ali micheal
PLAYMATE
Ali Michael sports a threadbare Marilyn Manson T-shirt with enough holes to pattern a slice of Swiss cheese. “I took this shirt home to Texas once,” she says, sipping instant coffee in her SoHo apartment—her preferred joe on mornings like this when she lacks the energy to brew the real thing. “My mom and I were heading out when she said, ‘Sorry, can you please change?’ But overall, I don’t have to tone it down.” Such is the life of a woman who belongs to two worlds. Miss July grew up riding horses outside Fort Worth, the daughter of a man who shoots guns and rides a Harley. Today, she lives in Manhattan—a successful runway model whose career spans a decade and whose Twitter feed drips with borscht belt cynicism. Both places are home; Ali is a product of the two of them. “I have polarities. I listen to Deftones and gravitate to dark things, but I grew up in the middle of nowhere, going to Walmart. I’m weird but also completely normal.” For the 26-year-old, reconciling these disparities is her coming-of-age. “Living in New York City is like being in an abusive relationship. I get burned out. It’s important to go back to Texas, where my heart is, and hear no sirens and see the sky. You never see the sky in New York. But then I’m like, Fuck, I want to be back there. It’s an addiction.” Therein lies her quarter-life calling. “Like many people my age, I’m still figuring myself out—and I’m okay with that. I like being human. Nobody really knows what the fuck they’re doing, and that’s totally fine.”
ALI MICHAEL
AGE: 26 BIRTHPLACE: Grapevine, Texas CURRENT CITY: New York
ALL-AMERICAN GIRL
I’m Texan. I’m American, PLAYBOY has always been iconic to me. I love that my photo shoot has stars and stripes to represent where I come from. My mom is my best friend, and she and my dad are so excited and proud, which has always been important to me.
MY FAVORITE ARTIST
I love the Austrian painter Egon Schiele. Sometimes I’ll go to a museumjand not fjgl rfjlich, but when I saw a Schiele show at New York City’s Neue Galerie, I wanted to spend the entire day there. That tells you how much his work resonates. It’s weirdly uncomfortable to look at, yet delicate and beautiful.
WHY I ALWAYS KEEP UP WITH
THE KARDASHIANS
I’m a big fan of the Kardashians. I have two personalities. I can be weird and dark, but I think the Kardashians appeal to the basic side of my personality. I also try to intellectualize the show in an anthropological way. They’re human and no less valuable than anyone else.
MY TOP SUMMER BBQFARE
Last year I spent the Fourth of July in London. My friend’s family felt so bad that I wasn't in America for the holiday, they threw me a barbecue and cooked English sausages in lieu of hot dogs, which were amazing. But my favorites are still burgers and hot dogs— with mustard. I hate ketchup.
WHAT LOVE FEELS LIKE
How do you know you’re in love? When you don’t have to think about it. I’ve always been overly analytical when it comes to emotions. In past relationships I’ve felt a kind of separateness I thought would never go away, no matter who I was with. I was trying to convince myself I should be with someone. You shouldn’t have to think about it like that. I learned the separateness I felt was because I wasn’t with the right people. It’s basic, but it’s really all about your gut feeling.
THE MOST UNATTRACTIVE TRAIT
Anyone who’s always overly polite bores me. That’s how you know they’re bullshitting you.
