Photography by Fabien Montique

MIA KHALIFA

Content Creator, Jewelry Designer, and Activist

The former adult film star has shown us what it means to reinvent oneself in the Internet age. Her next chapter runs the gamut: She’s a politically outspoken content creator, jewelry designer, and activist

NAME AN INFLUENCE OF YOURS THAT MIGHT SURPRISE PEOPLE. Food! I’m so inspired by fine dining—the architecture, the design, the storytelling in the menu, the ceramics, and then the actual food, which is usually an extension of the chef’s nostalgia. It inspires and excites me. Connecting with your inner child is the cheat code to creativity.

IF YOU COULD ATTRIBUTE YOUR SUCCESS TO A SINGLE QUALITY, WHAT WOULD IT BE? My ability to not take doors slamming in my face personally!

“"Sometimes I can see it on their face: the shift and the guilt of their preconceived notions."”

WHAT’S ONE BOOK, WORK OF ART, OR FILM THAT GOT YOU THROUGH AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN YOUR LIFE? American Idiot by Green Day informed who I was going to be as a person at the ripe age of 12. It got me through so much angst and, no matter the stage of my life, has continued to teach me about myself and the world.

WHAT’S SOMETHING PEOPLE GET WRONG ABOUT YOU? Almost everything, and then they feel bad after they meet me. Sometimes I can see it on their face: the shift and the guilt of their preconceived notions.

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