Newly-engaged model Anja Rubik talked to Frockwriter about the Pirelli calendar and posing nude. She revealed that she turned down an offer to pose for the tire company's 2010 calendar, which was shot by arguably-pervy photographer Terry Richardson -- but she did strip down for this year's version put together by Karl Lagerfeld.
FW: Obviously there has been a lot of controversy over Terry Richardson's modus operandi of late.
AR: Yeah I know, but to be honest I know him, I've shot with him many times. And I think he's great. I never felt uncomfortable, I never thought he pushed me into anything. I think if a girl, like, leaves her green light that she's open to doing different things, he maybe pushes the boundaries. And if he knows how the girl is. Like I don't get all these allegations. I mean I worked with him over, I don't know, 15 times and I never felt awkward.....that I felt I had to do something.FW: So why turn down a "dream" opportunity to do the Pirelli calendar just because he was shooting it?
AR: Only because I know he would push it a little bit more, in a way that would be very naked and I know that I wouldn't go there probably. So that's why it was stupid to accept the challenge because I thought I wouldn't be capable. And you think...how it's going to come out, because he has a different kind of take of that, a little bit more on the edge of, you know, I don't want to say vulgar but on the very, very slight edge of it. There were supposed to be a lot of girls and he likes to shoot a lot of girls with girls and I just didn't think I'd feel comfortable, that's why.FW: But there is so much nudity in fashion photography now, how did you manage to make it to this year's Pirelli calendar without having ever done any nude photography?
AR: Well I did do topless, but I had never done full-on nude. You say no, I guess. It's a very individual thing. I didn't feel comfortable, earlier, before. To be honest, I kind of felt very comfortable with my body and my self actually quite recently, like four or five years ago, I started to feel really good. I had a huge change when I cut my hair, I started feeling more and more feminine and more comfortable with my body and everything. And now just felt like the right time to do it. Always [if] they ask you and you feel comfortable, you say yes. I mean I did do nude ...[hard to hear] from the side, but I would always have strings and they would retouch them out.
The woman does know what she's talking about -- she posed (clothed) for Terry for Mango's fall/winter ad campaign, and it turned out well, overexposed lighting and all. So it's good to know she has a good -- a beautiful -- head on her shoulders.
Head over to Frockwriter to read what else Anja had to say about her career, the pressure to be thin and deaths in the industry.