Models From The United States

"Kids are closest to some of the most gifted actors, because they haven't gotten rid of that imaginary world yet. A lot times kids have the best insights into acting because they're still living there."

"And I always felt that since all my life, I was always called ‘Debbie’ or ‘Harry’ – so I embodied this myself and it’s just the way it was. It probably still is!...Yeah, so I don’t know – I never really had any problems with that and I’m always surprised when people have a fear or frustration about their combination of sexualities – I think we do better recognising both within ourselves."

"In order to survive, I could never put myself in the position of whining about being a woman. I just got on with it. As much as it was possible, I found a way to do what I wanted to do."

"I’ve never been a diarist… I wish I had done that. Selfishly, I wanted to have all these moments in my life shape me, but I didn’t necessarily want to share them. And I guess that makes me a nasty bitch."

"I don’t actually regret taking it, but I do regret the amount of time … it’s a time-consumer. But I think at that point it was a necessary evil. To some degree, it was self-medicating. It was a rough, depressing time of life and it seemed to suit the purpose, but then it outlived its benefits."

"I sort of thought: ‘Gee, maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad to have kids.’ But I don’t know if I could have done it while I was working so much…My natural inclination is to really throw myself into things. It wouldn’t be like I could hand over the baby. I would really want to be involved."

"I mean, I was angry and I felt victimised. I wasn’t beaten or harmed physically, it was all emotional or mental. Being raped – or fucked – by some stranger against my will at knifepoint, you know…It wasn’t a happy moment in my life, but I really, seriously, empathise with women who are beaten. That would be something that [would lead to] emotional ramifications for the rest of my life. But this doesn’t."

"I was working as a team and in a relationship. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable being a solo artist and I’m sure that those girls have a lot more to say about that than I do. I never went into meetings trying to get a record deal by myself, so it’s a little bit different."

"Not at this point in my life because I’m an adult. I think we all have a little area of clutter that’s nagging sometimes and it’s often hard to get rid of. Maybe this is my purge."

"I did in the beginning. It helped me to cultivate some kind of female persona. I took a lot of different aspects of my character from my childhood or young-womanhood and elaborated on them. The guys were also writing songs, and I felt like I had to portray what they were writing and appreciate the male point of view as well as the female point of view."

"Yes, but, you know, in a way it was good because I can sneak up on them unawares. I think times have changed in that respect. Women are serious wage-earners, and we create great things, and it seems clear to me that we can be supportive of one another regardless of what sex [we are]."

"I think we all have issues of self-esteem and I’m not clear of that…I also think that because it’s my occupation – to be a performer and to attract attention and to appeal to sexuality – it’s sort of a given in showbiz."

"With lyrics, I have a basic idea, and then I write little phrases that fit with the music and encapsulate a feeling. I start with a theme and then try to adjust it to the music. I like the music to come first. For the book, I would sit down and tell the story, and then go back and edit myself. It’s probably a similar process to what you do with your photography. You shoot it, and then go back to it."

"For two weeks I get distressed and for two weeks I eat, process cheese, chocolate moose, cherry pie whatever my grandma had in her refrigerator. And then were back in school standing outside all by myself and here comes "Mr Suave", really tried to work myself off like ok dont be that weird shy girl like play it cool and right when he gets next to me he says, ¡whats up fatto, what happened to you? and then he chases me around the playground yelling fatto, fatto. Alright the walk home from school that day was the most mordfiying walk I ever had on my life, felt like such a loser and I cry my eyes out, I got home locked myself in my room all day long and all I kept thinking was oh my god! Im such a loser like I dont wanna be that girl, I dont wanna be that shy, weird fatto, like I dont wanna be that girl, and I made a vow right there that Terry was gonna eat his damn words."

"The thing is, all of us think that fear is just a thing you choose to overcome but its not, all of us face it in some way you dont have to be on a stage whether is parenting, running a business, speaking out on something you believe in, it can scare us all."

"Fear only has one enemy and that is a confident persona."

"I didnt asked the guy who said "Torrie Wilson doesnt belong in the WWE Hall of Fame" if he thought it was okay if I still came anyway. And I didn't ask the guy that was up there booing me telling me I suck if he deemed me worthy of lacing up my wrestling boots and giving it a try the next night. Because neither would've said yes but neither one was the one stepping in this ring.""

"Permission is for pansies, we dont need anyones permission to be who we are, and we dont need permission to be who we wanna be."

"Now I just want you guys to remember that not everything is as it seems and that fear is an enemy that affects all of us in some way but when you are willing to remember that permission is for pansies, to summon your swagger, and to forget the failure, you can win your match against fear anytime."

"I just want to thank you for letting me be a little small part of your life and for many of you guys, a part of your puberty."

"If you wanna have that confident persona, the one that you guys taught me, you gotta forget the failure."

"My intention was to show up for you guys the fans, and to play the role, to play the role of who I really wish I could be outside of the ring, a strong confident women who is unnafraid of failing, unnafraid of being sexy, who knows who she is and to be quite honest to know she is a badass whether anyone else believes it or not."

"For the last 3 and a half years, I have been working on a long journey to becoming a Vegan. My first and main reason behind this lifestyle change is the moral and ethical rights of animals. I am speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am a strong proponent for the humane treatment of animals and am making my stand known by not ingesting any animal products whatsoever. … This decision started with giving up red meat and pork 3 and a half years ago and has finally evolved into a complete vegan diet 6 months ago. After much research about how animals were treated for purposes of food, clothing, and other products, I had trouble pushing my feelings about animal treatment aside. I love animals and want others to at least be aware of their treatment."

"I’m vegan in my fashion and vegetarian in my food. I don’t buy any leather goods or anything made from animal products – no down, nothing. It’s something people should be mindful of. … I think because I came to live in L.A. the transition was simple because vegetarianism is so common there. And I didn’t feel like I was missing that much by being a vegetarian. … I had a moment about 9 years ago. It was so odd. I was talking to my then-boyfriend and he was talking about a fishing trip and how he’d never had the experience of ‘killing’ his food. Even though I had fished my whole life, something just snapped in me and I said, I’m not eating this anymore. … Being vegan is more challenging, especially when it comes to going out to eat. But I found Chicago has great vegetarian and vegan restaurants. … Healthwise, I notice when I wasn’t eating meat anymore I felt so much lighter."

"To most, death is an incredibly scary and taboo idea. provides a shoulder to lean on... and the important duty of easing the fears and doubts that naturally reside in our minds as we approach the end of our lifetime. There is nothing I am more proud or passionate about than being a part of this work. It is a life-long commitment for me. A passion that I find to be more gratifying than anything I have ever known. My hope is to inspire others to join me in this fulfilling journey."

"You can verbalize what happens to these animals a thousand times, but [when] you see it, it definitely clicks in—and it did for me. … I’m an animal lover. I was definitely one of those people who wore fur years ago. I was looking online and I [saw] how these animals are tortured and skinned, and you don’t really realize the hurt and the pain they go through just for fashion. I want to be a voice for them. I think that parents should show what’s done to these animals. People who do wear fur, I would like for them to do the research for themselves."

"There are so many good reasons not to eat meat, but for me, the well-being of my children is the most important. … I want them to be healthy and also to understand that when they say ‘No!’ to meat, they’re saying ‘No!’ to animal cruelty. We talk about our pets, and I say, ‘You wouldn’t eat Biscuit, would you? Well, then let’s not eat any animal, O.K.? … I don’t think I really realized what I was putting into my body and the actual effects that it was having on me, so now I feel so much healthier, and I have so much more energy, and foods taste better!"

"As long as I'm the director of Miss Nevada, we will never award fur coats as prizes, and I urge my fellow pageant directors to make the same pledge. Kind people today are taking a stand against cruelty to animals—so a fur coat is no prize for a compassionate, socially-aware woman."

"I've been an animal lover all my life, and the more I learned of the torture that animals go through in the name of fashion, I just think it's so unnecessary; it's unbelievable to me. I’m blessed to team up with my pageant sisters to take a united stand and to tell the pageant industry not to support the fur industry."

"My husband is a veggie and I always wanted to try it. Our first step was making our entire family go “organic.” I only wish we had done it sooner! I also read a book called “Skinny Bitch”, which opened my eyes to cruelty to animals, and that was it! It hasn’t been that hard for me."

"Promoting veganism, I think it’s such an important message. … I remember as a child, my grandma instilling in us that no matter how little you think you have, there are always people and beings that are suffering on the planet and have even less than us. As I’ve grown older, the love just continues to grow for all living beings. It breaks my heart when I see animals being mistreated. As we all know, in agriculture, that’s like one of the biggest mistreatments that animals endure in our country. The more I educated myself about the subject, the more I was able to make wiser, more intelligent decisions in my life. … I’ve seen some tremendous positive changes in my health in the last six years when I switched to a plant-based diet … I live by the Golden Rule: treat others as you would like to be treated. And to me, that includes animals as well. They should be loved. They are souls on this planet just like we are."

"Animals are just always a passion of mine. … I would like to use my voice to promote anti-fur. … Throughout my reign, I was offered a lot of gifts, you know, either they were fur shoes or fur coats. Sometimes, sponsors of course wanted me to wear their products, but I would always put my foot down, because it's just so cruel and I don't want to be a supporter of that. I don’t want to show anyone that I support what they do to animals for the benefit of fashion. It doesn’t make any sense to me."

"I'm an animal lover and my two cats are my world, so I don't wear any fur. I don't support the fur industry. And I'm not really into animal prints either, I just don't like the idea of me saying "I'm wearing a big cat today.""

"[Since college, being a vegetarian] I physically felt cleaner and lighter. […] Later on, literally I saw somebody eating a chicken wing, and it grossed me out. … My body was, like, ‘No more. I don’t want it anymore.’ I’ve seen grocery stores change to be more welcoming to a vegetarian’s diet and it’s not as hard as it used to be going to your local supermarket trying to find a substitute. You now have sections in grocery markets that are dedicated to people who are vegetarian."

"I think it's something that people don't think about. It's hot outside—your car is like a fishbowl. So the light comes in, and it gets trapped, and it gets really hot in there really quickly. If you see a dog in a hot car, and you think that he's in danger or that he's been there for a while, it's good to speak up... go into whatever businesses it's parked outside of, and just raise awareness about it."

"I’ve cut way back on animal products (especially dairy), and I try to only eat organic. Because of Alicia Silverstone], I’m way more conscious of what I put in my mouth and also about how my dollar is spent. Her book The Kind Diet was a real eye-opener for me. … [In the film Vamps] Alicia and I play vampires who abstain from human blood. So we were very kind in that we weren’t killing people and drinking their blood! … All the people in my life joke that I’m vampire in real life. Not because I drink blood or anything but because I prefer to stay indoors with the blinds closed. I’m not really a SUN person. I come out of my coffin (bedroom) when the sun goes down."

"I’m Cuban, so we grew up eating meat. But I didn’t like it. I’d say, ‘Rice and black beans is just fine with me.’ But my mother, you know, would say, ‘Tu estas muy flaca!’ Then one day I saw my dad kill a chicken and ever since then I was grossed out by chicken."

"When you say ambition to me, that's when you get me started! My greatest ambition is to be the whoppingest best actress in Hollywood. You can't blame a girl for trying! I don't want to be classed as a "personality," something to stare at. I want to have my talents respected, not only by the public but by myself."

"I loved making films. There was something about that lens that I adored, and it adored me back. So we were a great combination."

"[A year after going vegetarian] I feel really healthy, and it works on so many different levels, including the condition of my skin."

"Animals shouldn't be used, tortured in any kind of way. … So what I would say to my fans is to … get more information about it because anyone that has a heart will have compassion towards them. And just change your thought process, and in changing that, we might change the whole world."

"I was in a sushi bar over a year ago, and it was just one of those moments that it dawned on me — it hit me over the head — how could I just discriminate between a cow [and] a fish? Both had a consciousness, and what right did I have to discriminate between the two?"

"I like it to be clean, and that goes with mine as well—I want it to be a clean picture. I don’t want it to be something that doesn’t make sense on their page. It should be crisp and clear and to the point. I follow people because I like to see THEM—not their dog, not food, not their friends—I want to see them. That’s why people follow me."

"I always felt tired when I used to eat meat—I got sick of that. Also, I wanted to start a serious training/nutritional program for my surfing competitions. I tried it out (not eating meat) and loved it—I felt so healthy and energetic. I’ve never looked back since! … I believe those (meat) companies … should just think of their pets—if they would like their pets treated like that—and then ask them if they want to continue doing that. … Definitely I want to become a world champion surfer one day, but more importantly, being a good role model for kids and promoting a clean lifestyle."

"All it takes is one good selfie and then send it around to all of the sites that post hot girls and maybe you’ll get chosen and they’ll pick you up. I mean it’s the little things too, see what’s trending, always see what’s trending. I don’t like to post selfies back-to-back-to-back. I don’t like to post professional photos back-to-back, or when it comes to colors, or if it’s too close or too far away or just like the littlest things. Everything matters, it really does. It can make a huge difference. If you’re going for modeling, like brand your page. If you’re trying to go for specific — if you’re not going for something. Like let’s say for me I’m a model and an actress, so I wanted to lean more towards both of those, so pictures of my food wouldn’t work because I’m not a blogger, or pictures of just random stuff that doesn’t make sense. People follow me for a reason and I know why they follow me."

"I think you just have to space out selfies with not too many professional photos. Followers want to see you and get to know you. Posting consistently is important, and with captions I try to talk about what I’m doing. I use quotes, but only if they aren’t cliché. I do less group pictures, because followers want to see what you’re doing and not what other people are doing. So not too many group photos. You have to cater to your audience, remember why they followed you."

"["Do you see a tie in between being a vegetarian and helping the environment?"] All of our cleaning products, lotions, shampoos, and toothpaste are organic and non-chemical, non-animal tested. You don’t have to be a vegetarian to be against animal testing, but it goes hand in hand. You know the rainforest that’s cut down or the land that’s cleared for cattle and factory farm animals, the destruction of the rain forest specifically for beef cattle is mind boggling to the both of us that they would destroy a very precious eco system just so cows have a place to eat grass. The people in South America don’t even really get to eat that beef but the land is being destroyed for it, and definitely the methane that’s produced from the cows and pigs. It’s definitely contributing to global warming. It’s hard for people to wrap their minds around the fact that their cheeseburger is making global warming worse. I think it’s an important message for people to get, but it’s hard for people to put the two together and make the connection."

"It’s only one planet. It’s all we have. So what we do here affects the other side of the planet in ways we never know. … I am [vegetarian] too, but leaning towards veganism. … I give people the dirtiest look when we walk down the street and see someone wearing fur. He gets embarrassed because I will look at them like, how could you even walk out of your house like that? You might as well be wearing my dog. What are you doing? I started getting into animal rights when I met him [Corey Feldman], but I’ve always loved animals."

"When I went to college, I went to study Veterinary Medicine, which I still study. But I had to take classes with the Animal Science people in the college of Agriculture. … One class I had to take they made the students from part of the class go into a chicken coop and pick out a live chicken and slaughter it themselves. Then we were supposed to take it home and eat it. And I refused to do it. So I ended up getting a C at the class, even though I had As in everything else. … I also had to take a class where I would take care of animals, pigs and cows, and I got to know them. I actually had a cow that I took care of, raised from when she was a baby and I had her till she was about 800 pounds. She would run up to me, she knew me well, just like a dog. She was exactly like a dog. It was sort of the same with the pigs, the babies knew me. And after I had to go in and see what happened to them, it totally broke my heart and it made me sick to my stomach. … There's no way, you know, if you're human and you have a normal brain and mind and feelings, that you can see what I saw and still eat them and allow them to be slaughtered and be ok with it."

"If people thought about the environmental destruction, cruelty to animals, and unsavory-sounding body parts that go into meat hot dogs, they’d be switching to veggie hot dogs faster than you can say ‘inconvenient truth.’"