Ella Halikas did not flinch when she was asked to strip down to nothing but lingerie and angel wings on the streets of West Hollywood.
The Sports Illustrated Swimsuit model and body positivity activist recently went viral on TikTok for channeling her inner Victoria’s Secret Angel in a daring shoot with photographer Henry Jimenez Kerbox. The former Swim Search finalist is known for recreating the looks of thinner stars on social media.
“I thought we [needed] to shoot and recreate a Victoria’s Secret fashion show catwalk, but on my body with my lingerie,” Halikas told Fox News Digital. The model pointed out she was inspired by veteran Angels Adriana Lima and Candice Swanepoel.
“I think at first you kind of overthink it,” she chuckled. “When reality hits, you’re like, ‘What am I doing? Oh my God, I’m in… the street wearing lingerie in the middle of West Hollywood. What is going on?’ I think after a while though, I got to a point where you just black out. You black out the noise [and] you zone into… why you’re doing this.”
Ella Halikas said she was inspired by veteran Angels Candice Swanepoel, left, and Adriana Lima, right. (Getty Images)
“I think everything that we do, or everything that I do specifically, goes back to my why,” she continued. “Like why am I doing this? It’s not for the attention, it’s not for that. It’s simply to show that you can be healthy and happy in a size 14, living and existing in a bigger body while still being extremely confident.”
Halikas noted that while she received an overwhelming response from shocked viewers, “99 percent were positive.”
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Ella Halikas was photographed on the streets of West Hollywood. (Henry Jimenez Kerbox)
“I didn’t really hear anyone saying anything nasty, which was surprising,” she shared. “Online, I’ll get hate comments, but in person, of course, it’s all positive – everyone wants to hide behind their keyboards. But I think everyone was very, very positive… If I dove deeper into the comments, I’m sure there’s some hate in there. There’s some like, ‘Put your clothes on,’ or, ‘What are you doing?’
“There was one comment like, ‘Why do we need to be half-naked to get attention?’ But that’s not the point. The point was to recreate a Victoria’s Secret Angel runway show but on the street. So it is bold. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea. Some people aren’t going to like it and they can look away. But overall, the majority of the comments were super uplifting and very emotional like, ‘I needed to see this today. I can’t stop watching this. You killed it. This made me so happy.’”
Ella Halikas walked the runway during the 2021 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show during Paraiso Miami Beach at Mondrian South Beach on July 10, 2021, in Miami. (Getty Images)
However, being a curvy model comes with its challenges. In November, Halikas and fellow model Alexa Jay alleged they were denied entry from Los Angeles club The Highlight Room due to their size. A spokesperson for Tao Group Hospitality, the parent company of the venue, announced in a statement that they were “aware of Ella and Alexa’s experience and are actively engaged with them to discuss the incident further.”
“We are always appreciative of feedback on our operations and continue to work on how to improve our guest experience,” said the spokesperson at the time. “Our company does not tolerate discrimination of any kind.”
Ella Halikas poses backstage for the 2021 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Runway Show during Paraiso Miami Beach at Mondrian South Beach on July 10, 2021, in Miami. (Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated)
“I’m not going to try and scream from the rooftops, ‘See me, appreciate me because I’m curvier,’” she said. “I’m just not going to do it anymore. I stay silent, but I will speak on it in interviews and podcasts to push that message out there. But we’ve got a long way to go.”
“I want to make it clear, I’m never against someone wanting to get on their own health and fitness journey,” she shared. “If you want to lose weight, great, I’m never going to knock that. What I do think becomes a problem is why we’re constantly trying to make ourselves smaller to feel worthy, to feel seen, to feel beautiful… That’s what I’m trying to break.”
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Ella Halikas hopes her photo shoot will inspire others to celebrate their bodies. (Henry Jimenez Kerbox)
“You can be happy, confident, healthy, take care of yourself… live in a bigger body and love your skin,” Halikas continued. “Everyone’s best self and most beautiful self looks different on everybody. And for me right now, that’s me being a size 14. To someone else, it’s a size 6 or 16, 20, or 2. It just depends on the person… I’m just really trying to shift people’s perspectives.”
