Lindsey Pelas is a women who wields beauty, brains, and a bold personality with grace. She got her Bachelors in History from Louisiana State University before moving to Los Angeles. Since moving she has been seen in the pages of GQ, Glamour, Playboy, Maxim, and her own calendar WET. Outside of modeling she has a podcast called Eyes Up Here where she delves into empowering, insightful, hot topics all with a comedic touch. Lindsey has also teamed up with Playboy Playmate of the Year, reality superstar Jayde Nicole and other boss businesswomen to open Suger Taco - a new restaurant on Melrose which will be mostly-women-owned and operated. They plan to serve plant-based, sustainable, good for you/the world dishes. Lindsey uses her many platforms to challenge the idea of what a bombshell beauty is capable off. We met up with Lindsey for a quick Polaroid shoot and she could not possibly be a sweeter human being. Continue reading to know her views on feminism, how new models can stay safe, her many ventures, and more.

What does empowerment mean to you?

That’s tough. Empowerment is such a strong word. I find it incredibly self-congratulatory

when people claim they “empower women.” I’m a bit of a word-nerd

so the casualness and ease of throwing that phrase around has always

irritated me. I’m personally empowered by people who are honest. People who

have courage. People who take a lot of heat from society to tell the truth about

their lives and experiences. I find empowerment in a lot of people, places and

things. It’s not my place to decide how I empower others, if I do.

What does feminism mean to you?

I’ve been a feminist since I was a little girl. As soon as I learned the word I

thought “yup I’m one of those.” When I was so young, I always complained about

ridiculous gender standards. I was pissed when my brother had a later curfew

than me because he was a boy. I was pissed when I tried out for a cheer-leading

team and learned I couldn’t speak to football players, or I’d be kicked off the team.

I was pissed when I had to kneel in front of other students to make sure my

school skirt touched the floor. I knew that so many of my experiences were whack

and unfair from the start. Feminism is life without the “whackness.” The world will

be so much greater when we just realize that women can do this sh*t too. We

can do it and do it well.

What does beauty mean to you?

There is beauty in everything and everyone. We’ve all got our gifts and we’ve all

got our flaws. For years, my Instagram bio has said “genetically gifted,” but the

presence of genetic gifts isn't the absence of genetic flaws. We’ve got both, but

life is about celebrating the former.

How do you balance work involving beauty, brains, and branding?

I just do my best. I know that some people are determined to misunderstand me

so, I just focus my energy on those who aren’t.

How can new models in the industry stay safe?

You can stay safe by setting firm boundaries, taking assistants to shoots and

locations, asking for many references, checking your own references. I still

encounter people and situations that make me uncomfortable. It’s important to

also, always have enough money or means to get yourself home or to a hotel if

you’re ever traveling for modeling jobs. Do not rely on others.

Business advice for young women?

There is no reason you can’t do it just as much as the man or woman next to

you. You are absolutely, fully capable. Most people in business are not special or

fantastic, they just had the audacity to think they could do it. Mistakes and

challenges are normal for all of us.

You own your own beauty with hashtags like genetically gifted. What

was the process of finding that confidence and using it to your own advantage?

I had naturally large breasts since I was young. I’m a petite, fit woman and

they’ve always been a topic of conversation in my life. It feels like the world

would prefer I hide them or change my taste in clothing and attitude but I

refuse. I like who I am, and I like what I’ve been given. I think confidence

about my appearance is one thing, but my true, unwavering confidence

comes from much deeper sources. Heartbreak, supporting myself

financially since I was 18, moving away from home, graduating from

college while I worked three jobs. I’m happy that I can share that

confidence to the world.

Your podcast “eyes up here” cover a wide range of relevant topics

and hosts a wide range of guests. How do you go about selecting

topics and curating guests?

I plan the show all by myself. Scripts, guests, topics, everything! I love the

idea of breaking social stigmas and I’m inspired by so many people and

topics. There is so much, as humans, that we’ve get totally wrong about

each other! My mission is to change that. I hope that listening to my show

gets people to stop judging books by their covers.

Your opening a restaurant this spring/summer. Can you tell us more

about it?

Yes! I’m so excited to be an investor in a new plant-based restaurant on

Melrose, Sugar Taco! We are a women-owned business in the heart of

West Hollywood. It’s environmentally-friendly, earth-conscious and the food

is AMAZING. I plan on spending all of my time there. Haha.

What was your favorite shoot for your upcoming calendar?

The entire thing was so much fun to shoot! It’s hard to decide. I’m already

planning next year’s!

Model: Lindsey Pelas @LindseyPelas

Photo: Weslee Kate @wesleekatecreative