Model Interview: Ruby Reckage

Stephanie Quates Photography

TAMD: What's the story behind your alias?

Ruby Reckage: I named myself Ruby Reckage because the obviousness that my life has been one wreckage after another. As most humans go through. My name is Ruby, which is jewel, which sometimes symbolizes beauty. I find even in the most horrific tragedies there's a glimmer of beauty, or a glimmer of hope. Like a wreck on the highway, you can't seem to look away. So I took that "w" off and made the reckage my own.

TAMD: You're new to modeling, how has your experience been so far?

RR: I have to constantly remind myself why I started doing it and that I cannot, and WILL NOT, look like all other models. That I need to stick to being me, because that's how I love myself, and why others love me. So, it's been a bittersweet experience. I'm still learning.

TAMD: What, in your opinion, sets you apart from the other models out there today?

RR: I guess its the concepts I choose to work on. I've been blessed enough that I've had photographers that let me explore my ideas and translate them to a photo. It seems what sets me apart is not necessarily my physical looks, but my creativity. I even had a photographer say he didn't know how you would label the type of photography we were attempting. That's exactly what I want; I don't want to be defined or categorized.

TAMD: Are there any styles or genres you're are looking to shoot in?

RR: I just like the "out there" shit. I like photos that make a statement, send some sort of message, and don't feature me in what feels like a beauty pageant.

TAMD: Would you agree that modeling is becoming more and more about looks and "assets" than actual talent?

RR: To an extent, yes, very much so. But, I can also see things taking a turn and making a change. I think people are honestly getting sick of the same type of female or male being featured in the buff. Average is making its' come back. 

TAMD: What are somethings people would never guess about you?

RR: That I don't like people who guess things about me. Haha! Seriously, if people are guessing then they aren't living to their full potential. We were taught to ask when we didn't understand something, not judge, or even make an educated guess. Just ask, and get your answer. I'm a very open person about my pleasures and pains. I'm an open book. If someones guessing, then they either don't pay attention, or they simply don't know. In that case, just ask.

TAMD: What are some of your pleasures, and some of your pains? 

RR: Well if we're getting dirty here, my pleasures are anything sexual all the time. I have a dirty mind and I very much so use it. I wouldn't consider myself ruled by pleasure. I definitely have learned to control my very eager urges, however I'm not burying them for dead either. I especially enjoy objectifying men. It gives me pleasure to watch them feel like a piece of meat the same way they do many of us ladies, and it, in fact, makes them feel insecure. I know that I for sure have the gift of sexual stare and I use it to my benefit. My pains however aren't really dirty. To be honest I don't have any direct pain. My life is very good now, because I decided to rid myself of people and things that created a negative and painful atmosphere. The only pain I have now is worldly. War, poverty, hunger, sickness, and especially overall hatred, somethings that can never really be changed.

Stephanie Quates Photography

TAMD: Does being a mother affect the types of shoots you do, or are going to do? 

RR: Yes being a mother DOES effect the shoots I've done and will do. Obviously it effects a lot of things. I have to be careful what I am suggesting in each photo, not just what body parts I am showing. I break my own rules sometimes though, because I am an adult, and I make my own choices. I just make sure, if I break my own rules, that it's a choice that won't be completely hypocritical later in their lives.

TAMD: Tell us about the photos featured here. 

RR: In these photos we were going for 'Bride of Frankenstein' meets 'Gentle Monster' meets 'Escape'. We weren't necessarily telling a story. Just trying to convey a different approach to a female monster.

TAMD: Is there anything you would like to add or promote?

RR: Promote or add??? You don't have to be a perfect skinny girl, or a perfect "fat" girl to be a model. You could be like me, medium sized, 5 ft tall, with a big nose; what matters is that your enthusiastic, come up with good ideas and concepts, and work as hard as the photographers do. Put everything into the things you do.