Interview with Ashley Carpenter — Full Time Mom and Model
Ashley Carpenter is a 28-year old model residing in Cadillac, Michigan.
How would you introduce yourself to our readers?
I was born in Detroit, MI and raised in Macomb, MI, by my grandparents. I have a twin sister, and three younger brothers. During High School I was a cheerleader, and always worked in the restaurant and bar industry, starting at the age of 14 as a Hostess at Big Boys. I’ve worked at numerous restaurants as a waitress and once I turned 18, I started my career at Hooters, where I’ve worked at 5 different units across the United States.
I’ve lived in southern California the last 8 years of my life, and 6 months ago moved back to Michigan. I love outdoor and adventurous things, including horseback riding, motocross, anything on a dirt bike really, wake boarding, boating, tubing, really anything in the water. I love traveling the world… Venice, Italy; Budapest, Hungary; Prague, Czech Republic; The Maldives, are some of my favorites. I’ve stopped in Tokyo, Singapore, Moscow, Malé… I am internationally scuba certified, and am very excited to continue working to become a dive master. I have two beautiful children, my son is 6 and my daughter is almost 4, and I am married to the love of my life, we met at 14 years old. We’ve been married for 8 years!
When, how and why did you first get involved in the modeling industry?
I’ve always wanted to be a model, ever since I was a little girl. I know it sounds very cliché, but it’s so true. I’ve never really been one to be camera shy, and used to make home videos on my grandfather’s video camera of my sister and I “rapping” to Eminem… embarrassing, I know, but I have just always loved being in front of the camera. I started modeling when I was 18, and when I moved to California, the door to the modeling world really opened up for me.
What are your personal and professional goals? Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?
You know, I’ve always wanted to be in Maxim, and Playboy… but I’m also the girl who loves Tattoos, and tattoos don’t take you that route in the modeling world. I’ve always wanted to walk runway shows like Victoria’s secret, but again, tattoos, and the fact that I’m about 3 inches too short for runway… That didn’t really go my way either. I also love Motocross and have always wanted to be a Monster Energy girl for Supercross. I’m still aiming for that! Professional goals though… I’m about to start nursing school… in 5-10 years, I see myself with my ADN or BSN, working in a great hospital taking care of people. Hopefully between now and then, I will have more published accomplishments and can retire from the modeling world happy with the work I have done.
How often are you modeling and what does it usually consist of?
I model whenever I get a shoot I’m into. I don’t typically do Tf shoots, I am a paid and published model. If someone contacts me for a shoot or project, saying “Hey, we love your look, we want to book you, and have a plane ticket for you ready and waiting if you say yes” then I’m there. It’s not just a job for me, it really is a passion and fun for me. I will shoot almost anything, but I will not do erotic and fetish modeling, since that’s all a weird realm for me. I will do tasteful nudes, and I have, I’m very comfortable in my own skin. I find I get booked for a lot of lingerie and bikini shoots and projects though.
Please tell us about the best and/or worst experiences you’ve had so far in modeling.
The best project to date, I’d have to say was when Chevy Hardcore contacted me to do a shoot for them, which was fun, it was in Temecula, CA. It was super windy that day so a lot of the shots my hair is flying around and it was like we had a giant fan making my hair all glamorous, when really, it was just super windy. I got lost on the way there and got pulled over, and the policeman escorted me to my shoot, so that was a different way to make an entrance. I’d have to say my worst shoot was my very first shoot, when I was contacted by this “photographer” and he wanted to do a shoot at this nudist resort. He said it was because obviously it being a place where people can roam freely naked, we could get implied and nude shots, if I was comfortable, without getting into trouble.
I was 18 and super naive, and agreed even though I wasn’t really sure I wanted to do this shoot. I checked out his portfolio when he contacted me and they didn’t look like awful shots, but they weren’t very edited and seemed very amateur. I still went ahead with it though, thinking if I didn’t do it, I never would, and who was I to be picky, it was my very first shoot ever. I went, and we started in the pool, and that part was fine, but towards the end of the shoot, it almost seemed like he was just aiming for porno looking shots, and it made me very uncomfortable so I was pretty much done with the shoot at that point. I always said after that shoot I would never do nude shoots again, and now look at me. Haha.
Have you had anything funny, embarrassing or completely out of the ordinary happen during your modeling career?
Sometimes I bring an escort to a shoot, usually if it’s a shoot at a residence and I’ve never worked with the photographer. You never know with the things going on in the world, and I’m a firm believer in being safe than sorry. So I bring my friend at the time to this shoot at this residence and I’m nude for the shoot… and during break at one point, she throws on some heels, and comes on the screen with me and the photographer thought it was really funny, so here my friend is trying to pose and he is taking goofy pictures just having fun, and then she bites my nipple. And he actually got a picture of it, and it was probably a first for him to have a model’s friend just randomly kind of crash the shoot for a few minutes, but it was all fun and he was a good sport about it.
Is there anything you would change about the modeling industry if you could?
If I had ultimate power to change parts of the modeling industry I absolutely would put restrictions for models with tattoos. I’m heavily inked up and because of that, it stops me from higher end fashion shoots and projects. I’d also drop the height requirement for runway to 5’5″ so I could walk in runway shows.
Do you practice any sports and what do you typically eat? Please elaborate on the importance of nutrition and exercise in your life.
Again, I’m very into active things like wake boarding and scuba diving, and motocross. I am kind of a stickler when it comes to how I look, especially weight wise, but I don’t shy away from any foods, I love food, and I love to eat. Bar food is my favorite, and I like to drink, so I tend to put a lot of bad stuff into my body. I’m not against eating healthy at all, and I love fruit and Vegetables.
Just being a mom with two children is a lot easier to eat the bad stuff and fat filled stuff rather than trying to make super healthy food all the time. So because I like to keep my weight under control, and always try to look and feel my best, I literally went out and bought gym equipment about a week ago and have started a home gym in my basement. That way I’m more in control and when the kids go to bed, I have no excuse on why I can’t go work out for 2 hours.
Please share something people don’t know about you.
I hunt. A lot of people perceive me as the girly girl, because I like to have my nails done, and wear heels and dresses and go tanning, and have hair extensions. But I really have no problem getting down and dirty, with no makeup, wearing camouflage and killing Bambi to put meat in my freezer to feed my family. I was always up north on my family’s farm during the summers driving tractors and plowing fields with my grandpa… cutting, splitting, and stacking wood all day, tending the garden, planting corn in the field, bailing hay and stacking that. To be honest, I love all the girly things, but I’d choose my cowboy boots over my heels any day.
Would you change anything about yourself?
I would love to be back to my high school weight at 115, but realistically, that would never happen, and I am comfortable in my body now, I am learning to love my curves and be content with that. I definitely would change my patience though, because I have zero.
Where is the weirdest place you’ve ever peed?
I went golfing one day and I was obviously drinking. I didn’t want to drive all the way back to the club to go to the bathroom, and my husband kept telling me that we were really close to a bathroom. I literally just couldn’t even take it anymore, and when we got to the next hole, I pulled my skirt down on the cart path, and peed right there. He was like “you’re joking right?” and I was like “When you have to go, you have to go.”
Visit Ashley Carpenter’s website for more photos and information
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