Gigi Robinson isn’t your average model. On her Instagram and TikTok pages, you’ll find the usual influencer content (from New York Fashion Week, GRWM videos, behind-the-scenes footage from movie premieres). increase. But you can also find something unique to Gigi. She takes a candid look at what it’s like to live with multiple serious chronic conditions.
You may have seen headlines about Robinson. A Sports Illustrated swimsuit model, she has publicly stated that she has three chronic conditions. She causes mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), symptoms of anaphylaxis (urticaria, difficulty breathing, swelling, etc.). POTS stands for Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, a disorder that affects the autonomic nervous system.
But behind the headlines and diagnoses is a young woman with a multi-hyphen talent above all else, balancing skills like photography, patient advocacy, and digital marketing.
“This didn’t happen overnight,” Robinson says of the SI spot, as well as a string of recent successes, including a podcast deal with Spotify and the closing of last year’s Runway of Dreams adaptive fashion show. . “Despite getting a lot of attention, I didn’t fall for a health advocate this year. [recently]”I’ve been working on this since 2017. When I entered college, my teacher didn’t think I was sick.”
A student of art design and storytelling at the University of Southern California at the time, Robinson used her art to tell her own stories. When her professor didn’t believe her invisible condition was real, Robinson turned her scans and years of medical paperwork into visual arts for that class assignment.
“Knowing that the document was black, white and gray, I created the perfect opportunity to use the work as highlights and shadows in the landscape,” Robinson says of her work. When her professor realized that her medical details were woven into her work, Robinson says, “her jaw hit her floor.”
Since then, it has been a theme in Robinson’s life. Use her tenacity and tenacity to prove that she and other chronic disease creators deserve to be at the table.
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Diagnosed with EDS at age 11, Robinson, now 24, has lived with chronic pain and frequent injuries for over a decade. She also has frequent allergic reactions and lightheadedness due to other illnesses. While this may sound counter to the busy schedules of her models and supporters, Robinson’s decision to start Lyrica, a nerve pain medication, last year has helped her health and her health. We believe it will be a game changer for both of our career trajectories.