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“Like looking up at the tile ceiling from a hospital bed, or listening to that crinkle of the paper when you sit down on the examination table in an outpatient office, or that fluorescent light,” she explained. I couldn’t stand up to teachers and say, ‘What you just said to me is unacceptable, and I’m going to the dean.’ So instead, I made art about it,” she said.įor her senior capstone project, she put together a book of photos showing the highly intimate moments that chronically ill people know all too well.
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“I couldn’t figure out how to articulate myself. Metamorphosis Top in Dahlia/Red by Tropic of C $100, Vibe Bottom in Dahlia/Red by Tropic of C $100, Florea Slip-Ons in Purple by Gianvito Rossi $775, Large Charlotte Hoops in Gold Vermeil by Mejuri $128, Bucket Hat by VIX $128. Her doctor had told her to “find a new passion” to fill the void, so Robinson bought a camera. She faced relentless interrogation by her peers: Why was she using a laptop to take notes in class? Why was she using the elevator instead of the stairs? Some instructors let her know that her registered ADA accommodation “wouldn’t be okay to use” in their classes, or suggested that she “work harder.” One even called her “gimpy.” Throughout high school and college, Robinson got injured regularly, often finding herself on crutches or wearing a brace. Sucre Rib One Piece in Caribbean Blue by Fisch $235, Charlotte Bold Huggies in Silver by Mejuri That’s how much I loved swimming,” she recalled. “I really thought I was gonna be going to the Olympics. Shortly after, Robinson was forced to give up swimming. (Her dad is a craftsman, specializing in home renovations.) Thanks to her mom’s network, before long, Robinson was sitting in a Cornell pediatric geneticist’s office receiving her diagnosis: Her body was betraying her at every turn. Luckily, her mom worked in health care, making world-class doctors accessible.
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Robinson, a swimmer who wasn’t playing contact sports or risking serious bodily impact on a daily basis, knew something was wrong. Less than a year later, she fractured her ankle and, the following year, tore some ligaments in her wrist. Brigite Detail Long Cover Up in Bamboo by VIX $298, Wavy Chunky Hoops in Silver by Machete $75, Ischia mules in Pink by Gianvito Rossi $845. Robinson’s family only discovered the condition when, one day, she casually performed a cartwheel which not-so-casually fractured her elbow. At age 10 in New York, she was diagnosed with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, a connective tissue disorder that causes chronic pain and makes her highly susceptible to injury and unnaturally slow to heal. Silver linings are kind of Robinson’s thing. The ultimate winner of the contest will be announced in August. She and the others are featured in the publication’s annual Swimsuit Issue - which drops on Monday, May 16. Robinson, who is single, is one of 13 women selected as a finalist in the 2022 Sports Illustrated Swim Search, a worldwide casting call. I think I’m so unique and so rare, and it’s really important to me that that comes through in the photos.” Metamorphosis Top in Dahlia/Red by Tropic of C $100, Vibe Bottom in Dahlia/Red by Tropic of C $100, Florea Slip-Ons in Purple by Gianvito Rossi $775, Large Charlotte Hoops in Gold Vermeil by Mejuri $128, Bucket Hat by VIX $128. “I could have gotten insecure, but instead, I had to check my ego at the door and say, ‘You know what? Now you’re the only one who has these unique photos with a purple sky behind them,'” the 24-year-old social-media influencer told The Post. That rain never stood a chance against Robinson’s ability to see the glass half-full. She sat through hours of hair and makeup, waited out the storm that temporarily halted production, then shot anyway - despite her blowout’s long-gone expiration date and the less-than-ideal weather conditions. The hopeful rookies had gotten sunrise after beautiful sunrise, sunset after beautiful sunset, all week long - but when it was finally her time to shine, Robinson woke up to gray skies and distant thunder.
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It was the day of Gigi Robinson’s first Sports Illustrated photo shoot, and rain clouds were rolling in.įor days, she’d been in the Dominican Republic with roughly a dozen other Swim Search finalists and a full camera crew. LSU gymnast recalls whirlwind Sports Illustrated Swimsuit experienceīrooks Koepka’s SI model wife shows ‘actual reason’ she wasn’t at his PGA Championship winĪngel Reese and Olivia Dunne team up at SI Swimsuit launch in NYC Olivia Dunne fans lose it over intimate look at SI Swimsuit photo shoot
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