My mom's half-Irish, and my dad's half-Irish. We don't know much about my mom's side, but my dad's mom came from Belfast and married my grandfather, who was from Wales.
As a model, we come in the room, and we are casted just on our looks. I think I'm funny; I think I'm clever. But in the end, they're picking me for my cheekbones or if I'm tall enough.
I was once dressed as a mermaid for a Jean Paul Gaultier show. My legs were bound into a fish tail, so I had to come down the runway on crutches. Halfway down, I was supposed to unzip the fish tail to reveal my legs, but the zipper broke, so I ended up stabbing my fake nail through the fabric of the zipper and ripping my way out.
When I was asked to be a part of 'The Face,' I was like, 'This is exactly what I do without cameras.' I didn't find it any different than what I usually do for young girls - giving runway tips or just explaining how the whole industry works - but now you have, like, 19 cameras on you, documenting you while you scratch your nose.
I didn't know anything about fashion. You would see me in the biggest sweater with jeans or the tightest elastic pants. Not nice clothes. My mom took me a lot to consignment stores when I was younger, and I never really got to go to fancy high-class stores, so... vintage was like a step up.
My wedding dress is a piece of art that I'll treasure forever. It was designed and created by Zac Posen. I gave him only the tiniest bit of direction when he started, and the end product was more beautiful than anything I could have imagined.
I'm not fussy.
Don't have just anyone run your social media. I think it's insane when brands or celebrities relegate their social media to an intern or someone who does not know them well.
Having worked with many of the world's top modeling agencies for the last decade, I've seen what works and doesn't work in managing a model's career.
If you think of any past artist, there was something that they looked at that inspired them to make their most famous pieces, whether it be the 'Mona Lisa' or 'Venus Rising.'
When I first started modeling, I had the chance to walk the runway with Naomi passing by me, but I didn't know anything about supermodels. But when I saw her backstage, she complimented me on my walk, and I thought she was so nice - everyone was freaking out that I didn't know who she was.