Karen Jill Elson (born 15 January 1979) is an English model and singer-songwriter.
Elson was born in Oldham, Greater Manchester, and attended North Chadderton School as a child. She has a fraternal twin sister, filmmaker Kate Elson.
Elson was discovered at age 16 by Debra Burns, the owner of Boss Model Management in Manchester. She began modelling locally and left Oldham a year later. Steven Meisel photographed Elson for the cover of Italian Vogue on her 18th birthday, thus launching her career worldwide. She has worked with most of the world's major fashion photographers and fashion designers, including Arthur Elgort, Bruce Weber, Mario Testino, Peter Lindbergh, Mert and Marcus, Steven Klein, Patrick Demarchelier, Helmut Newton and Ellen Von Unwerth.

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