|
Daring, different Devon Aoki is changing the face of the modeling
industry. Check her out in summer's best and brightest. Devon talks
makeup, modeling and her upcoming movie.
"There are such standards you have to meet as a model,"
says Devon. "You have to be this skinny and this tall and,
if you don't fit all these criteria, they cross you off the list.
Not being these things has made me who I am."
The Littlest Supermodel, Ellegirl May/June
2003
Photographer: Viki Forshee
Styled by: Laurie Trott
Hair: Benoit Moeyaert for John Frieda Salon New York
Makeup: Ayako at See Management
Manicure: Jin Soon Choi for Jin Soon Natural Hand & Foot Spa
Size: 37-62K
Ellegirl: You just finished filming 2
Fast 2 Furious. What;s your character like?
Devon: I play a drag racer named Suki. She's a tough chick
who's buddies with all the guys. Her clothes are really wild. I
wore pink chaps and knee-high Yohji Yamamoto Adidas sneakers.
Sounds fun. What's the makeup like?
I wore a cool glitter design on my cheekbone in one scene, but the
makeup is pretty subtle for the rest of the film. I'm superpale
and the movie is set in Miami, so they bronzed me up with self-tanner.
Do you wear makeup when you're off duty?
I religiously wear lipgloss. I'm addicted to Lancôme
Juicy Tubes.
This is your first major movie. How is
acting different from modeling?
It's totally different. When you're modeling, you're interacting
with the person behind the camera. But when you're acting, the camera
is like a fly on the wall and you pretend it's not there. You do
reaction shots where you're supposed to be looking at your best
friend but really you're just staring at a white board to get the
right eyeline. It's tough.
What kind of music did you listen to while
you were shooting?
Ludacris and Tyrese are in the film and we'd blast their music on
the set. I also listened to the Strokes, Norah Jones, N*E*R*D* and
Aaliyah.
You recently signed on as a Lancôme
spokesmodel.
I never thought I was going to be one of the faces they chose! I'm
not conventionally pretty, and I'm also the first Asian-American
to get an international beauty campaign, so it's a bold step. Not
everyone can identify with models who are five-foot-eleven and have
the most ridiculous bodies and huge boobs and are just gorgeous.
People are like, If this is what is beautiful, then where do I fit
in?
Do you feel that beauty standards are
changing?
People are embracing unconventional models like Alex Wek and Sophie
Dahl. They've diversified the fashion industry and set a precedent
for new girls. Whehn someone quirkier and edgier and different slips
through the cracks, it's great. I'm here to prove that you can be
five-foot-five and look different and you can still model for the
best companies and get the best campaigns.
Any advice for aspiring models who don't
meet the standard height requirement?
Go for it! People told me that I had to be at least five-foot-nine
and I was like, Why? Looking different has become such a defining
characteristic of who I am.
| 
