Modeling is also the first job I've ever had where it's my job to love myself. While many people think that modeling would chip away at your self-esteem, it's actually bolstered mine tenfold.
— Rain Dove
My style really comes down to me trying to be efficient by wearing what's going to get me the most out of the world. Whether that means wearing an Armani suit or an H&M dress, that's what I'm going to wear.
I think the fashion industry is limitless. Not everyone sees me as being part of their vision. But the people that have seen me, some of them have seen things in me that I hadn't even seen in myself.
I grew up believing I was just an ugly girl.
We the people have the power to decide who we want to see in our advertisements and how we want the world to be portrayed. If we show that being ethical and being diverse is profitable, they're going to market to us.
It bothered me that women were taught they can't be beautiful just being themselves - it filled me with rage.
I had lice in third grade, and my mom shaved all my hair off.
The gender thing doesn't exist; it's a social construct you don't have to fit into.
Victoria's Secret should highlight real women that actually purchase their clothing. I would love for them to start featuring more real bodies and diverse women. Victoria's Secret has the ability to tell people, 'It's okay,' when they wake up in the morning. They have the ability to change lives.
I saw how much money people spent in the fashion industry, and I was like, 'Oh, man, if someone can spend this much on clothes, they certainly can spend five dollars a month on causes.'
A gender capitalist is someone who takes advantage of opportunities given to people based on their perceived sex or gender.
I always had this attitude of, 'They don't get to tell me how I live my life.'
Men are taught they are going to make a lot less in the fashion industry, so they don't bank their entire lives on it. They're very supportive. Women, on the other hand, are more competitive. They always assume I'm trans and say, 'How did they make clothing in your size?'
The first thing you put on in the morning is your lingerie, and you have to look at yourself and tell yourself that you're beautiful, and that's really hard to do when even a simple catalog can't confirm that you're wearing something appropriately or look good enough.
I think it's a different kind of activism. Like, women shouldn't have to step into men's roles to be empowered. They should be able to step into themselves. So that's what I try to bring, that we shouldn't be thinking of it as menswear or womenswear; it should be clothing for people.
I'm not my body.
To be existing at all is beautiful simply because of how complicated and unexplainable being alive really is.
There's something so empowering about knowing I can pick up an axe and split a piece of wood.
I used to feel guilty about having nice things, because there was so much good I could be doing with that money. I always tell people that, if you can afford what I'm wearing, then you can afford to make a difference. But fashion has taught me that it's not a bad thing to love yourself and take care of yourself.
I lost a bet with another model. We were watching a Cleveland Browns game, and she told me I should be a model. I said that models are pretentious people who don't eat. She said, 'If you choose the winning team, I'll do you a favor. If I choose the winning team, you'll go to a casting call.' She won, so I went.
I see the wielding of a pronoun as something that can be freeing for some members of society but a shackle to others like myself.
The biggest problem with the beauty industry is that it treats its customers as if they have a lot to be corrected rather than things that should be highlighted.
I went out to California; I was pursuing my degree in genetic engineering and civil law at U.C. Berkeley, and I had to pay my way through school. I eventually got a scholarship, which was great, but in the beginning, it was very hard.
I model as a human being.
When I first started out modelling, I was binding my chest at gigs to make sure my physique was able to be 'passable' as male. But now, I never bind. It's highly unsafe and unhealthy.
When I walk down the street in a dress, people think I'm transgender. The issue isn't that I'm embarrassed to be thought of as transgender: the issue is that people treat transgender individuals so violently, especially if they think it's male to female.
I have what some people consider to be a 'hippie' mentality.
I may not be the conventional girl, but that doesn't mean I'm not a pretty girl. Or that any girl isn't a pretty girl.
'Educate, don't hate.' That's my motto. The reason why there's so much pushback against diversity and against minority communities is because people are afraid to make mistakes and ask questions. They feel that they'll be chastised if they use the wrong label. It's too scary for them.
I'm more comfortable modelling as a man because I don't get any criticism.
No mater what I wear - whether my choice or not- I guarantee I will be me.
Fashion really does change the world. It changes how people feel about themselves. It changes what people are comfortable with sexuality-wise. It changes how people accept themselves.
I believe that if you want gender, then you can have it. If you want to label yourself, then sure. If you want to use history to describe who you are, then there is nothing wrong with that. But don't limit me on the way that you limit yourself.
The VS Angels are beautiful, but so are you.
I grew up having to do manual labor because people always told me that I was an ugly girl. I've never had the permission to be myself except for when I'm doing manual labor. Because in manual labor, it's about, 'Can you pick this up, can you move this here,' and I could.
The great thing about fashion is that you can create a very unique version of yourself to display to the world.
Fortunately, unlike my teachers and classmates, my parents never forced gender roles or even a ended identity on me. I grew up on a farm, so all that mattered was working hard.
My goal is to eradicate poverty. I think we can't have equality until we eradicate poverty.
Illamasqua is a great brand with great people.
I ended up in Colorado working in wilderness fire prevention. My job was to run around with a chainsaw and cut down trees during a blaze. It was really fun. When I first got out there, that's when I realized how passable of a male I could be.
I model as male, female, and everything in between. I model as all genders.
I'm a proud woman. I'm a proud man. I'm a proud whatever people think I am.
I believe that everyone who is human is androgynous, but I don't think there are a lot of people that are presented as truly androgynous.
When I'm a gender capitalist in the fashion world, I basically can go to any casting that I want to as long as somebody likes my face.
When someone thinks of the term, 'pretty girl,' they don't typically think of someone who looks like me.
I never wanted fashion to be a part of my life, but it will always be there.
Victoria's Secret is entitled to brand themselves the way they want to.
My strength does not come from my clothing.
My reputation was that I had bad BO, and I was poor, and I was ugly.
I'm not gender-fluid. I'm not gender-nonconforming. I'm not gender-free.
