Feature: Ophelia Darkly

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	Chest	Waist	Corset	Hips	Height	Weight
Imperial	32"	25"	20"	33"	5"9'	114lb
Metric	81cm	63cm	50cm	83cm	175cm	51kg

GGotW: What is the story behind your name?
OD: The first modeling name I used other than my real name was Crooked Angel. After a while I felt it was pretentious and sort of silly so I started thinking about another name. Obviously, the name is inspired by the character 'Ophelia' from Hamlet, but it is the dark side of Ophelia. The side that came out in a strange way when she went insane. I also think that the name Ophelia is really romantic and beautiful and I felt that 'Darkly' fit with it well. Since I'm also a poet, sound is important to me, and I really like the sound of the name.

GGotW: What got you started modeling two years ago?
OD: I had always been interested in it, but it wasn't until I was contacted by an artist that I began. I was apprehensive at first as he had contacted me on Myspace, but everything went well and I've loved it ever since. In some sense, I feel like I've always been a 'model'. I feel like it is a fusion of different kinds of art inside of me being expressed in a physical way.

GGotW: Have you worked with many other models in shoots?
OD: I have worked with other models. I started modeling with someone who was a friend of mine in high school (Little Alice is her modeling name). We did a lot of shoots together as we worked well off of one another and we both were interested in alternative modeling. Other than that I've worked with a friend of mine, my fiance, and various other people that were at group shoots. I would love to model with Razor Candi though, that would be amazing.

GGotW: What photographers have you worked with?
OD: I've worked with over 30 photographers (some I've had multiple shoots with), so I'll just name some of my favorites: Coma Pill Photography, That Trend (first photographer I worked with), renegotiation proof, Sophia Rapata, MVK Photography, Sylvia Krzysztofek, and RedRum Collaboration.

GGotW: Has you boyfriend modeled with you?
OD: Yes he has. He's a fantastic model and musician.

GGotW: What kind of theatre work have you done?
OD: I've been doing theatre since high school. I mainly do acting work, though I've also done writing. I've played many different roles, which to me, is connected with modeling. I've been a crazy psychologist, a young daughter of a Bosnian toy maker who gets murdered, a mental ward patient reminiscing about the war, a rave dancer, a Russian janitor, a plane, and a strange girl in an apocalyptic world.

GGotW: What do you do when you're not on stage or in front of the camera?
OD: I love to spend time with my fiance. I also play piano, write poetry, eat copious amounts of chocolate, and think far too much. Additionally, I love to play with my bunnies, go clubbing, and occasionally I make my own clothes.

GGotW: What things in you life have affected your modeling?
OD: The biggest one is the scar I have on my lip. I've struggled with it all of my life, but especially with regards to the fashion industry, as imperfections are looked down upon. I haven't felt like that so much with alternative modeling. I feel like I can be myself and that my scar is beautiful and unique instead of ugly. My location has also affected my modeling. I've been stuck in Iowa for a lot of the last four years and there aren't many opportunities here. This is why I'm moving elsewhere.

GGotW: Is there a story behind the scar on your lip?
OD: When I was in first grade, I went to a friend's going away party and her dog (name: Minnie) bit me on the lip. It was pretty traumatizing to go through plastic surgery in second grade. However, one of the worst consequences of the event was all of the horrible comments said about me in school. Especially in high school, people would yell that I had herpes.

GGotW: How has it affected your adult life?
OD: I think, particularly with fashion modeling, people take me less seriously when they see my scar. Since it's on my face, I think it's the reason I've been rejected from so many agencies. It's also affected me with regards to theatre. In essence, a teacher told me that I would have no career (in film specifically) with the scar on my face. He told a story about one of the graduate actors who had a mole on her face. They encouraged her to get surgery to remove it and after the surgery he said that she was transformed from a "pretty girl with a mole" to "a gorgeous woman". After he said this he looked at me, and it made me feel very small and hopeless. Besides that, there was an incident involving a group on facebook about my high school which I posted in. I mentioned some unpleasant things that had happened to me in high school, and one guy responded that my opinion didn't count because hardly anyone liked me and that I had herpes. My parents have also suggested that I get more surgery.

GGotW: Where are you looking at moving to?
OD: Currently, I'll be moving to Illinois (near Chicago) at the end of July. I hope to do more creative things in Illinois than Iowa.

GGotW: Why do you want to move to Illinois?
OD: I can't stand Iowa personally. The only reason I came here is for school. I've had many more modeling opportunities in Illinois than in Iowa. There also aren't many unique people here in Iowa. I get ridiculed all the time.

GGotW: Where do you see your life in two years?
OD: In two years I see myself married and traveling around the world enjoying life. I want to go to more concerts and go to more gothic industrial clubs. I would love to be published in a magazine like Gothic Beauty and also, to have more of my poems published. I see myself working in theatre but also doing alternative modeling with photographers I have always wanted to work with. There are many of them. I've made a "photographer wish list".

** New series of images from Ophelia Darkly for 2010 Year's End.



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