The New Beautiful: Meet 8 Models Who Aren’t Afraid to Speak Up
What’s feminine now? Lace, tulle, floral, and lingerie-inspired dresses worn by women of all shapes, sizes, ages—and opinions.

In the summer of 2016, a then 22-year-old African American model named Ebonee Davis wrote an open letter to the fashion world asking the industry to help fix the systemic racism plaguing America. Davis had been propelled into action by the fact that, on the very same day she saw herself in a Calvin Klein campaign in all her natural-hair, dark-skinned glory, she also learned that a 37-year-old black man named Alton Sterling had been killed by police in Baton Rouge. She took her industry to task to set the tone for a more open culture and to help expand the notions of beauty and worth in the world. It was powerful stuff, enough to earn her a TED Talk, which she called “Black Girl Magic in the Fashion Industry.” In that speech she spoke of her own struggles making it in the glamorous and rarefied world of fashion. “It was a very vocal year for me,” says Davis, slipping into a floral dress at our fashion shoot.
For years, the modeling world has pretty much been a silent profession—the women were supposed to be seen, not heard. Even at the height of the supermodel era, when the glamazons ruled the runway, dated Hollywood actors, and starred in George Michael videos, they barely spoke—save for Linda Evangelista, who infamously announced her salary requirements to get out of bed.
But with the rise of social media, many younger models have embraced new platforms on which they can speak their minds and support their passions. “They have this direct access to media now,” says Christiana Tran, managing partner of the Lions agency, which represents Davis and the other women on these pages. “They want to stand for something.” Right now there is a cultural awakening—a reckoning, if you will, of the value of women inside and out. For these models, it’s exhilarating to represent women of every ethnicity, shape, size, and age. While Davis may be the most outspoken of this group, each model here is doing her part to make fashion more inclusive. Whether it’s plus-size model Jess Miller, a gay Christian who wants to build bridges between the LGBT community and the faith community, or a veteran like Christina Kruse, who has an impressive art career, these multi-hyphenate women all have clear ambitions beyond just sitting pretty.

Raphaelle
The French-born, Texas-raised singer finds inspiration in the likes of Etta James, Nina Simone, and Janis Joplin—“because she didn’t give a damn.” The 22-year-old wrote her first song when she was ten and released her first EP, Postmodern, at age 20. When she’s not modeling or writing music, she’s going to jazz clubs or singing karaoke. Her go-to song? “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.”

Ebonee Davis
It makes sense that Oprah would be Davis’s hero. “She’s her highest, truest self,” says the model-activist, who is open about her own traumas growing up. Her parents were both drug addicts, and although her father got clean, Davis battled low self-esteem for years. These days she has little patience for a culture that shames women. “I’ve done Sports Illustrated. I’ve done nudity. I’m fine with my body,” she says.

Grace Bol
When she moved to Kansas City, Missouri, from war-torn Sudan at age nine, she had ambitions of becoming a pilot. The 28-year-old has walked for Givenchy, Loewe, and Marc Jacobs, but her favorite runway experience was doing the latest Victoria’s Secret show in China. And no, she didn’t feel objectified. She felt empowered. “You get to dance and have fun!”

Jess Miller
The 24-year-old Seattle native is starting theological school in New York City next year to focus on the intersection of Christian and gay communities. “I don’t think they need to be mutually exclusive,” she says. Her mission as a model is straightforward: to be a person, a face, a body that people can relate to. “You can other an idea, but you can’t other a person.”

Lucan Gillespie
With her long Rapunzel locks and saucer-size eyes, it’s no surprise that this 18-year-old Brit has already walked a Gucci show and starred in a fairy-tale-like shoot by English lensman Tim Walker for Vogue. The former archaeology student is looking to pursue a career behind the camera and counts Walker as a mentor. “I’ve been taking a lot of pictures with mirrors,” she says. “I like the idea of illusion.”

Christina Kruse
The German-born model and artist, 41, who started in fashion in the ’90s, has always seen modeling as a means to an end. “It’s the best job. You come and you get your hair done and you wear nice clothes and then you leave,” she says. More important, it’s been a springboard for her creative pursuits. She has worked as a fashion photographer and a collage artist and now creates large-scale sculptures that have been shown in galleries in New York and Europe.

Willow Hand
At 19, she has already appeared in major shows at Prada, Chanel, and Michael Kors and graced the cover of Russian Vogue, but this fresh-faced Florida girl is still “just enjoying the journey.” When she’s not on the runway she’s playing music, on the piano, bass, or ukulele.

Juana Burga
The Peruvian model recently had her acting debut in the South American film The Unseen, in which she plays an indigenous woman in search of water in a postapocalyptic world. “I live in New York and am so far away from this sort of reality,” says the 26-year-old. But she’s not one to sit back. She has used her status as a public figure to raise awareness on a range of issues, from ocean protection to sustainable fashion, in her native country.
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