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Interview with Emily (Stringing Him Along) — Violinist, Model and Computer Nerd

Emily (Stringing Him Along) is a 25-year old model residing in Orlando, Florida.

How would you introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Emily Dwyer, and I am a motley crew of artistic personalities. I work full time as a computer geek doing tech support, and teach violin part time at Sam Ash. I’m originally from upstate New York -go Mets!- but moved to Florida when I was pretty wee. I come from a single parent household and admire my mother very much, as she has single-handedly played both the maternal and paternal roles in my life. I attended Stetson University for a double major in Violin Performance and Music Technology. Music is a huge part of my life, as is poetry. I guess one could say I’m a Renaissance Woman with penis envy, but the envy is really only motivated by the lack of gender norms and equality in society. Oh, I also like to make people laugh. Whether or not I succeed is another story.

When, how and why did you first get involved in the modeling industry?

I knew a lot of creepers with cameras -I’m only partially joking-. I also had a lot of artsy friends with big ideas. I think a lot it was motivated by the fact that modeling is a kind of artistic egomania. Art in general is very egotistical. Maybe I’m a legit terrible person and wanted to stare at pictures of myself and go, “Damn, I look good.” I’d like to think I’m not one of those people, though so many models are. If anything, I always felt awkward and needed encouragement to not feel gangly and magoo- and what better place to go for hordes of creepers than Florida? I’m not very good at answering these questions without sounding like an asshole. Musicians are total tools. I suck. But aren’t you intrigued?!

Emily posing on a bedWhat are your personal and professional goals? Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?

Some personal goals of mine are to release a solo album, publish a book of poetry, and own a Pomeranian. I’m probably most seriously about the last goal, since I might or might not be obsessed with fur people. In the future, I see myself continuing to live in the present and not sweating the “could be”s and the “have not”s. How’s that for a douchey answer? I’m just full of them. And wit. And other charming qualities.

How often are you modeling and what does it usually consist of?

I used to model a lot more, but being in a band takes up a good amount of my time on weekends. I also still try to practice my classical repertoire every day to keep my chops polished. I model during daily selfie blowouts, if that counts. But honestly, I’m more into paid gigs after signing with a modeling company and getting my first national commercial recently. I’ll gladly do TFP shoots, but only with professional photographers. I don’t want blown out pixelation, weird shadows, or to look like a basic bitch in any sense. I’m pretty short IRL, so I’ve only done a few runway gigs- I’m more of a studio model. I have been in numerous music videos, which are always a bang. Photogs are usually either completely for or against my tattoos. To me, my body mod choices are tight and tasteful; I don’t get down with the pretension of “you ruined your body” attitudes. Ruined it for what, my chances at having to starve myself for your summer look book? #hatersgonnahate

Please tell us about the best and/or worst experiences you’ve had so far in modeling.

There is a straight laundry list of the worst experiences. I’ve been propositioned flat out, asked to get naked for “test shots”, asked to do “only ten seconds” of porn… recently, some reject started texting me directly about personal things, implying he wanted to ask me out. I told him I wasn’t interested and wanted to keep our exchanges professional and then he called me a psycho. That was pretty cute… not. In terms of the best, the commercial I shot recently was loads of fun. Also working with my friends in the RO Project for Lavola’s album art was a blast. Working with professional, intelligent, creative people makes everything better.

Emily face closeupIs there anything you would change about the modeling industry if you could?

I wish tattoos on women would be accepted and considered beautiful. I’m not sure why this is even still an issue in 2015; but then again, if America can’t even legalize gay marriage in the 21st century, I’d say we’re a little ethically and culturally behind. I also don’t support the inhumane practices of acquiring fur, leather, suede, and anything else directly from an animal which is often prevalent in the fashion industry.

Do you practice any sports and what do you typically eat? Please elaborate on the importance of nutrition and exercise in your life.

I am strictly a vegetarian. I have never liked meat, and I don’t support the meat industry whatsoever. I used to be a pescetarian, but felt hypocritical and cut fish out too. I also don’t drink milk, but substitute soy milk in its place. I am a huge animal rights advocate and could never revert to a meat diet. And yes, I would gladly starve on an island or in a post-apocalyptic society where meat was the only available food source. If it has a heart beat, my heart bleeds… and I gag because mentally, I can’t handle ever eating a creature that was once alive.

Please share something people don’t know about you.

I can eat a bag of cheddar and sour cream Ruffles in one sitting and not gain weight. In fact, it’s pretty hard for me to gain weight in general. Oh, Ruffles are my favorite, and I’m actually eating them as I type this. Is that pretty cool and interesting? I thought it was. Oh, I won a poetry contest once and got to study in Portugal for two weeks. I think my winning poem was a love sonnet to Ruffles. Maaaaaaaybe.

Would you change anything about yourself?

I’m doing a pretty good job about changing the things about me that I wanted to change, like going blonde and getting additional tattoos. There’s no point in adopting a defeatist attitude about personality traits. If I don’t like something about myself, I work on it and come to terms with it so I can be a better person.

Do you have any fears or phobias?

I fear stupid people. Just kidding. I do have a phobia about dealing with not-so-smart, not-so-informed individuals, though. I definitely have a bit of a hang up about germs and being clean. I have an irrational fear of being abandoned. I also despise ants. Like, phobia to the max over ants. I’d rather fart into a microphone on live television than do some stupid Fear Factor shit with ants crawling on me. Seriously.

Visit Emily (Stringing Him Along)’s website for more photos and information