It feels fitting that Paloma Elsesser would choose Dimes as the location of our interview.
You knowthe ones whose faces, art, and work youve probably seen in your daily Instagram scroll?
Its a muggy Friday morning, and theres a damp, listless feeling to the summer heat.
Jason Kim ; STYLING: Sir the Label shirt; Bonheur earring; Dior Contour Lip Color in Sydney [on brows]
Inside Dimes, however, is a bustle of movement and chatter.
Shes makeup-freeher caramel skin is objectively perfectand her long, jet-black hair is tucked into a low bun.
I became a person.
Jason Kim ; STYLING: Proenza Schouler jacket; Collina Strada hoodie; The Last Line jewelry; Make Up For Ever Flash Color Pot in Wine Red and Carmin; Too Faced Perfect Eyes Eyeliner in Perfect Black; Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Skin Protectant Cream
I fell, I picked myself back upand I did a lot of that on my own.
New York is now my home.
I grew up going to affluent, predominantly white private schools in L.A.
It was horrible, she says.
I still remember so clearly what that felt like.
In another instance, she recalls a classmate calling her a fat failure.
Jason Kim ; STYLING: Coach coat; Bonheur earrings and ring; Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Endangered Red [on eyes]; Pat McGrath Labs Microfine Pigment in Gold 001
Theres just no other option.
Paloma Elsesser on Finding Herself
Moving to New York when she was 18 was a turning point.
It was so interesting to walk down the street and see people checking me out, she says.
Jason Kim ; STYLING: Fendi coat; Eloquii top and denim; Ellery earring; Alta Ora rings; MAC Glitter in Red
It was a totally new experience for me.
I felt like I could pave a different road for myself.
I was trying to silence some things that were my truths, she says.
And then it all was exploding in my face.
It was a more focused New York.
This New York homecoming is also when Elsessers modeling career took off.
Jason Kim ; STYLING: Stella McCartney jacket; Topshop top; The Last Line earrings; Marc Jacobs Le Marc Creme Lipstick in Scandal and Blow; MAC Clear Lipglass
She started modeling on the side, thanks to a suggestion from her friend Stevie Dance, a stylist.
And though work came in, at first, she resisted.
I was like, Im not that down.
Jason Kim ; STYLING: Theory shirt; Coach jacket; Bonheur earrings and ring; Make Up For Ever Pure Pigments in Bright Red; Make Up For Ever Artist Eye Shadow in Morello Cherry; Chanel Rouge Coco Gloss in Douceur
Im in school, she says.
I thought about it only in a financial sense.
Growing up, people would always say, You have such a pretty face.
Its kind of backhanded.
Thats the kind of thing we have to stomach.
Not punk in the aesthetic way but just different from the norm.
After that, it was hard to deny the fact that she was indeed a professional model.
Its the biggest honor as a model to get a beauty contract, she says.
Thats a fantasy too.
Thats important to me.
I have to be conscious of that.
And thats super important to me, and I dont want to let her down.
Her caption reads: Look, I’ve never done nude before.
I cried 3 times before this shoot.
I did this to show that being fat isn’t a burden.Being fat isnt ugly or shameful.
To prove to one person that it isnt BRAVE to be fat, but bountiful.
I feel all of the same things [I used to], she tells me matter-of-factly.
Its just being better at navigating those feelings and coping with them.
My number one self-soothing and coping response is just reaching out, she says.
Once I surrendered to modeling, I realized that Im resilient.
I thought, this is what you make of it, she says.
And to the classmate who called her a fat failure?
Resilience, she repeats.
I hope my story inspires others to know their capabilities.
