Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor
⤏ IN CONVERSATION WITH LAUREN KRUZ
⤏ PHOTOS BY MEYREM BULUCEK
⤏ ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED MARCH 2019
Atlanta de Cadenet Taylor is thriving these days. Over the last two years she has evolved in a big way. She created a platform of advocacy for young women addressing mental health and sexual assault (among other important issues), she launched a body-positive swimsuit line for busty babes, and she created a killer podcast. It’s taken a lot of self-work and healing to get here. She gave me a glimpse into the journey.
LAUREN: Sexual assault is one of the main pillars of your platform and I wonder what led you to this focus?
ATLANTA: Being sexually assaulted myself. I knew I had a platform and I wanted to use it.
L: Did you blame yourself? Is there something that you want other survivors to know that you know now?
A: Of course I did! I don’t know anyone who doesn’t go through that stage when dealing with rape. It’s pretty normal, unfortunately. I would say that it does get easier, and you will get through it , but also to honor all the feelings that will come up and not try to run away from them.
L: Last year you started a podcast, I’m Over It. What inspired the name and what’s one of your favorite episodes to date?
A: The name came from one of my favorite sayings, which is just, “I’M OVER IT!” I feel like it perfectly describes a feeling I — too often — have when confronted with the BS of life. When I started the podcast I was struggling with where I was in my life, and was so confused about so many things! I just felt like I was over dealing with honestly…everything. [Laughs] I really can’t pick a favorite episode! They’re all so great in their own ways. I love them all and have learned something from EVERY single one of them.
L: What other topics do you cover?
A: I try to cover literally EVERYTHING. As much as I talk about the “heavier” stuff — medication, abortion, rape, bullying, drugs — I also like to talk about the fluffier things, too. Like bad dates, The Spice Girls, hating cardio, and friendship.
L: Your mom is also a champion for women worldwide. It seems like dating rock stars runs in the fam, yeah?
A: [Laughs] Well honestly I really tried my hardest to NOT end up with a musician. I actually told myself for years, “You will not end up with a musician. You will not end up with a musician” but alas, I ended up with a musician and I love him madly.
L: After years of modeling and being in the public eye, you created a body-positive swimsuit line for curvy girls. I’m personally thrilled to have a suit that my boobs AND my butt fit into! How do you feel about your body and what inspired the collection?
A: It’s taken me years to finally get to a place where I accept my body. I say accept because I don’t LOVE my body every day, in fact there are days still where I hate parts of it! But the difference between now and five years ago is that there are parts of my body that I do truly love, and for most of my life there wasn’t one part of me I didn’t hate. Today, even if my first instinct is to think, “Ew, why does my ass look like that?” my second thought is usually, “Well, it is what it is and who gives a shit!”
L: Sex work is another topic you’re pretty vocal about. Do you think sex workers have been left out of the #MeToo movement?
“Yes, #MeToo is revolutionary and thank fucking god for it, but I do think parts of it were exclusionary and left some people feeling isolated.“
A: I do. I also think a lot of trans women have been left out of the dialogue too. Yes, #MeToo is revolutionary and thank fucking god for it, but I do think parts of it were exclusionary and left some people feeling isolated. I’m guilty of this myself: when the saying “This pussy grabs back” came out I latched onto it and used it as a way of claiming my womanhood. The reality is that not all women have “pussies.” So…I think at this point in time, we need to be able to throw a wider net around those who are affected by sexual assault and not exclude anyone based on their biological sex. Also, due to the stigma surrounding sex workers, they are automatically discredited. So many women think poorly about sex workers which I think is a real shame.
L: Where do you think we go from here with the #MeToo movement?
A: I think the next step would be to acknowledge that there is a spectrum when it comes to abuse. With the initial wave of #MeToo we all stood in solidarity with one another and shared our pain and experiences. We realized we weren’t alone and that we didn’t need to hide anymore. Next, I think we need to begin to recognize that some offenses are more extreme than others. Yes, pain is subjective, but I think it’s important we hold space for those who have lived through extreme abuse. I’m not saying that people aren’t allowed to have their feelings, because at the end of the day suffering can only be accurately judged by the person experiencing the pain. But when it comes to growing and developing as a society, I think we need to take this step.
L: Tell me one thing about you that not many people know.
A: I was born in London
L: And finally, What’s your favorite Duran Duran song?
A: Oh man I love so many of them. I’ll go with “Girls On Film” and “The Chauffeur” — that’s a deep cut.
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⤏ LAUREN KRUZ (SHE/HER) IS A CURATOR, ACTIVIST, AND CO-FOUNDER OF TREE FEMME COLLECTIVE WHICH FOCUSES ON EDUCATION, WELLNESS AND RACIAL EQUITY, AND REPARATIVE JUSTICE IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY.