Yahoo Lifestyle Jessica Gomes On Body Image And Being A Bond Girl
Jessica walks the runway at the David Jones 2014 autumn/winter launch. Photo: Getty Images.
Can you tell us which new season trends you’re loving at the moment?
I’m loving the trench coat and the pencil skirt this season. It’s a look that’s very Kim Kardashian! I also love the animal and leopard print dresses. The Zimmermann leopard-print dress that I come out in is just beautiful!
Tailoring is also big this season – I think trousers and pantsuits will take centre stage. Having said that though, there are so many dresses I’m drooling over.
What goes through your head when you’re walking down the runway?
I pretend I’m a Bond woman. I get my inner Sacha Fierce out! I just channel Beyonce. You’ve got to own it when you’re out there and be confident and stand out. You have to be comfortable in your own skin and give out a positive energy; I think that’s what people want to see.
You live in LA now: do you ever get star struck, and if so, by whom?
No, not really actually! I was recently at the awards and I got to meet Geoffrey Rush and Cate Blanchett. I was a bit star struck about Cate, but she’s so nice and humble that it’s difficult to see her as a big movie star. Plus you see celebrities all the time in LA, so it’s not such a big deal.
…But Beyonce is definitely breathtaking, when I met her I was like..’ahhhh’. She was so nice!
You have a strong social media presence: how do you think it’s helped (or hindered) your career? What do you like about it?
It’s definitely helped a lot, because my fans get to relate to me and I get to post things that I actually want to. I control what I post, so it’s not just about the jobs that I do, or the work that I put out there. It really gets people to understand what I do with my life – for instance I’ve started the #gomesfit hashtag which has really encouraged people to talk about health etc...
Yeah, can you tell us more about that?
Well, I was in competition with Jason (Dundas, a fellow David Jones ambassador) because he has the #dundasfit hashtag (laughs). We were fighting to see who could get the most ripped up for the show! So that’s how it all started. I love it though. It motivates me and makes me want to be healthy. Hopefully I'm encouraging my followers as well.
We’re running a campaign on body image in the latest issue of marie claire. The pretense is that the average woman doesn’t learn to love her body until she’s 45: what do you make of that?
45?! Woah! I think that’s terrible. That’s really sad. We should all love our bodies. I have to say I love mine more and more as I get older. I think when you’re a teenager, you don’t really appreciate what you have or your sexuality, whereas when you get older and grow into things a bit more, you can see that your body is really quite an amazing thing.
What are your thoughts on the mentality that women can/can’t have it all?
I think I’m at that place in my career right now...where everything is going really well professionally, but personally things are in the gutter (laughs). No I absolutely love where I’m at, but I can see how it’s difficult. I do think you can have it all, but it’s about finding a very fine balance.
For me personally, I’m just enjoying what I’m doing because I know it’s not going to last forever, so I always have that at the forefront of my mind.
Four fast questions:
My favourite band is... Mumford & Sons.
My go-to beauty product is... Anything SK-II.
If I wasn’t a model I would be... A fashion designer.
My celebrity crush is... Can I say Beyonce?!
Jessica supports the marie claire #WhyWait campaign.
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David Jones autumn/winter 2014 collection launch
