Ocean Drive caught up with Victoria's Secret Angel Leomie Anderson at the brand’s private 1 Hotel South Beach penthouse party.
Last week, Victoria’s Secret
Congrats on getting your Victoria’s Secret wings! What was your reaction when you found out that you have the title of VS Angel?
LEOMIE ANDERSON: When my agents told me, I thought it was a prank! I was shocked, surprised and cried a little bit. I’ve been modeling for 11 years and this is such a huge achievement and an iconic title. I’m so very grateful for this opportunity.
What is your favorite part about the Victoria’s Secret brand?
LA: Victoria’s Secret really celebrates everyone being themselves and showing their personalities. I’ve been in other situations where the brand makes it more about them as opposed to you shining and showing your personality. I love the fact that Victoria's Secret is the champion of unique characters and encourages us to be ourselves.
What do you love the most about the new Incredible Bra?
LA: Some bras you feel the wire cutting into you, but not with any Victoria’s Secret bra, and especially the Incredible Bra. It has a padded underwire made with a very unique side-smoothing technology, so when you’re wearing your little bodycon dress, you don’t have to worry about wrinkles on the side. It keeps you very situated and it’s so comfortable that you don’t even really realize that you’re wearing it.
When you’re visiting in Miami, where can we find you hanging out?
LA: Last year I went to Rolling Loud. My boyfriend, Lancey Foux, will perform next month as the first U.K. artist at the festival. But to be honest, when I’m in Miami I just love being at the beach and taking really cute photos. Everywhere here is a cute photo moment! And I love the 1 Hotel, they have an amazing frosé. To me, Miami is a really cool place with a lot of energy to it.
You’re also a passionate activist for women. Tell us more about it, and your brand LAPP.
LA: I used to have my own personal blog and one of my followers asked me to write a piece on consent and the pressure that young girls are under to send explicit images. I’d never written anything about that previously, but I felt like I had a duty to because I have so many young women who are following me. When I posted that open letter to young girls telling them that they can be themselves and not bow to the pressures of society or guys, it went viral. I realized that I can actually say something that has a purpose, get traction on it and get people speaking on something I’m passionate about. But, I realized that I could only really speak on my own experiences. So I thought, “Why not start my own platform?” Now I have the LAPP (Leomie Anderson The Project The Purpose) brand. It has a blog aspect where women can write about anything from sex, relationships and mental health, and the clothing aspect, which is like a mix of athelsure and other capsule collections. I wanted to create a platform that allows women to find information on a variety of subjects, for women by women. I realized that I have all these young girls following me, and I didn’t want to just post a selfie. I knew that this was where I could use my strength to speak and write for a better good.
What’s the most important piece of advice you give to your younger female followers?
LA: In a world that is often telling young women or girls that they need to shrink themselves or be submissive or act a certain way to be accepted —I tell them, no! You need to be unapologetically yourself. You need to shout from the rooftops, be confident and strong and walk into a room and have that presence about you. Don’t worry about what people think. Be true to yourself, accept who you are and put that out there. And don’t be afraid of people feeling uncomfortable because you’re confident in yourself. Own your confidence!
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