America’s Next Top Model and Playboy Playmate Khrystyana may have been born in Russia, but she’s living the American dream. She spoke to us about her stint in reality television, the best advice she’s ever received, and the one thing she’d change about the world.
Playboy: To start us off, where were you born?
Khrystyana: I was born in Magadan. But I grew up in Ukraine. My mom was a businesswoman, basically, and that’s where she decided to give birth to me. I grew up in East Ukraine, in a town called Sumy.
Playboy: What was the first thing you dreamed of achieving?
Khrystyana: Coming to the United States. This was a really, really big dream of mine.
Playboy: What about America appeals to you?
Khrystyana: The word that comes to mind first would be freedom. And I know it’s a loaded word. But if I were to compare how I grew up to how I felt when I first moved here…that’s what freedom felt like to me.
Playboy: Okay, can you speak on that a little bit?
Khrystyana: Growing up, I was always being called a strange girl. I had maybe social anxiety. I’d dress a little bit differently than other people, or choose a little bit different music. I would just try to express myself, which was maybe not the most feminine. I always knew that in the United States, it was for some reason not acceptable to have the body type that I had. Or just not being constantly told “Why don’t you get on a diet?” or “You’d be so much prettier if you lost a few more pounds.”
And then of course, other freedoms. Expression. I’ve always been into different forms of spirituality since I was a kid. Daoism. Buddhism. You can try this philosophy and then maybe try something else next month. It feels a lot more freeing.
Also, the types of people. The United States is like the whole world in one country. I live in New York City. so I am exposed to hundreds of different cultures. It’s incredible.
Playboy: Can you touch on your experience on America’s Next Top Model?
Khrystyana: Personally I loved it. It was a really, really good experience for me. Part of it is how much thought goes into production. My season, it felt like it carried a lot of meaning. We would bring in different topics to the surface. For example, I think in the first episode, we talked a lot about pregnancy. There were contestants that could not have children, or people that lost their babies. It was very touching having these topics on national TV. Personally, I learned something from every episode.
Playboy: What do you most want to change about the world?
Khrystyana: More acceptance. Start accepting who we are, but what we are, and not just moment to moment. We may be different and believe in different things, live different lives. But you’re freaking awesome and you matter as much as I do. And none of us are better or worse than anybody else.
Playboy: Describe your perfect day.
Khrystyana: I start my days really early. I love just looking at the window and seeing the sunrise. It’s gorgeous. Having the best cup of coffee that I make with MCT oil. So coffee. Yoga. Shower. If I can do a sauna at the gym that would be great. That gives me a good charge for the rest of the day, and I love working. I communicate with a lot of people, so that’s always fun. Do a little bit of writing, I like writing poetry. That’s really nice. And I love Xbox. That would be maybe my nighttime activities.
Playboy: What’s the best piece of advice you were ever given?
Khrystyana: “Be here now.” It’s so simple. But it always wakes me up a little bit. Like, “Why am I always in the past? Regretting what I said back then, instead of just being here with you right now.” Again, I don’t follow it all the time, but I like it.
Playboy: Who was the first fictional character that you fell in love with?
Khrystyana: The Little Mermaid. Hands down. She knew what she wanted and she went for it. Without her voice! She’s like, “Don’t care, I might sacrifice this thing that I have, and it’s the thing that I love. But I’m gonna go for this thing that I really want.”
Just I think being a kid and watching that was like, “Wow, can I do that too?” And I feel like she’s inspired me.
Playboy: What quality do you think is most desirable in a person?
Khrystyana: Charisma. It’s the most beautiful thing to observe. But I feel like everyone’s got it. Once someone finds their charisma, the whole world shifts, it’s just like a vortex surrounding them. They become like this black hole just absorbing all of the attention. It’s so beautiful. I love watching people being walking into their charisma.
Khrystyana is on The Playboy Club. Talk to her now.
