Tag Archives: Model

Cara Delevingne Writes Powerful Essay On Self-Acceptance

Cara Delevingne has written an essay for Motto, and in it she gets brutally honest about how she struggled through her younger years as a model, confessing that one of the hardest things she had to deal with was the constant need to be ‘accepted’ by everyone in the industry.

I felt like I needed validation from everyone. As a result, I lost sight of myself and what it meant to be happy, what it meant to be successful. I think it all stemmed from a deep-down feeling of wanting people to like me and love me.”

She also admits that during her time as a model she was never truly happy because of all the expectations she had put on herself.

Over time, I came to realize that work and getting others’ approval isn’t the most important thing. Yes, your career is very important—but it’s not the most important. Of course I was proud of my accomplishments, but I wasn’t genuinely happy.”

On top of the emotional struggles she faced, she also found that being overworked impacted her physical health, as she developed the painful skin condition, psoriasis.

Recently Cara has hung up her modelling shoes and left the runway, giving up her successful modelling career to focus more on acting and her relationship with girlfriend, singer St. Vincent.

She’s already landed some huge acting gigs – Paper Towns, Pan, Zoolander 2 andSuicide squad, just to name a few.

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Erika Linder: “I Don’t Want to be Labeled”

Former soccer player and self-described tomboy from Sweden, Erika Linder is famed for showcasing her androgyny in campaigns for Tom Ford, a Vogue Italia spread, and even a Katy Perry music video.

In fact, her first-ever photo shoot, she posed — convincingly — as a young Leonardo DiCaprio circa his Nineties film “The Basketball Diaries.” It was a gig that marked the start of a versatile career path.

Speaking with wwd.com the model recalled that period of time

Yeah. And back then, it wasn’t really happening as much. No one was really out there doing that. This guy hit me up who runs Candy magazine — Terry Richardson and Bruce Weber had shot for it — they shoot boys like girls and vice versa. This guy said, “I want to shoot you as young Leonardo DiCaprio from ‘The Basketball Diaries.’” The agency was like, “No, no, no.” They were weirded out about it. And I said, “But I would do that even if I wasn’t a model!” So I ended up doing it anyway. It was my first photo shoot.”

Back then she was 21, now she is 24-year-old and Los Angeles-based model, who lives with her girlfriend and their dog Butters.

I’m not out there saying, ‘I’m a guy,’ I don’t want to be labeled. At the end of the day, I’m a girl. I don’t want to have a sex change. I don’t want to only model the men’s stuff. I’m just good at doing both.”

In addition to modeling, Linder, who at times bears a subtle resemblance to model Daria Werbowy and at others the late River Phoenix, also acts, plays music and recently launched a namesake unisex apparel line.

I had wanted to launch a unisex line for like a year. My friend in L.A. was like, “I’ll run the business and you will be the face of it.” We came up with a few things like hoodies, beanies, snapbacks, baseball shirts — very plain stuff. I’m having fun with it. Things are still in production, but people have been ordering it from Australia, Hong Kong and Sweden.”

But she is not limited to just fashion, Linder has her eyes set on other things.

I wanna do movies, I wanna do music when I’m not shy about it….I love outdoor stuff. I want to go to Yellowstone. But for me, at the end of this whole crazy thing, I just want to get a house in Sweden somewhere in the countryside with my dogs. That’s it.

The Art of Androgyny – Androgynous Models Turning Gender Expectations Inside Out

Sexual ambiguity is in, and to celebrate we’ve listed out the hottest models to take into consideration for rocking gender identity.

Here 10 androgynous models turning gender expectations inside out

1. Ari Fitz (@itsarifitz)

It’s like an unspoken trust – that i will give them something powerful, unique, and new … every time i create.”

Ari Fitz

2. Jana Knauer (@janaknauer)

When you start your career as a fashion model, you usually know what the industry likes about you most. It is either your agent who tells you right away, or you will learn on jobs… for me: eyebrows.”

Jana Knauer

3. Elliott Sailors (@Elliottsailors)

It was a natural transition earlier on in my career, I would get frustrated because I thought I looked too masculine. I have a strong jaw, wide forehead, huge eyebrows. I thought I looked like a man wearing make-up… One of my favorite things, actually, about working in menswear is that people are much more direct about what they want.”

Elliott Sailors

4. Beck Holladay (@mickeypancake)

…dressing like a boy and having the biggest hair”

Beck Holladay

5. Erika Linder (@richiephoenix)

The fashion world always changes. You can’t keep up and it’s not something I keep up with to be honest. I think it’s hard for androgynous models to really get known or get a good gig. This world in general is hard to get into and do well I reckon. It all depends on how far you wanna go. I just imagine that I wanna be the best that I can be…”

Erika Linder

6. Courtney McCullough (@courtneymccullough6)

I find utter enjoyment in travel planning and researching rather than leaving it up to a travel agent. In another life, I’d be THE perfect travel agent; just give me a budget and what you’re looking for and I’ll create the perfect trip for you.”

Courtney McCullough

7. Agathe Mougin (@agathemougin)

8. Agyness Deyn (@agynessdeyn)

When I started modeling, I didn’t have a fucking clue what I was doing. Actually, I still don’t know what I’m doing while modeling. But at the beginning, it was like, “Oh, god, is this right? Is it not?” So I’m kind of going through that again, but I think it’s a discovery, which is fun.”

Agyness Deyn

The New Prince(ss) of Androgynous Style; Fashion Model, Erika Linder

Erika Linder is androgynous modelling royalty, cultivating a successful career by creating her own modelling category. Neither feminine, nor masculine.

The fashion world always changes. You can’t keep up and it’s not something I keep up with to be honest. I think it’s hard for androgynous models to really get known or get a good gig. This world in general is hard to get into and do well I reckon. It all depends on how far you wanna go. I just imagine that I wanna be the best that I can be…

I feel like you have to be to get somewhere. Not pretend to be anything that you’re not. It’s easier for me. The term of being consider as an androgynous model is not something I really care about like that, not something I think about but I love doing both. It’s fun and interesting. I love getting into character. I’d be bored just doing one of the two. I’m just having loads of fun with it.

I have has pretty much embraced everything I’ve done. To be honest I feel like one of the first photo shoots I’ve done as a young Leonardo DiCaprio for Candy magazine back in 2011 made a big difference. It was the shoot that made people realize that I could shoot as both genders. I have done so much in such little time, it’s crazy. Commercial stuff mixed with edgy work and everything goes hand in hand so every little thing counts.

That’s what’s so great about it. Everything just works well together by being completely different. I have some major stuff coming out still, campaigns, movies, music and designing so I’m looking forward to that.”

Erika Linder

Photographed by Graham Dunn at I Heart Reps

Casey Legler | The Male Role Model

Casey Legler, is a woman model currently earning her keep working as a male model. Although androgyny has often been celebrated by the fashion world; with women playing male roles, and men playing female; there are not many making their living exclusively from such an act.

Yet, recently the trend has shifted. We have Andrej Pejic, a young male model, making a splash with his femininity, and now Legler who two years-ago signed a contract with Ford Models.

This new play on gender identity is one that is being embraced by both females and males across the global. However, Legler doesn’t want to be the poster boy for “gender identity” and “gender expression”. She labels her look an expression of ‘freedom’.

“I understand signifiers. We’re social creatures and we have a physical language of communicating with each other…”

Casey Legler

Standing 6’2, Legler clear defines her self as a female, but her close-cropped hair, neck tattoos and lanky frame give her just enough of a masculine look to model suits and baggy jeans as convincingly as the next male model.

“… it would be a really beautiful thing if we could all just wear what we wanted, without it meaning something.”

Casey Legler

Tag Archives: Model

Cara Delevingne Writes Powerful Essay On Self-Acceptance

Erika Linder: “I Don’t Want to be Labeled”