Roxy Earle Redefines What it Means to be a Curvy Woman in the Fashion Industry

You may know Roxy Earle as one of the housewives of Toronto, but since the inception of the show Roxy has created waves in the fashion industry. Founder of the #MySizeRox movement, she is on a mission to redefine what fashion means for curvy women and to inspire a generation of girls to feel confident in themselves. Learn about how she started her movement, and why self-care and wellness are so important to her.

Tell me about yourself. How did you start doing what you’re doing now?

Where do you want me to start? (laugh). I was literally on vacation in Paris with my girlfriend and I got a phone call from a casting department for a reality show. They said they kept hearing my name and thought I’d be perfect for this show, and they said it was a show about a bunch of wealthy women and their dynamics. I asked, “Is this for the real housewives?” and they said yes!

When I was on this show, I found that there was a stereotype of what this glamorous housewife should be. None of the women looked like me; they all had a specific body type and look. But when the TV show came out there was this unbelievable amount of feedback from women across the country who felt they were finally being represented on TV. I was really taken aback by it - women were so enthusiastic about my body and it hadn’t occurred to me that it was anything other than norm.

In an interview, I was asked, “how does it feel to be the first plus-size housewife?”, and I said, “I’m not plus size, I’m just my size and my size rocks”. And that when the #MySizeRox movement was born. From there I just started growing this community of women who were inspired to see a curvy woman who, for once, wasn’t talking about how she wanted to lose weight or be someone she wasn’t. I became an ambassador for not just curvy women, but women who want to see confident women.

That seems like a lot of responsibility 

I hear from women that I’ve changed their life, or because of me they worked out, wear a swimsuit, or felt the confidence to put on a wedding gown. I receive thousands and thousands of messages every day. When you realize you can really prevent one girl from having a disorder, or change their confidence, well now I’m on a mission to change a generation of girls.

Especially in this world too! To be who you are and the fight stigma in the fashion industry, did you ever feel stigmatized because of your size? 

I’ve dealt with every version of stigmatization. There’s this misconception that women who are curvy don’t want to wear stylish, beautifully crafted things. That they don’t have money for designer clothes, don’t have good dating lives or cute husbands and aren’t swimsuit models, and aren’t on TV. And that’s why this is working. People respond to me because I’m not apologizing for who I am. 

“Every day you have to truly own who you are and you have to speak nicely to yourself. You’re your greatest barrier to feeling good.”

I’m sure there are times where you have to overcome these barriers.

There are barriers every single day to where I want to go. Imagine going to a fancy award show that’s televised. Well, I’ve made it - I get the hair and make-up, but no designer wants to dress me because they don’t make clothes for my size. And so now I have to change the industry to be in the industry. It’s 10,000 times harder for me to show up and be fabulous than other girls. It’s the same for any girl over a certain size.

What would you say to someone struggling with general confidence?

I do things that make myself proud and make me feel good about myself. Through this, I feel a sense of accomplishment and over time the confidence builds. It could be something as small as killing it in your workout, or a career goal, or something bigger. When you feel confident in yourself, you begin to stand up a little taller. Every day you have to truly own who you are and you have to speak nicely to yourself. You’re your greatest barrier to feeling good. Control how you speak. You have a filter when you speak to colleagues, have a filter when you speak to yourself!

How would you describe your relationship with cannabis? I think everyone has a unique relationship with it.

It probably started like most people. You’re in high school, you think it’s great, but I’m not the kind of person who wants to do illegal things so it didn’t become a thing. Where am I going to get it? It wasn’t easy, and if it wasn’t easy it didn’t interest me. As Canada became more progressive, I enjoy it as a nice way to relax. I have a crazy lifestyle, and I do other things to chill out like taking a bubble bath or having a glass of wine. This is just another tool mixed into my wellness routine.

How is it part of your wellness routine?

When you lead a really big life, you really need to take care of your own energy and preserve your peace of mind. I feel a lot of responsibility to give a lot to other people every day, so wellness is a huge part of my life. If I’m not operating at full capacity, then I can’t give to others what they’re looking for from me. They want to be inspired, to feel confident, they want my energy. If I want to give off that energy, I need to protect my own energy. CBD is just another tool for a busy woman to feel good. Do what you have to do to feel good!

I’m very careful about what I put in my body. There is CBD that has some thought into how it’s made and its purity. Now I feel fine using it. My dream situation is to use a bit of CBD, sit in my sauna, and relax (laughs). It’s opened another world of feeling good on a Friday night.

It’s interesting because you talk about stigma and people judging you for body image. There is also a massive stigma in using cannabis. When you were using cannabis, did you ever feel stigmatized? 

I’m really successful in my life. But when you think of cannabis users, you think of stoners. And I didn’t want to be seen as lazy, unproductive or eating food and watching Netflix all day. That was the concept of what using cannabis was all about. But I just wanted to relax and calm my mind. I like all the reasons I use cannabis, but I don’t want to be judged for it.

What would you say to someone who’s facing stigma?

I would say do whatever you want to do for your own life. If you want to use cannabis to enjoy your life, if it makes you feel good, then do it! Do whatever you need to do to live your life.

This interview has been edited and condensed. Follow Roxy on Instagram @luxuriousroxy