If you haven’t heard of Georgia Palmer, you’ve probably seen her face – whether in the pages of magazines or ads for Mugler and Burberry. Growing up in a small town outside of Birmingham, Palmer was first scouted at 15, and has been working as a model ever since. “I wanted to escape from the bubble and move to the big city as soon as possible,” she says. “They sold me the dream and I was so into it so I went ahead with the offer, and here I am!”

Inspired as much by voguing and contemporary dance as she is by the queer rave scene, the London-based model is also a close collaborator of iconoclastic creative director Betsy Johnson, using her body as an expressive canvas to challenge conventional modes of beauty. Think: leather harnesses, bleached brows, Pierrot-style makeup, and devilishly red contacts.

“Moving to London, I was lucky enough to be accepted into this beautiful community of queerness, openness, and acceptance. I witnessed so much beauty, imperfection, and alternative styles, and realised there was no judgement within that group,” she explains. “I want to influence people to be comfortable in finding themselves, being themselves and having a voice.”

When it comes to your work, what are you most proud of?

Georgia Palmer: Modelling is a difficult career choice, even ‘pretty girls’ struggle with insecurities. I am proud I have learnt how to deal with these as best as I can, as well as being able to confidently say I am myself. The industry can really knock your self-esteem and it’s important we all get back up. I do feel society is finally shifting, models are being booked for personality instead of height, there is more diversity and more LGBTQ+ inclusivity. I am proud to have witnessed this shift and also be a part of it. 

What issues or causes are you passionate about and why?

Georgia Palmer: Women, men, and LGBTQ+ people often struggle with being open to themselves because of the pressures we’ve grown up with through social media and basic conformity. I myself have definitely developed many insecurities, social anxiety and low self-esteem since moving to London and pursuing my dreams. I have found some solutions to these problems and I want this to be accessible to other people. I think it would be beautiful for others to share their struggles and how they’ve conquered them also. 

What creative or philanthropic project would you work on with a grant from the Dazed 100 Ideas Fund?

Georgia Palmer: With the grant I would start a ‘creatives chat’ where people in the industry can discuss the highs and lows of their careers and how they’ve overcome them – it will be a casual conversation on what everyone is thinking but not always saying. I would host each session, and the discussion will be around 15-20 minutes long focusing on one important question for around 10 episodes – in light of the coronavirus outbreak I could organise my discussions via live streams and post them via Instagram or YouTube.

Being a model, you can take things personally – with work also comes rejection. Many creatives and models have come to me with personal issues, I’m very open about it, but I feel a lot of people aren’t, and that needs to change. I want to show people there is a better way of thinking and being open and having these discussions can help us.