm you know,
the one in the room making a scene.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
The Yin and yang balance. But then when you when
you're you have someone who's so integral and enmeshed in
your is your life, is your personal life, and then
when you bring them into what is also your professional life,
even though your lines are so sort of blurred and seamless,
do you ever think, ah, we have to have separation
(26:12):
or is there ever a time where it feels like
it's too many eggs in one basket.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
Look, he works for my brand, Remy as well. He
does all of sort of the moving parts on the
website and supplier stuff and logistics. So we are together
all the nice you know, we wake up together. He'll
go out and do his gym thing, and so when
the only time we'll sort of either have disagreements. I
(26:39):
like in business, we have to make a decision with
a collection, or you know, he really loves the color
and I'm.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
Like, oh, I don't know if I like that.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
And we'll often have little situations like that which we
have to remind ourselves like that's not essentially normal for
a couple.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
No, you sort of only see each other in the
morning and then at night.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
But to us, we often say how lucky we are
we get this one life with each other, and we
could just get to spend so much time with each other.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
That feels really special to us. Definitely at the.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Start of our relationship, you know, like bringing in sort
of other traumas from past relationships, we had to work
through that.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
We were young.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
But yeah, we sort of obviously had to work through
that when we were super young. But now we're just
at a really great place where we know each other.
We know when you know, we need space. He definitely
needs more space than I do. I'd happily be with
them basically four see then, so he has his own
his own things that he loves to do. But for
the most part, yeah, where we just make it work,
(27:39):
and we obviously have those little moments, but the good
outweighs the bad tenfold.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
It was funny. I was watching a video of you.
You were actually shooting a campaign for something, and you
just looked so beautiful but full on like corset and
you know, mesh and stunning. And I was watching him.
He was videoing you, but he'd keep turning the camera
back to himself so you could see his expression, which
(28:09):
was like bavo, like he was just so there. And
I thought, that's interesting. He must have seen in the
course of your relationship also how your confidence has grown
and blossomed in that time.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Yeah, and I think there's something really special about sharing
our relationship online too, I mean conventionally, and I'll get
comments about it sometimes if something goes viral and it
hits the wrong wrong audience.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
About you know, like oh, he's he's definitely cheating on
her like that just.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
So I mean visually, he's you know, very clearly goes
to the German he's you know, in terms of society's
ideal of an attractive person.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
He's there because I'm a bigger girl and plus size.
Often that's not the case for me.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
People, I guess look at our relationship and go, you know,
how did she get someone like that? So I love
to share our relationship and show that, you know, you
can be.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
In love with whoever you want to be in love with.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
And not only is it you're more than your body,
but you're actually amazing at whatever size you are and
whoever you are. It's not just you look at someone
and go, oh, they're hot, I'm going to marry them
and be with them for eighty years.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
It's not like that.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Why do you think it is that people still, I mean,
there is a whole thing with socials now that we
do feel that what we do we see things that
normally you never would have seen in someone's life, or
intimacy or whatever. But what do you think it is
in people that they feel the need to diminish, to
(30:10):
diminish others, And particularly to me, it often seems that
it happens to people who are happy with themselves, that
people the people that are that do the diminishing obviously
are not happy with themselves, but they hone in on
someone's happiness and they're like a bird flying over and
they have to take a shit on it. Where do
(30:32):
you think that comes from?
Speaker 3 (30:35):
It has to come from a place of unhappiness. Like
you said, I don't know anyone who is comfortable and happy.
And actually I don't know anyone at all that does
any sort of.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Hate messages or anything like that. I wouldn't be speaking
to them, but I think it takes a.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Certain space in someone's life. Surely to be being horrible
to someone like it has to be that classic tear
them down so that you feel better. Yep, don't you
think like picking apart someone that is clearly doing great?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Yes? And yeah, I it baffles.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Me every time I open comments and it's just people
being nasty because I genuinely, and I spoke about this
not long guy, I wanted to do a TikTok and just.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Say, like, look, you can say it of a fake account.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
I don't mind, but can you just if you're someone
that leaves hate on people's pages, comment down below your age,
your occupation, and like what you like to do? Because
where are these people? What kind of people like? It
actually intrigues me because I just can't quite wrap my
head around it. I've not met anyone that does that.
(31:56):
They just have to be in some sort of place
where they're just so unhappy, like focus on something else.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
The counter to that is how do you keep yourself
able to share yourself with people, but at the same
time have enough armor to protect yourself from those barbs
so that you don't shut down? Like, how do you
find the confidence to navigate that middle ground?
Speaker 2 (32:25):
I think it.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Comes from knowing who I am and being comfortable with
who I am, Because essentially, whatever someone says, I decide how.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Much of an impact that has.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Like I don't know this person, I don't value their
opinion because I value the opinions of people that I
care about and that know me and love me want
the best for me. Someone random that actually clearly doesn't
want the best for me, I'm.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Not going to let their opinion have any weight.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Another thing that I do as well is I use
tools to limit certain things. So on Instagram, I don't
actually have comments turned on for anyone.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
You have to follow me to come right right. So
that's just like logistics of.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Like protecting myself, you can block certain words. I learned
to never read Facebook comments on an article that's about me,
any forums I don't read.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
That's a hard lesson to learn, too, because there's something
in the human psyche that's drawn to like not the
top of a scab.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Yes, I know you sort of. And the way I
sort of think about it is, I actually.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
Have my own world here and if I, let's say,
around the corner, someone's really upset about something, which if
I knew about it, that would make me really upset
as well. I'd probably feel really empathetic about it, and
I want to try and help them.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
But if I don't actually know about.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
It, it's not affecting my life, and I can't let's say,
I can't actually help them, I can't do anything about it.
So that's sort of how I feel about reading comments
or reading forums. If I don't read it, it doesn't exist.
It actually doesn't even exist in my in my brain
because it's not there, and so I've just gone I'm
(34:13):
blocking it out because it's not actually going to change.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Is all it's going to do is make me upset.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
But like, let's go before social media, when I would
get called fat by someone at school, Now I'm comfortable
with saying yeah, I am fat, Like next, next, what
else have you got? Like is that such a bad thing?
Obviously at the time, that was like the worst thing
someone could call me. It felt very embarrassing, but now
(34:40):
I can be comfortable with that, and I think I
must have just.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Known back then that there's more to me than what
I look like.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
And yes, it's going to make me upset for a minute,
and I'll probably go home and cry to Mum about
someone calling me fat at school. But I then would
get on with it and I'd be having fun with
my friends, and I guess, yeah, I honestly I don't.
I can't pinpoint what made me not be sightset and
(35:14):
let it consume me.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
That's not all of my conversation with Riley coming up.
She reflects on what her younger self would make of
her now and how it feels to finally see herself
represented in the media and online. You know, it's interesting
(35:38):
because what you've done, it's had such an organic genesis.
You know that you wanted to be able to wear
active wear that looked like your girlfriend's active wear, but
you needed a larger size and no one made it.
So you started making it right. And now a lot
of companies have embraced you know, body positivity and you know,
(36:00):
size inclusivity, et cetera. Do you think that it's a
genuine movement or do you think it's a it's bottom line.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
I think for some brands it is genuine and for
some it's not. But I find it very easy to tell.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
How do you tell?
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Well, if a brand is just using a curve model
but their sizing stops at a at a sixteen, right,
it's not.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
A part of their brand. They don't care. It's not
who who they are.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Just like if a makeup brand has a very limited
shade range, yet they have you know, an array of
models in a campaign.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Yeah, straight away you know that they don't value it.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
They're doing it to tick a box. And that's very
important to me with who I work with. Obviously, there's
some amazing inclusive brands that I am very honor too
w ITK with, like Laurel Paris who It's it's part
of who they are and it's you know, diversity is
literally their one of their core values. Nike, they I
(37:17):
remember they were one of the first brands to use
a curve mannequin in the store. Fashion, however, I will
note on this fashion for me is and has sort
of been something that I I like to give brands
an opportunity. So I mean when I moved to Australia,
(37:38):
I started buying from brands that I would be squeezing.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Into their bigger size.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
But I thought, you know what, I'm going to do it,
and I'm going to take photos and this stuff, and
then we're going to have the conversation of.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
Do better.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
You know, there's many other people that would love to
wear your clothing, but they can't fit it because you
only go to an Excel. Let's you know, let's do
something here. So I'd often if I worked with a
brand that would only go to an Excel or to EXCEL,
I would sometimes get comments saying, you know, like this
brand isn't size inclusive.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
But I think maybe not so much now.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
But back a few years ago, there was an opportunity
to go, let's actually have that conversation.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
Give them that chance and go, why aren't you doing
the sizing. You know I'm wearing it, I look really good.
Let's get the ball rolling.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
A couple of years ago there was like a massive
push I think it was just after COVID or in COVID,
where everyone sort of went, you know what if you're
not going to show an array of sizing and you're advertising,
we're not buying from you anymore, and brands started to
do much better. And I definitely think that's sort of
taken a bit of a plummet recently.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Right, And well, that's interesting because I wonder if there's
a correlation between that and the rise of oz pic.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
Well.
Speaker 3 (38:59):
I think everything sort of comes in like a cycle, right,
in terms of trends that comes in fashion, that comes
in body types, that comes in every thing. There's there's
a cycle with what's call in the media. And yeah,
I definitely think that would go hand in hand. And
it's a real shame to see brands, you know, that
(39:22):
stood for something when they had that pressure on them,
and then as soon as that pressure kind of goes away,
they go cool, We're off the hook.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Well, it's also interesting because there were the people that
we used to seeing embracing their size, which might not
be sample size obviously, but now you're like, oh, I
think I think they're taking a zampic. You know, it's
a really it's a really common thing in that quest.
(39:51):
I understand. I don't judge the quest, but the knock
on effect of it for women that are trying to
love their body as it is makes it hard.
Speaker 3 (40:04):
Yes, And I think this is why it's so important
that we use social media and all of the tools
that we have.
Speaker 2 (40:12):
In a very specific way.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
If something isn't making you feel good, you can reduce
the way you see that content. You can follow the
people that do make you feel good. You can be
around people that support the way that you want to
live your life. And I think that's that's where we
sort of can be on a slippery slope with how
we find validation from other people. Yes, you know, if
(40:37):
we're putting someone on a pedestal of like, this person
is everything that you know, what they stand for is
what I stand for, and this is the reason I'm.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
The way I am, and then all of a sudden
that goes away. Who are you? What do you stand for?
Speaker 1 (40:55):
What do you stand for? You know you said you've
always been really sure of who you were and your values, Like,
how would you define them?
Speaker 3 (41:05):
I think my values are be someone and that people
want to be around, m be kind, and also don't
take life too seriously.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I think that's just one of my big things.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
I'm like, we're all here just trying to get through it.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
We're just here trying to have.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
Fun at the end of the day, like, yes we
have bills to pay, Yes we have to do the
things we don't want to do, but we're all going
to have the same ending.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Basically, which terrifies me. As I'm sort of start I
think about that more often.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
Maybe you want to scale back the running. But it's
interesting now, and you were you refer to the Loureal
campaign in which you worries, like the company that you're
keeping is just magnificent. Really, you know, Helen Mirren and
Jenny's and it's just it's great. It's very interesting if
(42:05):
you had been able to say to yourself, maybe even
maybe even when you were coming home and saying to
your mum or this kid in my class called me fat,
imagine saying to yourself, then what your future, the future
that you've crafted would hold for you. How would that feel?
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Oh makes me emotional because I guess there was that
core piece missing from me growing up, and that I
didn't see myself represented in.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
TV.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
Whenever I would see a bigger body, it was being
the one being made fun of in a movie.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Yeah, yeah, it would be the one on the magazine.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
Cover being ripped to shreds about the cellul like when
they're just trying to have a nice at.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
The beach with the kids. It was there was only
ever ridicule.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
So to now not only see myself represented and you know,
or working with Laurel and walking the runway that we
walked at the end of last year, not only seeing
myself represented, but it actually is me and I can
be that for younger girls or anyone. It's a super
(43:24):
emotional feeling and super surreal.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
Yeah. I think if I was to tell my younger self,
she would just laugh. And then I was taking the EPISO,
she told me to shut up and get on with it. Yeah,
it's it's crazy, It's yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
I feel like if I think about it too much,
it actually sort of extruses me out. It's like when
I think about space, like I think about the planets
and like with the universe and what is actually.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
Going on at last, my heart rates up. Yeah, it's yes,
it's too vast, too much. I can't deal with that.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Does your future feel vast?
Speaker 2 (43:59):
You know what it does?
Speaker 3 (44:02):
And I think it's almost like an uncomfortable feeling to.
Speaker 2 (44:10):
I guess, like.
Speaker 3 (44:13):
Goals or big goals for yourself in this industry, because
there's an element of me going like I know I can,
I can do these things, and like I'm so excited
for what could happen next. But then a lot, a
lot of it, a lot of the feelings I have.
Speaker 2 (44:27):
Like how are you even doing what you're doing now?
You know, like you were the one.
Speaker 3 (44:33):
That was not seen by society as beautiful and not
successful and not worthy, So like what you're doing now
is absolutely unreal. So how can you even think that
you're going to, you know, be on a cover of
a magazine like get a grip?
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Yeah, and guess what, Ronnie Hemson. I think the gift
that you've given to your followers and to those who
are new to you is the gift of happiness. Happiness
in yourself is also a gift for those of us
who are enjoying your wor can your labors and your
(45:10):
adventures in your fashion. It's very important.
Speaker 2 (45:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (45:15):
I do genuinely find so much fulfillment and what I do,
I you know, every photo shoot I'm on to be
able to represent girls and a curvy body and just
being yourself and not taking it too seriously and you know, being.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
Able to create the cloning that we.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
Make for rem and getting messages from girls that have
you know, never worn a bikini ever and it's their
first time and they're wearing something that we've made for
that purpose, Like we wanted everyone to feel comfortable and
their bodies.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
To be on you know, a.
Speaker 3 (45:51):
Campaign shooting a Loreal foundation that I saved up my
money and you know, I was fourteen buying my first foundation.
Like it's yeah, it's crazy and it's so special and
I do genuinely just feel so fulfilled and what I'm
doing love it.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Thank you for sharing yourself with No Filter.
Speaker 2 (46:13):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (46:17):
Oh what I loved about this conversation, aside from Riley herself,
was how real she was about protecting herself online. We
know social media can be both empowering and toxic, and
Riley's approach to setting boundaries is incredible. She's intentional about
what she engages with, she protects her energy, and she
(46:40):
stays true to her self worth. I also admire how
she aligns with brands that genuinely champion self worth and inclusivity,
not just as a marketing trend, but as a real commitment.
The executive producer of No Filter is Nama Brown, and
the senior producer is Grace Rufrey. Audio production is by
(47:01):
Jacob Brown, and I'm your host, Kate lane Brook. Thanks
for listening.
You're listening to a Mom and me a podcast. Mama
MEA acknowledges the traditional owners of land and waters that
this podcast is recorded on.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
It takes a certain space in someone's life.
Speaker 3 (00:21):
Surely to be being horrible to someone like it has
to be that classic tear them down so that you
feel better. It baffles me every time I open comments
and it's just people being nasty.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Because you can say it off a fake account.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
I don't mind, but can you just if you're someone
that leaves hate on people's pages, comment down below your age,
your occupation, and like what you like to do, because
what where are these people?
Speaker 1 (00:58):
Like most young girls growing up in today's media driven world,
there comes a moment when you realize that your body
is being compared to others, and often it's you doing
the comparison. I remember when it happened to me when
I was fourteen and I'd saved up to buy this
crocheted bikini from Cama that I really wanted, and then
(01:20):
I spent the whole summer wearing a T shirt over
it because I was too embarrassed. Was I ashamed? I
don't know, too self conscious to actually wear the bikini
that I had wanted so badly well for today's guest,
Riley Hemson. That comparison moment came at just ten years old,
(01:46):
when she first believed that her worth was entirely tied
to how her body looked. Ironically, her journey to realizing
that wasn't true came through social media, the very thing
that often has the opposite effect, leaving us doom scrolling
through endless accounts feeling quite frankly unworthy. Riley started out
(02:11):
in paramedicine, but unexpectedly she found herself becoming an Instagram influencer.
It might seem like an unlikely career shift, but it
was through sharing her life online, particularly her realistic running diaries,
that she stayed accountable to the version of herself she
wanted to be. Instead of retreating inward, she chose to
(02:35):
be open, proving that self worth is not defined by size.
That message has shaped everything she's done since, from launching
her brand Remy by Riley, to becoming an ambassador for
Laurels Talk Their Worth campaign, which encourages women to embrace
their self worth and share it unapologetically. Her journey has
(02:58):
built a beautiful connection with her followers, who have watched
her learn to love herself, and in turn, they've learned
to do the same. Riley is the epitome of self
love and body confidence, showing that true worth has nothing
to do with size and everything to do with how
we see ourselves. Here's Riley Hempson. Riley Hempson, welcome to
(03:26):
No Filter.
Speaker 2 (03:28):
Thank you. I'm excited to chat.
Speaker 1 (03:30):
You know your journey and it is a proper journey.
And I know that's an expression that people use and
make some people roll their eyes. But take me back
to who you were before, people like me knew you
as who you are now.
Speaker 2 (03:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
So I started Instagram posting on Instagram, I guess my
platform which was called healthy Check one oh one all
these years ago. I started that in about twenty fifteen,
twenty sixteen. So before that, I was always a confident person.
Grew up doing speech and drama. It was one of
(04:12):
my top sideets in school. I was always an active kid.
But I have always been the bigger girl.
Speaker 2 (04:20):
I have always been a plus size girl.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
I was always the fat funny friend as I like
to call it, and my whole life has been in
a bigger body. However, it never sort of stopped me
from doing the things that I wanted to do. Of course,
there were times where I felt like I needed to
be smaller, and I don't think I ever growing up,
(04:44):
had a point in my life where I didn't think
that would make me a better person and more successful.
Growing up, that's all I knew that to be successful
and to be worthy, you had to be smaller. So
that was always going on, thanks to the media, thanks
to you know, the school, the kids at school that
jump at any opportunity to call me fashion.
Speaker 2 (05:05):
But I sort of and I think that's the funny thing.
Speaker 3 (05:09):
I where sort of go back to, why didn't that
make me shy away from everything? Ah?
Speaker 1 (05:15):
Yes, this is the question, isn't it. Because you can
see in the world that some people are crushed like
a flower by those precious societal or for meilial or
or internal, those worst pressures of all, and they never
come back from it. And yet somehow you've been like
(05:40):
the water lily in the dirty pond, that there's this
blooming beauty about you. And do you tell me about
your family? What was the structure of your family?
Speaker 3 (05:51):
Yeah, so I'm the second oldest, I have an older brother.
Mom and dad still together, grew up with so it
was my older brother, me younger sister.
Speaker 2 (06:01):
She's a couple of.
Speaker 3 (06:02):
Years younger than me, and then there was about an
eight year gap and a surprise little brother.
Speaker 1 (06:06):
Aha, surprise, so surprised.
Speaker 2 (06:11):
Yeah, we love them. It was definitely a shock to mom.
Speaker 3 (06:15):
But my sister and I were obviously very excited to
have a little baby.
Speaker 2 (06:18):
You know how girls just obsessed with having you know.
Speaker 3 (06:20):
The little little baby toys, and finally we've got a
real one.
Speaker 2 (06:23):
So I grew up sort of. I guess.
Speaker 3 (06:28):
My mum's one of four girls and her mum, my Grammy,
is still alive, and we recently lost my nana, who's
my great nana, and so I come from a family
of strong women. And don't get me wrong, there was
always sort of I mean my mum sort of and
(06:48):
her sisters grew up in that generation of weight watchers,
sure slim, all of the things. So there was always
that talk, and there was always talk about.
Speaker 2 (06:57):
You're looking good, you've lost way, you lost ways.
Speaker 3 (07:01):
That was always there, so I was always aware of it. However,
I feel like my successes were celebrated in you know,
the grades i'd get in school or how well I
did it in my drama production or the way that
you can light up a room and.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
Make people laugh.
Speaker 3 (07:21):
And when I sort of look back on it, I
feel like being built up like that is sort of
the only way that I didn't just go Okay, Actually,
i am fat, and I'm never going to be successful,
and I'm not worthy, and I'm just going to completely shut.
Speaker 1 (07:36):
Down because there was a period in your life in
which you weren't happy.
Speaker 2 (07:44):
Yes, so.
Speaker 3 (07:47):
My whole life, I'd sort of always been bigger, but
I was always really active, and I was always great
at sport, and I was always going out with friends,
and all of these things went through sort of a
bad relationship ended, and I found myself not doing all
of the things that used to make me happy. I
wasn't exercising anymore. I was using every excuse under the
(08:08):
sun to not be looking after myself. And so at
the time, because I wasn't doing all of these things
and I didn't have, I guess a good balance in life.
I had put on a lot of weight in a
short period of time. Looking back, it wasn't about the
weight at all. It was about the way I was
(08:30):
living my life. But at the time, that's the thing
that stuck up to me obviously, and that was you know,
I'd look in the mirror and go, I don't like
the way that I am. I've always been bigger, but
you know, I've put on weight in a short period
of time. My life doesn't feel good at the moment,
I'm going to once and for all make an Instagram page.
I'm going to lose the weight and I'm going to
become successful and worthy.
Speaker 1 (08:53):
Right, And even that is interesting because those periods in
your life where everybody has them and they're not always
associated with your body image or what you think about
your physicality, but often for women, they are. In that
moment which was your kind of lower StEB you still
went't oh, I'm going to make an Instagram page, and
(09:16):
instead of retreating into yourself, went, I'm going to share
these with people.
Speaker 3 (09:22):
Yeah, And I guess I've always sort of lint on
my friends and family for support and.
Speaker 2 (09:28):
I think also holding myself accountable that.
Speaker 3 (09:32):
Has and looking back, you know, I was always trying
to lose weight.
Speaker 2 (09:36):
It was always in the back of my mind.
Speaker 3 (09:38):
Yes, I was confident, and no matter what size I was,
I still was confident, or people would say that I
was confident. I'd sometimes just fake it. Yeah, that's what
you have to do sometimes. Yeah, I sort of I
think making that Instagram, I thought, once I do that,
I sort of can't go back on what I'm doing here.
(09:59):
It was a private page, though, so I only let
my friends join it.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
However, within the.
Speaker 3 (10:04):
Space of a couple of months, I already had you know,
guys that I knew from school making accounts making.
Speaker 2 (10:10):
Fun of me about it, and it still didn't stop me.
So I really don't know.
Speaker 1 (10:14):
Obviously, you could separate shame so you weren't happy with it.
You don't have to be happy with your body, but
it's shame that makes you retreat and you are obviously like, look,
I'm going to do this.
Speaker 2 (10:25):
Yeah, and I think, yeah, touching on shame. I don't
think at any size or any point in my.
Speaker 3 (10:33):
Life, I sort of ever let that affect what I
want to do.
Speaker 2 (10:38):
Like I never would.
Speaker 3 (10:40):
Go, oh, I hate the way that I look, I'm
I'm not going to go to that event, right, or
I'm not going to, you know, take a photo with
my friends.
Speaker 2 (10:49):
I sort of I think every size.
Speaker 3 (10:52):
That I've been, yes, you know, I can be unhappy
with the way that I look, but I just never
let it hold me back and never let it stop
me from doing things. And I think that's sort of
the key when we talk about body image and self image.
I don't think I'm ever going to get to a
point where I'm one hundred percent.
Speaker 2 (11:09):
Never going to look, you know, at a photo mysself.
Speaker 3 (11:11):
And go, oh, could look better there, or I don't
like the way I looked today, or looking back on something, Wow,
I look good there, what's happened?
Speaker 2 (11:18):
You know? I don't think I'm ever going to get
to a point where I never do that.
Speaker 3 (11:21):
But what I decided was, I'm not going to let
it stop me from living my life and doing what
I want to do, no matter what size I am.
Speaker 1 (11:29):
And were you a paramedic then you were working as
a paramedic.
Speaker 3 (11:33):
Yes, I was studying right, yes, And so I think
going from school where you're in a structure, you know,
you've got your lunch breaks, you're walking to school, going
from that to then getting my license driving to class,
walking into class, doing that, and then you know, all
of a sudden could just drive wherever I wanted to.
And I didn't have the sort of structure. I stopped
(11:54):
going to the gym. I actually had an ankle injury,
but I played on that for years and news there
as an excuse not to be playing.
Speaker 2 (12:01):
Sport and doing all of the things.
Speaker 3 (12:02):
So I got into this really bad routine and then
obviously the breakup and it's sort of all just compiled together,
and yeah, I just got into a place where I
wasn't living a balanced lifestyle. And that's when I decided
I'm going to make my Instagram and document my weight loss.
And I did lose a lot of weight. I sort
(12:23):
of honed in and I was posting all my workouts,
posting my meals. There were lots of times there where
I would unfortunately. I remember when I on a trip
with my friends and I was doing protein shake for breakfast,
protein check for lunch, and I'm having dinner.
Speaker 1 (12:39):
Oh so grant, Yeah it got toxic.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
Yeah, got toxic.
Speaker 1 (12:44):
Often. I think people need to explore those areas to
know that that that ain't it. Chief as we enjoyed
saying three years ago, you know what I mean?
Speaker 3 (12:55):
Absolutely, Yeah, And I look back on that now and
my friends we talk about it.
Speaker 2 (12:59):
We're just like, that's just diabolical, Like how what was
going on there? But you know, a.
Speaker 3 (13:05):
Young girl growing up with all of these pressures, and
you're constantly seeing all of you know, the this is
what I did to do this, and of course I'm
going to try any any quick fix.
Speaker 1 (13:13):
Yes.
Speaker 2 (13:13):
So, yeah, I sort of lost a lot.
Speaker 3 (13:17):
Of weight, and on that journey, I realized that I
am still the same person. I still had the same values,
I still have the same friends. I still that's it's.
Speaker 2 (13:29):
Who I am. And I actually, I'm.
Speaker 3 (13:31):
Not going to get to a point where I lose
twenty five kilos and go, well, I've just got a
million times better, right, I'm you know, all of a
sudden worthy, That's just not how it works.
Speaker 1 (13:42):
But also, you were losing weight, yeah, something about you
was resonating with people and you were gaining followers. Yes,
so how is that transition happening? And what sort of
feedback were you're getting at the time.
Speaker 3 (13:58):
Yeah, so lots of my following grew from doing sort
of like before and after photos and transformations.
Speaker 2 (14:05):
And when I.
Speaker 3 (14:06):
Stopped doing that and came to the point where I realize,
you know, that weight loss isn't the ball end all
of my life and I'm not going to be this
completely different person and you know, I no matter what
size A, my body's going to change and I'm going
to embrace who I am. I did get messages from
people saying this, you know, isn't what I followed you for.
(14:27):
You know, you're pushing an unhealthy lifestyle now, which to me.
Speaker 2 (14:30):
Was wild because you know, the shake shake dinner can
be the healthy part.
Speaker 3 (14:35):
But you know now that I'm telling people that just
love yourself and look after yourself and that's what you
need to do in this life and just get on
with it.
Speaker 2 (14:44):
That now, it doesn't resonate.
Speaker 3 (14:46):
So I had a few messages like that, and my
response to that was that's fine.
Speaker 2 (14:52):
If you're not there yet, you do you.
Speaker 3 (14:55):
I'm not going to try battle with someone about why
they should follow me. Now, that's their life and they
can deal with it. But the beautiful thing was so
many people came on the journey with me. They followed
me for weight loss initially and then sort of came
on this whole journey and their own body image and
self love journey happened as mine happened. And I still
(15:17):
have people following there that followed me from the very beginning,
which is crazy because I've been doing it for so
many years now that sort of watched me grow up. Yes,
so watched me meet Vita, who's my fiance now and
my favorite person in the world. And they've just seen,
you know, buy a house and get my two little
French bulldogs and it's yeah, it's so cool that we
can have all of these people that have the same
(15:39):
interests and you'll probably never meet them. Some you might,
but they just you have a friendship group online.
Speaker 1 (15:48):
Well, because it's the capacities to show your true self.
That means that other people can properly connect with you.
And I know people talk about connection a lot, and
often I think it's actually disconnection. But there's equality in
you that is very attractive and it is I think
(16:08):
that genuine self love and so people appreciate that in you.
But also they want to know what that secret is
for themselves. They want to know what that capacity you
have that, even at your lowest deb to be confident
enough to go, look, I'm going to show myself. Have
a look at me, come join me.
Speaker 2 (16:28):
Yeah, And.
Speaker 3 (16:31):
On that note, since I've started running, actually that's sort
of showing a whole new side and the raw moments
where you know it's ridiculous that I'm running and crying.
Speaker 1 (16:41):
But I'm crying. I don't think that's ridiculous. I believe
running and crying go together, so do I Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
And so I think.
Speaker 3 (16:55):
For people to see, you know, that that journey and
that real raw, I'm going to give something a crack
that I've always been terrible at and I've always hated.
Speaker 2 (17:04):
That's really resonated with a lot of people.
Speaker 3 (17:06):
There's obviously people that have loved running, so they a
loving seeing me fall in love with it, fall in
love with them.
Speaker 2 (17:12):
Some areasier than others.
Speaker 3 (17:14):
And then there's people that might want to try it,
you know from that they're just like me, have hated
it and aren't good at it, but they're going, you know,
I'm going to give it a crack, and that's done.
Running's done. Wonders for my self confidence?
Speaker 1 (17:27):
Why? Why do you think? Is it the is it
the psychological of taking on something that you hated and
thought you could never do, or is it the actual
shep grinding about physicality of it? Or is it everything?
Speaker 3 (17:43):
I mean, lots of people say running is mind over body,
which I agree with to an extent, because my body
is in pain, my body is in pain.
Speaker 2 (17:52):
It's not just your mind.
Speaker 3 (17:53):
You can't just completely block up the actual pain that
you're wishing.
Speaker 1 (17:56):
A bit in particular, because I'm very uncomfortable about boobs
when I'm running, I feel like that's a message from
God I shouldn't be running, and I've got these bouncing things.
Like what bit is the hard?
Speaker 2 (18:11):
It actually varies, it depends.
Speaker 3 (18:13):
Sometimes I can get out there and I start and
I feel really good. Other times my body can depend
on what other exercise I've done. You can just feel
really stiff and you just sort of know straight away
it's not going to be a good one. Sometimes two
minutes into the and I'm still going very slow. I
can I'm already out of breath, and lots of It's
linked to your cycle as well as a woman, of
(18:34):
where you are at, what sort of energy levels you have,
and that's really interesting.
Speaker 1 (18:38):
Which doesn't get a lot of attention paid to it
in women's sport generally.
Speaker 3 (18:43):
No, it's yeah, I professional athletes, I just.
Speaker 2 (18:49):
Eve begame and you're in your luteel.
Speaker 1 (18:51):
Face perfect you know, yeah, yeah, what.
Speaker 2 (18:55):
Do you do there? So? Yeah, I think.
Speaker 3 (18:59):
Pushing myself so far doing something that I just never
thought I was capable of doing. Then when things get hard,
you know, like I'll do a run in couple of weeks.
I always think back to certain really hard moments and
I go, I got through that, so I can I
can do this. I know how far I can push myself.
(19:20):
Something about that feels really special to me. But yeah,
I mean the endolphins just they do their thing, and
some runs are amazing and some runs aren't.
Speaker 2 (19:31):
But that's kind of the beauty of running. And I
guess like it sort.
Speaker 3 (19:34):
Of reflects on life as well, like sometimes you do
wake up and you feel a million bucks, and sometimes
you don't, but you still get out there and you
go to work and you do the thing you go,
I go on see it, and I do the shoot
and you just get on with it.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
And you were a paramedic, so you knew how to
turn up to things you didn't want to turn up to.
Speaker 3 (19:52):
Yeah, yeah, I guess yeah, and doing paramedicine. So I
went into parentisine as soon as I left school, straight
in and I.
Speaker 2 (20:02):
Studied for four years.
Speaker 3 (20:03):
It was actually meant to be a three year degree,
but I ended up failing one paper at one point,
which that took a time as well, that was a
terrible moment of my life. It was by half a
mark and one section and it was just yeah, it
was hard and that was yeah. Got through it though,
finished the degree. Yeah, And I guess, like being in school,
(20:25):
my top subjects were pe, physical education, art, drama, So
I was always sort of I loved being on a stage.
I loved performing, I loved being creative.
Speaker 2 (20:40):
I always loved that part of growing up and that
was my thing.
Speaker 3 (20:44):
And so to go on to paramedicine, I was sort
of like, what about that made me sort of gravitate
towards going and doing that degree.
Speaker 2 (20:53):
I think.
Speaker 3 (20:55):
Being around people, I always felt sort of accomplished when
I helped people, whether that I used to be the
makeup artist of our friend group, so you know, we
would go out, I'd be doing everyone's makeup. So I
think something about making people feel good made me feel good.
And yeah, I think the adrenaline and the thrill of
(21:16):
you know, you go to work and you don't know
what is going to happen, right, That's what I loved
about the job as well. But obviously very different to
what I sort of grew up like in school and
then now very different to what I'm doing now, which
I enjoy as well.
Speaker 1 (21:34):
Coming up after the break, we talk about the dark
side of the online world and how to move past
toxic comments, and the evolution of you is kind of
like watching you step into yourself.
Speaker 2 (21:56):
That's a cool way to put it. I love that.
Speaker 1 (21:58):
Also because you're bringing in the people that you love
with you.
Speaker 3 (22:02):
Yeah, and recently I have sort of been thinking about
how obviously what I'm doing now, I never of imagine
in a million years that this would be my job,
but it.
Speaker 2 (22:13):
Feels right like looking back on how I.
Speaker 3 (22:16):
Was growing up, I'm like, this just feels like it's
meant to be where I am, and it's meant to
be my job. But if you ask anyone in high school,
yes especially me, with a like what are you going
to do when you grow up?
Speaker 2 (22:30):
What's your perfect job? This wouldn't even be the.
Speaker 1 (22:34):
Bottom of the list. Well not, But if you ask
girls in high school now, I think a lot of
them would say what you do would be perfect.
Speaker 2 (22:44):
Which is actually really cool.
Speaker 3 (22:46):
I love that now we can set our sights further
than just doing a degree. And of course, if that's
what people want to do, and that's what's going to
get them to their dream job. Then do the degree
one hundred percent, go to university, do the thing.
Speaker 2 (23:01):
But I love that now we.
Speaker 3 (23:03):
Have options and we can sort of dream big. I
feel like that never was a thing when I was
in high school and was going, I'm going to go
and do that.
Speaker 1 (23:12):
No, especially back then, I think you created you created
a pathway that didn't exist. But you didn't even know
what you were doing. You were just thrashing your way
through the undergrowth with you know, some likera in one
hand and a protein shake in the other, you know, absolutely,
(23:37):
And then where were you at in your life when
you met when you met your shugs, when you met Veda.
Speaker 2 (23:42):
We met Wellington.
Speaker 3 (23:43):
Actually he just came back and he's from Hawk's Bay
in New Zealand. He had moved to Australia to sort
of pursue a career in rugby league.
Speaker 1 (23:52):
AH.
Speaker 3 (23:52):
He did a little bit a bit of high school
and Australia and then went into a development team, I
believe for one of the league teams, an under twenties situation,
and then he went back to Hawks Bay for a
holiday to go and see his family and he injured
himself while doing sprints, so he went through sort of
a low point with that injury and then decided he
(24:14):
was going to go to Wellington to study accounting.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
And we met in Wellington the.
Speaker 3 (24:18):
Clubbing scene and met one night and then went on
a date and.
Speaker 2 (24:22):
The rest was history.
Speaker 3 (24:23):
And we basically have never spent more than a few
days apart. And I was very much in my gym era,
so we used to go on little gym dates.
Speaker 2 (24:32):
And he is very much into his health and fitness
as well.
Speaker 3 (24:35):
So at that point though, I was finishing my degree
and then lining up a job to go into paramedics,
so and I did. I got an internship and I
worked for six months.
Speaker 2 (24:48):
So he was He's always.
Speaker 3 (24:52):
Made my biggest support from you know, the moment I
met him. He just it's like he just knows whenever
I need anything, like he'll be, you know, picking up
the pieces when I'm upset. He'll be the first one
to say, you know, that's an incredible opportunity. He is
always the voice of reason. I am a risk taker.
(25:13):
I will just jump at anything. I get really excited
by something and go I want to do that now.
He is always the one that takes a step back
and goes okay that we need to actually think about this.
Speaker 2 (25:21):
What could go wrong?
Speaker 3 (25:23):
What's your ultimate goal? Where do you actually want to be?
Is this getting you any closer? Does this job.
Speaker 2 (25:28):
Align with what you what you stand for?
Speaker 3 (25:32):
He is a huge part of the success that I've
had in my job. He's just yeah, we are almost
like opposites in the way that we are with people.
He's definitely more reserved and shy, and I'm you know,
the one in the room making a scene.
Speaker 1 (25:48):
The Yin and yang balance. But then when you when
you're you have someone who's so integral and enmeshed in
your is your life, is your personal life, and then
when you bring them into what is also your professional life,
even though your lines are so sort of blurred and seamless,
do you ever think, ah, we have to have separation
(26:12):
or is there ever a time where it feels like
it's too many eggs in one basket.
Speaker 3 (26:17):
Look, he works for my brand, Remy as well. He
does all of sort of the moving parts on the
website and supplier stuff and logistics. So we are together
all the nice you know, we wake up together. He'll
go out and do his gym thing, and so when
the only time we'll sort of either have disagreements. I
(26:39):
like in business, we have to make a decision with
a collection, or you know, he really loves the color
and I'm.
Speaker 2 (26:43):
Like, oh, I don't know if I like that.
Speaker 3 (26:45):
And we'll often have little situations like that which we
have to remind ourselves like that's not essentially normal for
a couple.
Speaker 2 (26:54):
No, you sort of only see each other in the
morning and then at night.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
But to us, we often say how lucky we are
we get this one life with each other, and we
could just get to spend so much time with each other.
Speaker 2 (27:08):
That feels really special to us. Definitely at the.
Speaker 3 (27:11):
Start of our relationship, you know, like bringing in sort
of other traumas from past relationships, we had to work
through that.
Speaker 2 (27:16):
We were young.
Speaker 3 (27:17):
But yeah, we sort of obviously had to work through
that when we were super young. But now we're just
at a really great place where we know each other.
We know when you know, we need space. He definitely
needs more space than I do. I'd happily be with
them basically four see then, so he has his own
his own things that he loves to do. But for
the most part, yeah, where we just make it work,
(27:39):
and we obviously have those little moments, but the good
outweighs the bad tenfold.
Speaker 1 (27:47):
It was funny. I was watching a video of you.
You were actually shooting a campaign for something, and you
just looked so beautiful but full on like corset and
you know, mesh and stunning. And I was watching him.
He was videoing you, but he'd keep turning the camera
back to himself so you could see his expression, which
(28:09):
was like bavo, like he was just so there. And
I thought, that's interesting. He must have seen in the
course of your relationship also how your confidence has grown
and blossomed in that time.
Speaker 3 (28:29):
Yeah, and I think there's something really special about sharing
our relationship online too, I mean conventionally, and I'll get
comments about it sometimes if something goes viral and it
hits the wrong wrong audience.
Speaker 2 (28:43):
About you know, like oh, he's he's definitely cheating on
her like that just.
Speaker 1 (28:51):
Thanks.
Speaker 2 (28:52):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (28:53):
So I mean visually, he's you know, very clearly goes
to the German he's you know, in terms of society's
ideal of an attractive person.
Speaker 2 (29:06):
He's there because I'm a bigger girl and plus size.
Often that's not the case for me.
Speaker 3 (29:12):
People, I guess look at our relationship and go, you know,
how did she get someone like that? So I love
to share our relationship and show that, you know, you
can be.
Speaker 2 (29:27):
In love with whoever you want to be in love with.
Speaker 3 (29:29):
And not only is it you're more than your body,
but you're actually amazing at whatever size you are and
whoever you are. It's not just you look at someone
and go, oh, they're hot, I'm going to marry them
and be with them for eighty years.
Speaker 2 (29:47):
It's not like that.
Speaker 1 (29:49):
Why do you think it is that people still, I mean,
there is a whole thing with socials now that we
do feel that what we do we see things that
normally you never would have seen in someone's life, or
intimacy or whatever. But what do you think it is
in people that they feel the need to diminish, to
(30:10):
diminish others, And particularly to me, it often seems that
it happens to people who are happy with themselves, that
people the people that are that do the diminishing obviously
are not happy with themselves, but they hone in on
someone's happiness and they're like a bird flying over and
they have to take a shit on it. Where do
(30:32):
you think that comes from?
Speaker 3 (30:35):
It has to come from a place of unhappiness. Like
you said, I don't know anyone who is comfortable and happy.
And actually I don't know anyone at all that does
any sort of.
Speaker 2 (30:50):
Hate messages or anything like that. I wouldn't be speaking
to them, but I think it takes a.
Speaker 3 (30:58):
Certain space in someone's life. Surely to be being horrible
to someone like it has to be that classic tear
them down so that you feel better. Yep, don't you
think like picking apart someone that is clearly doing great?
Speaker 2 (31:16):
Yes? And yeah, I it baffles.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
Me every time I open comments and it's just people
being nasty because I genuinely, and I spoke about this
not long guy, I wanted to do a TikTok and just.
Speaker 2 (31:31):
Say, like, look, you can say it of a fake account.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
I don't mind, but can you just if you're someone
that leaves hate on people's pages, comment down below your age,
your occupation, and like what you like to do? Because
where are these people? What kind of people like? It
actually intrigues me because I just can't quite wrap my
head around it. I've not met anyone that does that.
(31:56):
They just have to be in some sort of place
where they're just so unhappy, like focus on something else.
Speaker 1 (32:03):
The counter to that is how do you keep yourself
able to share yourself with people, but at the same
time have enough armor to protect yourself from those barbs
so that you don't shut down? Like, how do you
find the confidence to navigate that middle ground?
Speaker 2 (32:25):
I think it.
Speaker 3 (32:25):
Comes from knowing who I am and being comfortable with
who I am, Because essentially, whatever someone says, I decide how.
Speaker 2 (32:38):
Much of an impact that has.
Speaker 3 (32:40):
Like I don't know this person, I don't value their
opinion because I value the opinions of people that I
care about and that know me and love me want
the best for me. Someone random that actually clearly doesn't
want the best for me, I'm.
Speaker 2 (32:53):
Not going to let their opinion have any weight.
Speaker 3 (32:56):
Another thing that I do as well is I use
tools to limit certain things. So on Instagram, I don't
actually have comments turned on for anyone.
Speaker 2 (33:04):
You have to follow me to come right right. So
that's just like logistics of.
Speaker 3 (33:09):
Like protecting myself, you can block certain words. I learned
to never read Facebook comments on an article that's about me,
any forums I don't read.
Speaker 1 (33:20):
That's a hard lesson to learn, too, because there's something
in the human psyche that's drawn to like not the
top of a scab.
Speaker 2 (33:28):
Yes, I know you sort of. And the way I
sort of think about it is, I actually.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
Have my own world here and if I, let's say,
around the corner, someone's really upset about something, which if
I knew about it, that would make me really upset
as well. I'd probably feel really empathetic about it, and
I want to try and help them.
Speaker 2 (33:51):
But if I don't actually know about.
Speaker 3 (33:52):
It, it's not affecting my life, and I can't let's say,
I can't actually help them, I can't do anything about it.
So that's sort of how I feel about reading comments
or reading forums. If I don't read it, it doesn't exist.
It actually doesn't even exist in my in my brain
because it's not there, and so I've just gone I'm
(34:13):
blocking it out because it's not actually going to change.
Speaker 2 (34:16):
Is all it's going to do is make me upset.
Speaker 3 (34:18):
But like, let's go before social media, when I would
get called fat by someone at school, Now I'm comfortable
with saying yeah, I am fat, Like next, next, what
else have you got? Like is that such a bad thing?
Obviously at the time, that was like the worst thing
someone could call me. It felt very embarrassing, but now
(34:40):
I can be comfortable with that, and I think I
must have just.
Speaker 2 (34:44):
Known back then that there's more to me than what
I look like.
Speaker 3 (34:51):
And yes, it's going to make me upset for a minute,
and I'll probably go home and cry to Mum about
someone calling me fat at school. But I then would
get on with it and I'd be having fun with
my friends, and I guess, yeah, I honestly I don't.
I can't pinpoint what made me not be sightset and
(35:14):
let it consume me.
Speaker 1 (35:18):
That's not all of my conversation with Riley coming up.
She reflects on what her younger self would make of
her now and how it feels to finally see herself
represented in the media and online. You know, it's interesting
(35:38):
because what you've done, it's had such an organic genesis.
You know that you wanted to be able to wear
active wear that looked like your girlfriend's active wear, but
you needed a larger size and no one made it.
So you started making it right. And now a lot
of companies have embraced you know, body positivity and you know,
(36:00):
size inclusivity, et cetera. Do you think that it's a
genuine movement or do you think it's a it's bottom line.
Speaker 3 (36:12):
I think for some brands it is genuine and for
some it's not. But I find it very easy to tell.
Speaker 1 (36:22):
How do you tell?
Speaker 3 (36:23):
Well, if a brand is just using a curve model
but their sizing stops at a at a sixteen, right,
it's not.
Speaker 2 (36:36):
A part of their brand. They don't care. It's not
who who they are.
Speaker 3 (36:41):
Just like if a makeup brand has a very limited
shade range, yet they have you know, an array of
models in a campaign.
Speaker 2 (36:51):
Yeah, straight away you know that they don't value it.
Speaker 3 (36:55):
They're doing it to tick a box. And that's very
important to me with who I work with. Obviously, there's
some amazing inclusive brands that I am very honor too
w ITK with, like Laurel Paris who It's it's part
of who they are and it's you know, diversity is
literally their one of their core values. Nike, they I
(37:17):
remember they were one of the first brands to use
a curve mannequin in the store. Fashion, however, I will
note on this fashion for me is and has sort
of been something that I I like to give brands
an opportunity. So I mean when I moved to Australia,
(37:38):
I started buying from brands that I would be squeezing.
Speaker 2 (37:42):
Into their bigger size.
Speaker 3 (37:43):
But I thought, you know what, I'm going to do it,
and I'm going to take photos and this stuff, and
then we're going to have the conversation of.
Speaker 2 (37:51):
Do better.
Speaker 3 (37:52):
You know, there's many other people that would love to
wear your clothing, but they can't fit it because you
only go to an Excel. Let's you know, let's do
something here. So I'd often if I worked with a
brand that would only go to an Excel or to EXCEL,
I would sometimes get comments saying, you know, like this
brand isn't size inclusive.
Speaker 2 (38:10):
But I think maybe not so much now.
Speaker 3 (38:13):
But back a few years ago, there was an opportunity
to go, let's actually have that conversation.
Speaker 2 (38:19):
Give them that chance and go, why aren't you doing
the sizing. You know I'm wearing it, I look really good.
Let's get the ball rolling.
Speaker 3 (38:28):
A couple of years ago there was like a massive
push I think it was just after COVID or in COVID,
where everyone sort of went, you know what if you're
not going to show an array of sizing and you're advertising,
we're not buying from you anymore, and brands started to
do much better. And I definitely think that's sort of
taken a bit of a plummet recently.
Speaker 1 (38:47):
Right, And well, that's interesting because I wonder if there's
a correlation between that and the rise of oz pic.
Speaker 2 (38:57):
Well.
Speaker 3 (38:59):
I think everything sort of comes in like a cycle, right,
in terms of trends that comes in fashion, that comes
in body types, that comes in every thing. There's there's
a cycle with what's call in the media. And yeah,
I definitely think that would go hand in hand. And
it's a real shame to see brands, you know, that
(39:22):
stood for something when they had that pressure on them,
and then as soon as that pressure kind of goes away,
they go cool, We're off the hook.
Speaker 1 (39:31):
Well, it's also interesting because there were the people that
we used to seeing embracing their size, which might not
be sample size obviously, but now you're like, oh, I
think I think they're taking a zampic. You know, it's
a really it's a really common thing in that quest.
(39:51):
I understand. I don't judge the quest, but the knock
on effect of it for women that are trying to
love their body as it is makes it hard.
Speaker 3 (40:04):
Yes, And I think this is why it's so important
that we use social media and all of the tools
that we have.
Speaker 2 (40:12):
In a very specific way.
Speaker 3 (40:14):
If something isn't making you feel good, you can reduce
the way you see that content. You can follow the
people that do make you feel good. You can be
around people that support the way that you want to
live your life. And I think that's that's where we
sort of can be on a slippery slope with how
we find validation from other people. Yes, you know, if
(40:37):
we're putting someone on a pedestal of like, this person
is everything that you know, what they stand for is
what I stand for, and this is the reason I'm.
Speaker 2 (40:47):
The way I am, and then all of a sudden
that goes away. Who are you? What do you stand for?
Speaker 1 (40:55):
What do you stand for? You know you said you've
always been really sure of who you were and your values, Like,
how would you define them?
Speaker 3 (41:05):
I think my values are be someone and that people
want to be around, m be kind, and also don't
take life too seriously.
Speaker 2 (41:17):
I think that's just one of my big things.
Speaker 3 (41:18):
I'm like, we're all here just trying to get through it.
Speaker 2 (41:24):
We're just here trying to have.
Speaker 3 (41:25):
Fun at the end of the day, like, yes we
have bills to pay, Yes we have to do the
things we don't want to do, but we're all going
to have the same ending.
Speaker 2 (41:35):
Basically, which terrifies me. As I'm sort of start I
think about that more often.
Speaker 1 (41:43):
Maybe you want to scale back the running. But it's
interesting now, and you were you refer to the Loureal
campaign in which you worries, like the company that you're
keeping is just magnificent. Really, you know, Helen Mirren and
Jenny's and it's just it's great. It's very interesting if
(42:05):
you had been able to say to yourself, maybe even
maybe even when you were coming home and saying to
your mum or this kid in my class called me fat,
imagine saying to yourself, then what your future, the future
that you've crafted would hold for you. How would that feel?
Speaker 3 (42:30):
Oh makes me emotional because I guess there was that
core piece missing from me growing up, and that I
didn't see myself represented in.
Speaker 2 (42:45):
TV.
Speaker 3 (42:46):
Whenever I would see a bigger body, it was being
the one being made fun of in a movie.
Speaker 2 (42:52):
Yeah, yeah, it would be the one on the magazine.
Speaker 3 (42:54):
Cover being ripped to shreds about the cellul like when
they're just trying to have a nice at.
Speaker 2 (42:57):
The beach with the kids. It was there was only
ever ridicule.
Speaker 3 (43:02):
So to now not only see myself represented and you know,
or working with Laurel and walking the runway that we
walked at the end of last year, not only seeing
myself represented, but it actually is me and I can
be that for younger girls or anyone. It's a super
(43:24):
emotional feeling and super surreal.
Speaker 2 (43:28):
Yeah. I think if I was to tell my younger self,
she would just laugh. And then I was taking the EPISO,
she told me to shut up and get on with it. Yeah,
it's it's crazy, It's yeah.
Speaker 3 (43:41):
I feel like if I think about it too much,
it actually sort of extruses me out. It's like when
I think about space, like I think about the planets
and like with the universe and what is actually.
Speaker 2 (43:51):
Going on at last, my heart rates up. Yeah, it's yes,
it's too vast, too much. I can't deal with that.
Speaker 1 (43:56):
Does your future feel vast?
Speaker 2 (43:59):
You know what it does?
Speaker 3 (44:02):
And I think it's almost like an uncomfortable feeling to.
Speaker 2 (44:10):
I guess, like.
Speaker 3 (44:13):
Goals or big goals for yourself in this industry, because
there's an element of me going like I know I can,
I can do these things, and like I'm so excited
for what could happen next. But then a lot, a
lot of it, a lot of the feelings I have.
Speaker 2 (44:27):
Like how are you even doing what you're doing now?
You know, like you were the one.
Speaker 3 (44:33):
That was not seen by society as beautiful and not
successful and not worthy, So like what you're doing now
is absolutely unreal. So how can you even think that
you're going to, you know, be on a cover of
a magazine like get a grip?
Speaker 1 (44:50):
Yeah, and guess what, Ronnie Hemson. I think the gift
that you've given to your followers and to those who
are new to you is the gift of happiness. Happiness
in yourself is also a gift for those of us
who are enjoying your wor can your labors and your
(45:10):
adventures in your fashion. It's very important.
Speaker 2 (45:14):
Thank you.
Speaker 3 (45:15):
I do genuinely find so much fulfillment and what I do,
I you know, every photo shoot I'm on to be
able to represent girls and a curvy body and just
being yourself and not taking it too seriously and you know, being.
Speaker 2 (45:32):
Able to create the cloning that we.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
Make for rem and getting messages from girls that have
you know, never worn a bikini ever and it's their
first time and they're wearing something that we've made for
that purpose, Like we wanted everyone to feel comfortable and
their bodies.
Speaker 2 (45:48):
To be on you know, a.
Speaker 3 (45:51):
Campaign shooting a Loreal foundation that I saved up my
money and you know, I was fourteen buying my first foundation.
Like it's yeah, it's crazy and it's so special and
I do genuinely just feel so fulfilled and what I'm
doing love it.
Speaker 1 (46:10):
Thank you for sharing yourself with No Filter.
Speaker 2 (46:13):
Thank you so much.
Speaker 1 (46:17):
Oh what I loved about this conversation, aside from Riley herself,
was how real she was about protecting herself online. We
know social media can be both empowering and toxic, and
Riley's approach to setting boundaries is incredible. She's intentional about
what she engages with, she protects her energy, and she
(46:40):
stays true to her self worth. I also admire how
she aligns with brands that genuinely champion self worth and inclusivity,
not just as a marketing trend, but as a real commitment.
The executive producer of No Filter is Nama Brown, and
the senior producer is Grace Rufrey. Audio production is by
(47:01):
Jacob Brown, and I'm your host, Kate lane Brook. Thanks
for listening.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
On Purpose with Jay Shetty
I’m Jay Shetty host of On Purpose the worlds #1 Mental Health podcast and I’m so grateful you found us. I started this podcast 5 years ago to invite you into conversations and workshops that are designed to help make you happier, healthier and more healed. I believe that when you (yes you) feel seen, heard and understood you’re able to deal with relationship struggles, work challenges and life’s ups and downs with more ease and grace. I interview experts, celebrities, thought leaders and athletes so that we can grow our mindset, build better habits and uncover a side of them we’ve never seen before. New episodes every Monday and Friday. Your support means the world to me and I don’t take it for granted — click the follow button and leave a review to help us spread the love with On Purpose. I can’t wait for you to listen to your first or 500th episode!