Precious Lee is one of the most popular curvy models of 2023, and she’s showing up everywhere these days, from music videos to runways. At 5’11 with a breathtaking figure and face, it’s hard not to do a double take. You may have seen her in one of Drake’s music videos, which is where the mesmerizing beauty first caught our eye. She first came on the scene in 2012, and since then, Lee has been making big moves, bringing her passion and fierceness to every project she tackles. Here are some facts you’ll be surprised to hear about this model that’s making the industry more inclusive.
1. A music video vixen
Precious Lee starred in Drake and 21 Savage’s music video “Spin Bout U” from their collab project “Her Loss.” The music video takes place on a luxury yacht and is a twist on the movie “The Titanic.” Lee starred as the leading lady who loots the ship with a team of baddies.
2. Signed to a prestigious agency
She’s currently signed to IMG.
3. A normal childhood
Precious Lee was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, to a schoolteacher mother and a businessman father. They always encouraged her to be her authentic self and to be adventurous.
4. Her high school passions
In school, Lee played the flute for the high school band and was also a Girl Scout. Her other passions included debate club and theater.
5. She’s always stayed true to herself
She almost changed her name in an attempt to get more mainstream appeal. This suggestion came from her agent, but after she realized that she didn’t connect with any name other than her own, she decided to keep it and go by her birth name.
6. She wanted to be a lawyer at one point
You’d be wrong if you thought that fashion was always in Lee’s life plan! Lee wanted to go to law school before she pursued modeling. She only decided to pursue fashion after attending an agency’s open call and landing a deal with Ford Models in college.
7. She’s walked for some seriously famous high-end fashion designers
After nailing a Lane Bryant campaign in a Vogue spread, Lee was hired to walk for Christian Siriano at NYFW, which marked her runway debut, which opened the door for collaborations with Versace, Lanvin and Tommy Hilfiger. She also appeared in the Savage x Fenty show.
8. Precious Lee is a boundary-breaking trailblazer in more ways than one
She was the first Black plus-sized model to appear in Vogue back in 2014, and a year later, in 2016 became the first African-American plus-size model in the yearly Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. She was also the first African American plus-size model to walk in Versace’s spring 2021 show.
9. A covergirl that shines
She’s been on the covers of magazines as much as she’s been on the runway. Beyond the US Vogue, she’s been featured on the cover of Italian Vogue as well as the covers of Elle, Porter, and W.
10. She also acts
She flexed her acting chops for the first time in the TV show “Top Five” and the STARZ show “Run the World.” Part of this is her mission to “shatter outdated institutions” in TV and film as well as modelings, which she told Harper’s Bazaar in an interview last year.