ForKarlie Kloss, being aVictoria’s SecretAngel didn’t align with her values when she decided to hang up her wings and end her contract with the lingerie giant in 2015.
In a new interview withBritishVogue, the 26-year-oldProject Runwayhost opens up about her decision to leave behind her lucrative contract with the company — famous for its yearly fashion show — while she was in the midst of studying feminist theory at New York University’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study. Her enrollment in the program was a defining chapter for Kloss, who learned that she wanted to be a different role model for her fans and young girls looking up to her.
“The reason I decided to stop working with Victoria’s Secret was I didn’t feel it was an image that was truly reflective of who I am and the kind of message I want to send to young women around the world about what it means to be beautiful,” she told herProject Runwaycostar Elaine Welteroth in the cover interview.
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Leaving behind her job with Victoria’s Secret was her way of putting her studies of feminist theory into action, and learning to practice what she advocated for.
“I think that was a pivotal moment in me stepping into my power as a feminist,” she told the magazine. “Being able to make my own choices and my own narrative, whether through the companies I choose to work with, or through the image I put out to the world.”
Though she left in 2015, Klossreturned to the runwayfor the 2017 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, and last yearvouched for the company’s relevancein the new era of feminism and amid the#MeToo and Time’s Up movement.
“A show like Victoria’s Secret is so relevant in the world we live in today,” Kloss toldThe Telegraphin 2018. “There’s something really powerful about a woman who owns her sexuality and is in charge.”
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Making her own choices and embracing her feminism head-on also led her to launch Kode With Klossy in 2015, a nonprofit that hosts learning experiences to help girls pursue their passions and empower young women to become involved in tech.
Her evolution in the fashion industry and with her career was something that initially scared her, but looking back, she is proud of the decisions she’s made because of the place it’s brought her to now.
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“I think I was fearful that I would lose a job or lose my position if I said I didn’t want to do something,” Kloss said. “But I did not lose out on jobs. If anything, the more I exercised the power of my voice, the more I earned respect from my peers.”
“And I earned more respect for myself,” she added. “Only now do I have the confidence to stand tall – all 6ft 2in of me – and know the power of my voice.”
source: people.com
