In 2004 16-year-old Dalbesio was crowned Miss Wisconsin Teen USA.Through the pageant she was scouted by Jeff and Mary Clarke, who tried to put her in regular-size modeling.
After being turned away by "straight-size" model agents at a scouting event in St. Louis,Missouri, at age 16, Dalbesio was eventually signed by the Ford Modeling Agency as a plus-size model(size 10), when she came in for a meeting at age 18.
She has appeared in editorials for magazines including LOVE,Purple,Vogue India,Dazed & Confused,Lui,Bon,Oyster,Twin,Viva Moda, Elle France, and Elle Italia.
In December 2014, Dalbesio appeared on the cover of Ladymagazine, shot by Daniel Arnold. In April 2015, she was featured on the cover ofTush Magazine, photographed by Armin Morbach, followed by covers for Glamour Iceland,Madame,Lifetsyle,Suited,Feeling, and a self-portrait for P Magazi
Dalbesio was selected for Calvin Klein's "Perfectly Fit" underwear campaign in 2014. Her designation as "plus-size" caused some controversy. In an interview with magazine, Dalbesio said although she was larger than previous models used in Klein campaigns, she considers herself "in-between" rather than plus sized.
In 2015, Dalbesio was placed on Models.com's "Hot List", and magazine's Hot 100 for 2015.
Dalbesio has appeared in campaigns for H&M, Levis, Abercrombie & Fitch, and Coach. She was named the face and brand ambassador for Prima Donna Lingerie for years 2016 and 2017.
In 2016 Dalbesio photographed herself for a self-portrait story for the first non-nude issue of Playboy.