First, can you tell us a little bit about the Sports Illustrated anniversary issue that was released last week?
“50 Years of Beautiful” is the title. I did the 25th anniversary issue, and now I’m in the 50th anniversary issue. There were only 31 of us [cover models] over 50 years. It’s a very small group. I am so flattered to be part of that group because, who knows why? Nobody knows. Everybody goes on the photo-shoot trip hoping to get the cover, but nobody knows why or when or how they get it.
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Do you feel like you're a mentor for younger models?
I actually asked to lecture the models. The industry kind of turned me down, and I was disappointed in that. There are many girls that are way too thin, and they can stay thin if they’re treating themselves well. I think that’s very important. At the shoot, a lot of girls asked me [about my lifestyle]. When you see models in person, it’s a whole different story [from in magazines]. In pictures everybody’s retouched. You don’t know what’s real. People look at you in person without your makeup on and they can tell that nothing [cosmetic] has been done.
Speaking of retouching, I know post-production effects have changed a lot in the past 25 years. How was it when you were modeling?
It was called airbrushing, but it left a shadow. So, if they wanted to make me thinner in a picture and they airbrushed it, you would see the shadow. Everybody knew, so it was not sneaky at all. When I did Playboy for my 49th birthday, I wanted to show that I would not be here and I would not look like this if it hadn’t been for raw food. Part of my contract with Playboy – and it’s not about being naked because I’m not that kind of person, and I’ve never been naked [for a shoot] in my life – was no retouching. [With Photoshop] they can do anything. They can stretch your legs; they can stretch your body to the Barbie body. I’m not built that way. I have little tufts and wrinkles, and I wanted everything to be shown in a nice light. But, I still wanted people to know that was a real woman, a real body.
Right, so you're very vocal in the health community. And, you’ve been eating a raw diet since the 1990s, correct?
Yeah, since I was 34 years old. 1996. I’ve never looked back. I have too much information; I can’t turn back. Every day I say thank you to God and the universe for conspiring to bring me this information because it’s changed my life, and it’s given me a purpose.
What did you find when you changed your diet? How did it alter your energy levels?
I could eat for the first time in my life, and not just eat, but eat guilt-free. I’m a model; I was starving myself to lose weight. In fact, I’d eat a potato and I’d gain weight. When I started eating raw food, I realized I could eat as much as I wanted, whenever I wanted, as long as it was prepared in the right way for my body. My body could utilize it, get rid of what it didn’t need, use what it could, and I could maintain my weight.