Paloma Elsesser

Paloma Elsesser
Elsesser at the 2026 Met Gala
Born
Paloma Kai Shockley Elsesser

(1992-04-12) April 12, 1992
London Borough of Camden, England, UK
Occupation
  • Model
Years active2014–present
RelativesSage Elsesser (brother)
Modeling information
Height5 ft 6 in (1.68 m)[1]
Hair colorBlack
Eye colorBrown
AgencyIMG Models (New York, Paris, Milan, London, Sydney)[2]

Paloma Kai Shockley Elsesser (born April 12, 1992) is an American model.[3] In 2023, she was the first plus-size model to win Fashion Awards for Model of the Year.[4][5] She also walked for Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in late 2024.[6]

Early life

Elsesser was born in London, England to an African-American mother and a father of Chilean and Swiss descent.[7][8] She was raised in Los Angeles, California and moved to New York City, New York in 2010, to attend The New School to study psychology and literature.[3][9] She has two sisters: her elder sister Kanyessa McMahon is a director and producer, her younger sister, Ama, is also an actor and model signed to IMG, while her brother Sage Elsesser aka Navy Blue is a rapper and professional skateboarder.[10]

Career

Elsesser was discovered on Instagram by makeup artist Pat McGrath.[11]

She has modeled for Nike, Fenty Beauty, Victoria's Secret, Proenza Schouler, and Mercedes-Benz.[12][13][14][15] She has appeared in editorials for fashion magazines such as American Vogue, Vogue España, Teen Vogue, Elle, W, Wonderland Magazine, and Glamour.[16][17][18][19][20]

In 2018, Elsesser appeared on the cover of British Vogue's April issue with Fran Summers, Radhika Nair, Adut Akech, Faretta, Selena Forrest, Halima Aden, Vittoria Ceretti, and Yoon Young Bae.[21] In 2019, Elsesser made her screen acting debut in the Safdie brothers' Uncut Gems.[22]

Elsesser appeared on the cover of American Vogue's January 2021 issue,[23] and on the cover of Vogue Adria's April 2025 issue.[24]

In 2021, Elsesser was widely criticized for encouraging her followers not post about anti-Semitic incidents that could "delegitimize the Palestinian struggle."[25]

Awards

Year Association Category Nominated works Result Ref.
2023 Fashion Awards Model of the Year Herself Won [26]
Latin American Fashion Awards Model of the Year Won [27]

Filmography

Music videos
Year Title Artist Role Note
2025 Gorgeous Doja Cat Herself

References

  1. ↑ "Paloma Elsesser - New York - IMG Models".
  2. ↑ "Paloma Elsesser - Model".
  3. 1 2 Dash, Kristie (26 May 2016). "Paloma Elsesser on Being "Plus-Size," "Not Black Enough," and Pat McGrath's Instagram Muse". Allure. Condé Nast.
  4. ↑ "Paloma Elsesser was the first plus-sized Model of the Year; then the haters, including Kanye, came for her". Yahoo News. 2024-02-15. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  5. ↑ Elsesser, Paloma (2024-02-15). "Paloma Elsesser on the Price of Being 'First'". The Cut. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  6. ↑ "Watch Paloma Elsesser Strut the Runway at the 2024 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show". Cosmopolitan. 2024-10-16. Retrieved 2025-03-21.
  7. ↑ "A conversation with Paloma Elsesser". 23 October 2017.
  8. ↑ "Meet Paloma Elsesser: The New-School Beauty Icon We've Been Waiting for".
  9. ↑ "How Paloma Elsesser Redefined Beauty". 26 August 2020.
  10. ↑ "Nearest and Dearest: Paloma Elsesser Has a Joyful (and Glittering) Family Reunion". Vogue. May 20, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Paloma Elsesser". Office Magazine. 15 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "Proenza Schouler - Fall 2017 Campaign".
  13. ↑ "A conversation with Paloma Elsesser". 23 October 2017.
  14. ↑ Dazed (26 February 2018). "Watch Paloma Elsesser journey through a dramatic volcanic landscape".
  15. ↑ "How Model Paloma Elsesser Uses Instagram To Talk About Everything From Fashion and Cars to Body Image and Mental Health". Archived from the original on 2018-09-17. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
  16. ↑ "The Great Beauty Shake-Up (American Vogue)".
  17. ↑ Marsh, Ariana; Mignucci, Melanie; Ferraro, Tina; Guiducci, Brian (23 August 2017). "We're Calling It Now — These Are the Future ICONS You Need to Know". Teen Vogue. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
  18. ↑ "Best of the Next: Paloma Elsesser - Wonderland Magazine". 5 November 2015.
  19. ↑ "Pat McGrath Muse Paloma Elsesser Is Your New Beauty #Goals". 14 October 2016.
  20. ↑ Glamour (9 March 2017). "39 Game Changers Who Are Redefining "American Beauty"".
  21. ↑ Enninful, Edward (March 30, 2018). "9 Trailblazing Models Cover May Vogue". British Vogue. Condé Nast.
  22. ↑ Munzenrieder, Kyle (September 24, 2019). "What is Adam Sandler's Uncut Gems Even About?". W. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
  23. ↑ Okwodu, Janelle (December 14, 2020). "Role Model: How Paloma Elsesser Is Changing Fashion for the Better". Vogue. Condé Nast.
  24. ↑ Lončar, Tina (2025-04-08). "The twelfth edition of Vogue Adria has arrived". Vogue Adria. Retrieved 2025-04-12.
  25. ↑ "Vogue Cover Model Slammed for Claiming That Fighting Antisemitism 'Delegitimizes the Palestinian Struggle'". Algemeiner. 23 May 2021.
  26. ↑ "Fashion Awards 2023 : qui sont les gagnants de cette prestigieuse cérémonie ?". ELLE. 5 December 2023. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
  27. ↑ "Vogue's 55 Best Dressed People of 2025". Vogue. 11 December 2025. Retrieved 8 June 2026.
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