Karen Elson by Matthew Followill for Sunday Times Style Magazine UK

Supermodel Karen Elson is styled by Verity Parker in embellished fashion for The Sunday Times Style Magazine. Matthew Followill captures Elson in advance of her new book ‘The Red Flame’, a look at the behind-the-scenes reality of the fashion industry.

The 41-year-old mother of two children — Scarlett, 14, and Henry, 13 — with ex-husband and musician Jack White talks about eating “what she actually wanted to” during lockdown. This is a new habit for Elson, who battled serious body images for years in a fashion industry that evolved from the original supermodels being sizes 4-6 to demanding size 0.

Elson first posed for nude photo shoots in Paris at age 16. Feeling pressured not to bite the hand that was feeding her, the Nashville, Tenn Brit struggled against the criticism of her physical appearance. Elson explained that the shoots were not sexual but the professionals had no interest in showing her any compassion at such a young age.

These experiences prompted Elson to join The Model Alliance’ where she is a member of the Board of Directors.

Karen Elson assured Sunday Times readers that ‘The Red Flame’is not your “typical model book”. Due out in October, the successful singer details the “traumatizing experience” she experienced with singer Ryan Adams while touring in 2017. Elson referenced the event in an Instagram post during the #MeToo scandal after Adams’ ex-wife Mandy Moore accused him to being psychologically abusive toward her across their seven-year marriage.