US model Lauren Wasser nearly died from toxic shock syndrome and lost both her legs. With her golden prosthetic legs, she has become an icon of body positivity.
Lauren Wasser as “athlete” in the 2023 Pirelli calendar
In October 2012, the American Lauren Wasser fell into a deep depression. She is a sought-after model at the peak of her career – and suddenly becomes seriously ill. The consequences of the illness change her life in such a blatant way that she often feels the desire to simply end it.
A good ten years later, she writes an essay for the British magazine Vogue, in which she reports openly about her stroke of fate – and how she met it. “When I woke up from the induced coma in excruciating pain, I no longer recognized myself. My entire identity had been taken from me, my beauty and my body, which I thought at the time made me what I was .”
Lauren Wasser in October 2022
In her text she describes what happened to her at the age of 24. She was found unconscious at home on October 3, 2012 and taken to a hospital. There she was diagnosed with Toxic Shock Syndrome (TSS) – caused by an excessive concentration of bacteria in the body. This can happen, for example, when a tampon is used. The consequences of the shock are two heart attacks and kidney failure. Lauren Wasser's chance of survival is estimated at only one percent. When she finally wakes up from the coma, she is told that gangrene has developed on one of her lower legs and that her leg will have to be amputated. She's slowly realizing that things will never be the same again.
Between depression and self-love
At first it seems impossible for her to accept this new reality. After all, she grew up in the world of fashion. Her parents were both models themselves and Lauren Wasser made her debut as a two-month-old baby alongside her mother Pamela Cook in the Italian edition of Vogue. In California, Wasser grew up alongside supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.
She writes how she grieved for her leg by “sitting in a chair in the shower, screaming at God” and wondering why and how it came about. “I thought I would never be loved again; I thought I would not be wanted anymore – and I was sure the fashion world would not accept me anymore.”
She falls into a deep depression and considers taking her own life. But the love for her little brother, who was 13 at the time, and her belief in herself prevent the worst from happening. She starts fighting. “I had to force myself to go deep within myself to discover that beauty isn't just in the outside, but in the way we affect others and the world.” This pronounced self-awareness helps water to accept their destiny.
There is only one direction: Forward!
Lauren Wasser at Milan Fashion Week 2022
When she also loses her second lower leg a few years later, she is so strong that she braces herself against another collapse and simply turns the tables. She looks ahead and makes her misfortune a trademark: the prostheses she wears must, should be something special. The standard medical models are not an option for them. “I've always loved gold, so I decided to embellish my legs, consciously create something that people would look at and be mesmerized by. The result, I think, is pretty close to art,” Wasser writes . The plan succeeds. So good that she is actually booked for the catwalk again and quickly gets her new nickname: “Girl with the golden legs”.
She runs for big fashion labels like Louis Vuitton or Dolce & Gabbana and is regularly featured in Vogue and Elle.
In her Vogue essay, Wasser recalls the show finale of a Louis Vuitton spring collection: “Like a knight in shining armor: That's how I felt at the conclusion of the Louis Vuitton Cruise Show in San Diego last May. When the sun was behind As the beautiful, brutalist Salk Institute set, casting long shadows on the concrete catwalk, I stepped out in a floor-length silver coat – my legs shimmering golden as the evening light beneath metallic shorts – and guided the models behind me.”< /p> 
Magic moment: The Louis Vuitton show in May 2022
Athletic muse
This led to other outstanding performances, such as in the 2023 edition of the exclusive Pirelli calendar, for which the most famous models and photographers are hired every year. Australian photographer Emma Summerton captured water for the 2023 themed 'Love Letters to the Muse' calendar. Water embodies the “athlete” – one who, according to Summerton, “competes not in the Olympics but in life. (…) A 'Joan of Orleans' character who is never held back by fear.”< /p>
Water uses her status in the fashion world to redefine beauty and advance the acceptance of diversity in the industry.
Closing circle
“I've watched the industry slowly become more inclusive over the past decade, but don't jump to conclusions: I've had to fight hard for my place. For a model like me, there was no template. It was rare that someone like me on the catwalk. I had to make my own path. Walking the Louis Vuitton show felt like coming full circle,” writes Lauren Wasser in Vogue.
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Lauren Wasser and Dwayne Johnson in New York
She also uses her notoriety to create awareness of women's health and to point out the dangers that – which is all too often concealed – can be found in so-called feminine hygiene products. “There needs to be more information about what can happen when using tampons, and the responsibility for this should clearly lie with companies,” she emphasizes, citing tampon advertising as an example. “You see a girl walking along the beach, but where is the warning of the potentially fatal harm this product can cause?” After all, there is a clear warning on cigarette packs, and then you can decide whether you want to smoke or not. It should be the same with hygiene products that nobody suspects are dangerous, Wasser demands.
More than ten years after her stroke of fate, Lauren Wasser is at peace with herself: “I'm (…) like everyone else others. I can wear anything; I can do anything. The one difference? My legs are made of gold. That's a belief that touches every aspect of my life – as a lesbian woman I think all people deserve to have someone that suits him, that makes him feel special and loved. We are all human and we should be accepted by everyone for who we are.”
Adaptation from the English: Paula Onusseit.