Victoria Everman is a model, environmentalist and journalist living in San Francisco. She is a contributing blogger for In The Loop, a founding member of GreenMUA and the U.S. Spokesperson for Twice Shy Clothing.

You lived in Darien, Connecticut. Is that where you grew up? How did you come about your green mission?
 
Actually, I never lived in Darien, but I did live on Avon, Middletown, Enfield and Stamford. I didn’t grow up in Connecticut - I was born in Indiana and have moved around a lot. Living green was something that I always grew up with, but not in the traditional sense. My family was green because it was more affordable to reuse or make our own things (including food and clothing) than buying new. Some school years began with shopping at the Salvation Army. While those days are behind me, that do-it-yourself mentality has still stuck with me.
 
You’re part of this new breed of model who blends her career with environmental activism. It’s no longer an after thought, you integrate the two. How does that work?
 
Being a green or eco-model was just a natural part of my career progress. I’ve been modeling since I was 6 and being able to work with sustainable companies and organizations is a fantastic opportunity. Being a green model isn’t just about wearing organic cotton clothing and being mindful of how much you travel - there are many more elements, such as make-up, hair products, locations … etc. There is no rule anywhere that says you can’t be beautiful and sustainable - if national parks can do it, why can’t models?

You probably have the best green fashion links page on the web. It’s a crawler’s dream. How do you keep track of it all, there’s such an eruption of green online? What are your favorite green fashion blogs?
 
Keeping track of all my eco-links is not easy. I will be honest and say that some of those links are probably out-of-date or the companies are no longer active. I’ve been hoping to find a way to organize them all and maybe even make a separate website for them, but that is a conversation for another day. Every time I read an article or a blog post about a cool company, I double check to see if they are on my eco-links list. If not, I add them. It started out as just my interest in keeping track of green companies I would like to buy from or work with, but it has grown into so much more.

Green fashion - wow, there are a number of great online destinations. In The Loop is, of course, fantastic (wink wink). I’m also a big fan of Eco Fling, Eco-Chick, Chartreuse Chic, and Feelgood Style - along with my own blog of course, but I write about much more than just green fashion.

It’s interesting that those of us with green concerns chose the web as a refuge, found ourselves a large audience, coining the word e-famous. How important is Model Mayhem and MySpace in today’s quickly changing modeling landscape in the context of what you do?
 
Model Mayhem is the best website for modeling, in my opinion. One Model Place used to be “the place to be”, but it is just not the same as it once was - far too commercial now instead of just being user-friendly. Having an online presence if vital - if you don’t, you won’t succeed. I have gotten countless jobs from simply having my portfolio online and people coming across it in searches. Social profiles like MySpace and Facebook are good as well, but as a model, having a portfolio and staying social on a modeling site is key.

The window of opportunity for a conventional fashion model is between the age of 15 and 23… Only a handful of famous models over 23 keep working. In contrast independent models who carve their own way, often span careers well into their mid-30’s with a much wider diversity of assignments. What’s keeping modeling agencies pigeonholed?
 
Very true! My runway career was over when I hit puberty and got 37″ hips, but being a model isn’t about being rail thin. It is all about creativity and your own personal type of beauty. There are so many different genres of modeling that agencies just don’t cover - alternative, artistic nudes, fetish, and more. Agencies focus on magazines and runway, which is where the most money is - it is just good business sense on their part. The problem lies with the media and the runway folks that force the uber-thin look on the public, making it necessary for agencies to seek out sickly-looking models just to stay in business.

As you say, today, models coming from the alternative or goth scene, art nude, pin-up or bikini work who have developed large web-based cult followings, are suddenly being chosen for top fashion assignments because of the fan base attention they bring to the product. It’s kind of like revenge of the nerds, isn’t?

Hell yes! It is a delight to see models like Sabina (MM) from Las Vegas work with David La Chapelle. Of course, I would be overjoyed to do the same thing, but the point is that models don’t have to be tall, thin, and not smile. Beauty has such a wide definiation that no one company or organization can typecast it. No matter how much magazines promote their own version of beauty, the online world will flourish with those that look like real women. 

You’ve shown interest in the fetish scene. I entered the world of textiles researching latex fabrics for the NASA space suit. This idea of a second skin, showcased in Skin Two, Marquis and Secret magazines came into prominence with Bob Carlos Clarke’s photographic style. Latex can either be made from the rubber plant tree or from oil. Do you know who the natural latex fabrics companies are?

Ah, Bob Carlos Clarke - he was such a spectacular visionary. The world of latex is an interesting one, and not one that has gotten a lot of eco-attention (though I think it is long overdue). As far as latex fashion brands, it all depends on where they get their latex sheeting from - that is the key part. Wholesalers are often the source for this, and they would be the ones to question on how “natural” their product is. Unfortunately, I don’t know of any company that sources 100% of their latex from natural rubber - my research is ongoing in their department, along with the types of colors and dyes they use.

You’ve written for a Hartford based green magazine called All Green. I indirectly helped you land the gig, I’m terribly sorry about that. Do you want to send out a word of caution to other writers or let sleeping dogs lie?

Ah, All Green - while it is a travesty that the project turned out the way it did, I am delighted to have met a number of good people via working for the organization (most of which got screwed over as well). I am still working on getting my $1,000 owed to me by All Green. I’ve initiated the assistance of WritersWeekly.com, but we have still gotten no response from them. I do caution and encourage writers to avoid All Green, but don’t avoid all start-ups; some have wonderful intentions and solid funding - sometimes you just have to take the risk.

What’s in the cards for Victoria E? When I first learned of your work I thought you’d be a shoe-in for E magazine, but the planets weren’t properly aligned. I think each of us in the green scene bring something to the table, which in the grand scheme of things is changing the playing field, changing industries, businesses, and communities, hopefully for the better. When are you going to visit Connecticut again? We’d love to have you visit the Aquarium.

The green world is growing (no pun intended) and I plan to be there for the whole ride! I’m currently doing a lot of writing for Yoga Journal and CRAFT magazines, along with Greenopia and Life.Gaiam. I am working on breaking in to more mainstream publications, including Natural Health, Glamour, Body + Soul and more. Living in San Francisco has literally changed my life, but I will be moving back to the East Coast in a few years. My boyfriend and I want to be close to our families and finally be able to afford our first house. We are currently looking at Philadelphia and will be moving in roughly 3 years time. A visit to Connecticut is certainly in the cards as my mother still lives in Avon and I miss her dearly. Hopefully in 2009!

photo: alberich