She is primarily known for her crossed eyes and as a representative of challenging fashion industry norms, although she has said "I find it hard to take credit for 'challenging' anything; although I suppose that is inadvertently what I have done".
[7] Gathorne-Hardy recalled that, in her youth, she "wore big round glasses and an eye patch to school to try and strengthen my weaker eye ... my parents tried to do everything they could to make it better but didn't want to risk the operation because I would have been put under general anaesthetic, which is dangerous when you're a child."
Although she recalled "a slight separation between myself and other 'normal' children", she "was always very lucky though, in that my mum told me every day of my childhood that I was beautiful and special and so I have had deeply instilled in me a feeling of self-confidence."
Her first shoot was for the cover of Pop in 2013; acquainted with the photographer, she was offered the opportunity to model despite having no particular knowledge of fashion.
Press and online attention substantially focused on her strabismus, representing a challenge to modelling industry norms.