Playboy transgender supermodel Arisce is no stranger to the catwalk. She made history as Spiegel’s first ever trans covergirl, and has graced the pages of Elle, Vogue, Forbes, and more. Arisce sat down with us to dish about what makes her tick, how astrology informs her love life, and the one talent she wishes she had.
Playboy: To start us off, where were you born?
Arisce: I’m from Woodbridge, Virginia, but I was born in Alexandria, Virginia. So it’s like…no one knows where that is. But I lived in Miami for a little bit where I got my modeling career started and then I moved to New York where my modeling career took off. All very high fashion stuff. Now I live in Los Angeles and I’ve been here for a while.
Playboy: What did I most enjoy in school?
Arisce: I’m going to say English. I was really good at writing and reading. Now, I am more of an audio book girl, because you can get a lot of stuff done while listening. I tidy up the house, go on a road trip…audio books all day. And I do some writing, here and there. I’ve written a screenplay, which is crazy.
Playboy: Tell me about your screenplay?
Arisce: It’s a screenplay loosely based on my life. Because I’ve auditioned for maybe a thousand roles for trans women in Hollywood. And none of them are relatable to me. They’re always these down and out people with sad stories and no humor in them. And so our lives are fun and interesting but also really boring sometimes! I think people would love to learn that our experiences are not so far from theirs. We’re just regular people.
Playboy: What are you passionate about?
Arisce: I’m really passionate about the environment and civil rights. I think everyone deserves the same rights as everyone else. I don’t think anyone’s better than anyone else. And I think that we need to plant more trees because we need to get the carbon out of the air and have more oxygen and shade to stop paying so much for utilities! And clean beaches. We need clean beaches.
Playboy: What would make you ghost a potential suitor?
Arisce: There’s a million things. I think a lot of men want the princess treatment these days. And I don’t find that attractive, because it’s like…women aren’t being paid the same as men still. And so for them to be like, “I bring everything to the table.” I’m like, “Not really!” We have jobs, hopes, dreams, and ambitions outside of taking care of someone else’s child.
Playboy: Absolutely. What’s the best piece of advice you were ever given?
Arisce: “Don’t take advice from anyone you don’t want to be.”
Playboy: That’s a great one. Who is a woman that inspires you?
Arisce: My mom. She was just such a powerhouse. And really did a lot of stuff on her own silently that we didn’t know about as kids. She didn’t make a lot of noise about it. My mom worked as a flight attendant for 30 years for US Airways, and my sister wanted to go to college. She got into all the top schools in the country and she couldn’t afford that on her salary.
And so my mom took it upon herself to go to a real estate school. She got a real estate license and she put my sister through college. My sister went to Duke University and my mom paid for it. And then we all went to college, all of it paid for by my mom. And so yes, I think she’s my hero. I think she’s just the best woman in the world.
Playboy: Amazing. What’s your favorite thing to splurge on?
Arisce: God, it’s gotta be clothes. All day. I have a two-bedroom apartment, and my second bedroom is a closet complete with rolling racks, a couch. It’s a dressing room. It’s beautiful. There’s mirrors and shelves with really expensive bags and shoes on everything. It’s like a museum in there.
Playboy: Any brands or aesthetic that you look out for when shopping?
Arisce: I love anything sexy, but classy. If you’re going to show boobs, you cover up the leg. And if you’re going to show leg, you cover up the boobs. Sometimes you show both! But that’s for a fun occasion.
Playboy: That is so Playboy.
Arisce: I was thinking, “This sounds like such a Playboy answer.” But it’s true! I love a classy sexy moment. I always I always want to feel sexy because I don’t know. And I just feel very rigid in confined in something else. I feel like I’m trying to be something I’m not. And it’s like, you’re only young once. I think if you work really hard for the body you’ve got show it off. Do that thing.
Playboy: What’s a meme that speaks to you?
Arisce: I think one of the funniest ones I’ve ever heard was by that horrible girl. It made me laugh so hard. She says, “Do not waste your money on college. Don’t go to college. You need to get a loan for the same amount of money you’re going to pay for college and just get plastic surgery. All your problems will be solved. You can marry someone rich.”
It just makes me laugh so hard. Because I thought, “My god, if I would have gotten that advice at 18, I would be so screwed right now.” Because that is not good advice! Looks are not everything. Looks are not a get out of jail free card, honey. You’re going to have to work.
Playboy: “Never take advice from someone you don’t want to be.” What quality do you think is most desirable in a person?
Arisce: My goodness. I’m going to say sincerity. I love people that match what they say with action. Your actions are always going to speak louder than words. and so you better mean it. Don’t just say you’re sorry: show me.
Playboy: What’s a talent you wish you had?
Arisce: I wish I could be a prima ballerina. I think they’re so amazing. They are world class athletes and don’t get the appreciation they deserve. I did just take classes and I’m good. If I could have been like a prima ballerina, that would have been amazing. My feet would be hideous, but whatever.
Playboy: Do you believe in astrology?
Arisce: Yes. So, I’m a Libra. True blue, October 14th. That’s me. And I think it’s really interesting because if you don’t believe in astrology, you need to see who you surround yourself with and then ask what their signs are. And I think you’re going to be very surprised by the answers because they’re all going to be the same. It’s very weird and coincidental. Every major relationship I’ve ever had…they’ve all been Cancer men. All of them including my husband.
Playboy: So you mesh really well with Cancer men.
Arisce: Yeah, because I have a Pisces moon, and Pisces and Cancer go together really well. I have a lot of Scorpio placements, which also goes great with cancer.
Playboy: Who was the first fictional character you fell in love with?
Arisce: Whatever Jonathan Taylor Thomas’s character was on Home Improvement. He was so cute. And was like the it boy of the ’90s. But also I thought Aladdin was really cute. And honestly? Jafar.
Playboy: What appealed about Aladdin?
Arisce: Well, had no shirt on! [Laughs] No, but I think he was willing to do anything to get the girl. I think that’s hot. And he was funny. He could sing, he was agile. And he was always jumping all over buildings. All that parkour? Come on.
Arisce is on The Playboy Club. Talk to her now.
