Why is loving your body so radical? A lesson in self-acceptance from sex positive model Noomi Rubeksen

The first thing you’ll notice about Noomi Rubeksen is that she is genuinely and unapologetically herself. She possesses one of those robust, infectious personalities that can make a first meeting feel like catching up over cocktails with an old friend. She is quick to admit that the journey to total self-acceptance has certainly not been easy. “Growing up, I was always the weird one – like the black sheep,” she says. “People would bully me back in the day, but I learned not to care about what they say.”

Born in the Faroe Islands, Rubeksen moved to the tiny Danish town of Vrå at just six months old. At 29, besides her budding modelling career, Rubeksen is a trained makeup artist and a social media manager. She first dipped her toes into modelling in 2019 and is now using her burgeoning following to advocate for sex and body positivism. “I started posting pictures of myself on Instagram, and I did that to fill a void there,” she explains. “There weren’t these editorial photoshoots of fat people yet, so I was just like, 'I’m going to show that my body is f**king art, too’.”

Related: Lessons in self-love with model Anna Halinen: “Any change my body goes through i know how to accept it”

Rubeksen explains that the key to her self-realisation was understanding her self-worth and appreciating that she doesn’t have to fit into any box. “Now I feel like I’m flourishing into being really independent and true to myself," she says. Quoting Sex and the City’s legendary character Samantha Jones, Rubeksen describes herself as “a try-sexual”. “I think we're all somewhat queer. We’re complex beings, and by being more open towards sexuality and sex, we realise that it’s OK to love whomever you love and be who you are.”

It's a mindset that’s prevalent on her Instagram. "I have always been very open about sex and I feel like in Denmark, we’re very open to sexuality in general,” she says. “For me, sexuality and sex positivism is that we get to be open about how we feel. When we share our experiences we will be met most likely with an understanding, and we won’t feel so alone. It's about removing that shame from sex and sexuality.” Planting these seeds in people’s brains and hoping that they’ll sprout is exactly what Rubeksen aims to achieve with her work. “I wish that everybody would think that if she can do it, I can too.”

Related: #MyVogueScandinavia: Ulrikke Skotte-Lund is not afraid to keep things real

In the future, Rubeksen hopes to continue modelling and spreading her no-holds-barred point of view to a broader audience. “I would love to do lectures about fat-phobia and sex,” she says. For Rubeksen, being featured in Vogue Scandinavia means everything. “When I found out [I was chosen] my soul just left my body,” she says. “Getting acknowledged for my work and [knowing] that people have looked at my profile and thought that I had something to contribute is just so validating and amazing.”

Use our hashtag #MyVogueScandinavia on Instagram for a chance to be on these very pages.