Lauren Chan is getting candid about learning to be true to herself.
The model — who made history as the first out lesbian on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit — spoke exclusively with PEOPLE about coming out, embracing the descriptor of “plus-size” and setting aside the male gaze in pursuit of a happier goal: authenticity.
After self-discovery in therapy revealed to Chan that she was actually attracted to women, Chan divorced her husband of five years and came out as a lesbian in the 2023 issue of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, where she made her debut as a rookie. Such big changes came just at the right time, as only then did she establish “enough access to [her] own personal vulnerability” to tell her story.
“Because Sports Illustrated Swimsuit has a history of celebrating their talent for who they are holistically and as people, I decided instead in that moment to share what I had been going through personally, and that I was coming out. I was going through a divorce,” Chan says. “I was starting anew.”
Now, as one of four models to be chosen to cover the 2025 issue — alongside Livvy Dune, Jordan Chiles and Salma Hayek — Chan feels confident she’s “fully arrived into” herself, which is evident in her work as a model. “I know myself, I know my message, I know what I want to say,” she says. Right now, it’s all about moving past the male gaze and accepting a more positive view of oneself.
“I’m so much more comfortable in myself, and specifically with regard to body image,” Chan says. “In coming out, I’ve ditched the male gaze, and it is incredibly freeing because I used to perceive myself in the way that the patriarchy and the beauty standard want us to consider women.”
Chan tells PEOPLE she’s begun to view herself how she views other women: she’d never shame another for not adhering to a patriarchal beauty standard, and thus she refuses to do it to herself. “When I put that logic on myself, I feel free,” she says.
Furthermore, Chan believes it’s most helpful to other women when she’s doesn’t necessarily look flattering. If anything, some of her favorite work has been where her body is depicted in a relaxed way, showcasing her body “as it is,” not as a minimized version.
The model recalled a moment with photographer Yu Tsai, who she shot with for SI Swimsuit in 2024, and who is most commonly recognized for his work on America’s Next Top Model — a show that perpetuated self-consciousness in many young women, Chan says. But her experience with him was “healing,” she says — he encouraged her to completely embrace her size.
“To be on set with Yu Tsai, and him saying ‘bring that hip forward’ — because what’s closer to the camera looks bigger, what’s further away from the camera looks smaller — and being excited about that image, and then seeing the results and feeling celebrated was extremely healing to me,” she says.
“And I tell that story because I hope it can also be healing to other people,” Chan adds. “Bigger bodies are artful too.”