Sophie Dahl (born September 15, 1977) is a British model and authoress. Her mother is writer Tessa Dahl (daughter of the children's author Roald Dahl and the actress Patricia Neal) and her father is actor Julian Holloway (son of actor Stanley Holloway). Dahl was discovered by Isabella Blow on a London street at the age of 18. At a voluptuous dress size, Dahl defied the stick-thin modelling status quo; she is largely known for being a plus-size model, although she has since lost weight and is now of similar proportions to other supermodels. Her best-known work was a magazine and poster advertisement for an Yves Saint Laurent perfume called Opium, showing her lying naked on a black velvet sheet. There were many complaints about the advertisement, resulting in its being removed from billboards in the UK. As a child, Dahl was the inspiration for the character Sophie (the giant's helper) in her grandfather Roald Dahl's The BFG. Later she became an authoress herself, writing several short stories and in 2003 publishing the novella The Man with the Dancing Eyes, an "adult fairy-tale" (ISBN 0747563721).
|