Nice to meet you!
Love your tattoos!
Thank you!
I have a bunch of bad tattoos,
but I’m trying to get a little better as I go on.
I’m going to show you the Winnie the Pooh
ink I got when I was 16.
I have a fairy on my shoulder
if that makes you feel better.
So I hear you have a new book coming out.
This one.
What was the most surprising part
about the whole writing process?
It was a lot that I wanted to say
and then I found when I was writing about some of the
trauma and my sexual assault.
It was hard kind of connecting with those
emotions again.
And then when I did,
I kind of found myself going down a rabbit hole a bit.
Did you run into any writer’s block
while you were writing your book?
I found it hard to stop.
I have so much to say.
I never shut up.
So obviously it was knowing when to pull it back
and stop, which I found quite hard.
Being in the public eye means getting lots of opinions.
Some of them good.
Some of them bad.
How do you deal with haters?
The best advice I’ve been given was by Ice-T.
And Ice-T told me, “Haters hate up.”
So the people that are hating hate themselves,
they’re projecting.
I try not to take it personally
but if they’re just being rude,
then I block them or I let
my fans roast them.
What for you is the craziest part
about being a mother?
Bodily fluids that get on you like so much
poop and so much pee and so much vomit and
so much drool.
And like smashed up food.
Is there one beauty product that
you keep with you at all times?
It's probably lipstick.
I have probably like 20 lipsticks in my bag.
Can you give me one of your best
pieces of beauty advice?
I feel like I’m so boring but I love skincare.
Making sure you take your makeup off at night.
Making sure you wash your brushes
regularly like once a week.
Tell me about your obsession with Disney.
I love Disneyland because no one judges you.
Because everyone’s just a big nerd
or they’re experiencing it for the first time.
It’s just really fun.
Is there one thing that you do
when you first wake up?
I wash my face.
Then I use an exfoliating—it’s like a rice enzyme powder.
Then I use what they call their Essence water.
It’s basically a toner,
but you put it in your hand and
you press it into your face.
Then I use moisturizer.
Then I use sunscreen.
And then if I put on makeup,
then I put on makeup on.
How does fashion and beauty
make you feel empowered?
I don’t know if it does.
Because unfortunately,
you’re seeing kind of the same bodies and
the same kind of people
and it can feel like maybe I’m not doing
enough—because there’s not enough diversity
out there.
What are you most excited about for this fall?
I love the holidays at Disneyland
and it feels like it’s winter time even though they have
fake snow falling and you’re melting.
What’s your favorite drink?
I’m asking my husband.
What’s my favorite drink?
I love a Lemon Drop.
He’s right.
What was your first job?
I worked at a day spa called Southern Styles.
It was in a strip mall in Laurel, Mississippi.
I was a terrible employee.
I was suppose to wipe down the tanning beds
when people were done.
And sometimes I didn’t.
If there was something on,
I was watching or I’ll be like eh.
You’ve always paved your own way.
What advice do you have for younger girls
who might want to follow in your footsteps?
I think it’s important to have people around
you that understand where you’re going and
support you.
And if you’re not getting it,
maybe they can’t be in your life.
Right.
—So real. —Really.
What was the last thing you Googled?
This is so narcissistic.
I googled Getty Images of myself
from the Empire State building.
But look how cute that photo is with
my Kate Spade taxi bag.
What was it like to walk the runway
in London Fashion Week for Simply Be?
It was really nice to be surrounded by
women of all ages and women of color.
You’re a mom.
You’re a model.
You’re a body image activist.
How do you just recharge from all of that?
It’s quite hard.
I have a hard time relaxing.
Part of the reason why my husband travels with me,
we work together,
but it’s because
he tends to be the only person that
can get me to eat when I’m so stressed.
What’s your favorite scent
that’s not a perfume or fragrance?
Disneyland churros, that is true.
That is true.
Disneyland churros, yeah.
What advice would you give to someone
who is struggling to be comfortable
in their own skin?
Loving your body is a journey, not a destination.
Just because I wrote a book about confidence
doesn’t mean that I feel good about myself
24/7 and allowing myself to feel bad.
What would be one thing that people would
be surprised to know about you?
I can be a bit shy.
People forget that I’m just a normal person.
What’s your favorite movie of all time?
Probably “Drop Dead Gorgeous” or “B*A*P*S.” Yeah.
You’re a woman after my own heart.
I love B*A*P*S!
What’s the one success that you’re truly proud of?
Probably my book.
I started it when my baby was just a few months old
and it was really tough.
But the overall message that I’m hoping
that people get from it is that it helps them
and it empowers them.
And makes them feel
a little less alone in the world.
And that anything is possible.