The Journey From America's Next Top Model To Playboy: Playmate Fo Porter

Tell me about your childhood. You grew up as a Mexican American but discovered you were half Black when you were a young girl. How did you find out?
I loved my childhood and I’d like to think I was a pretty cool kid. I always thought I was a full Mexican baby through and through. I didn’t know my real dad growing up and when my mom and stepdad separated, she felt it was time [that I knew the truth] and said, “I need to tell this child who her real father is”. I found out who my biological father was when I was about seven and a half.  I also found out he was African American. I had no clue until I met him that I was half Black myself.

So what was it like to finally meet your birth father?
It was a pretty awesome experience for a seven year old kid. I had two bedrooms of my own, new clothes, toys and a new dog named Rasta. I also had a new older brother. I gained a whole new family and identity. I still felt like me I just had my birth dad now and it was great. I love him to death, we’ve had our ups and downs but he’s always been supportive throughout my life and career. I’m proud of who I am, where I came from and who got me here—my parents. I never thought of myself any differently. I love the way I was brought up and the way I found out about my dad. My mom always spoke positively about him and basically said, “You have a father, this is him— get to know him!” And I did. We’ve developed a great relationship and we’re close now.

Did you understand what it meant to be half Mexican and half Black? And what does that mean to you?
I didn’t know the exact definition of being all Mexican or being mixed race. I couldn’t really grasp that as a kid. I was always just me— Felicia Porter, the girl with freckles. Not until I became older when I was in middle school and high school, when I hung out with friends who where of all different races that I truly understood what it was meant to be mixed. When I told all my Black, Mexican and mixed friends that I was biracial, they were all kind of like, “Oh, you’re one of us girl.” There was a whole new bond; they became “my people,” in a sense. I was no longer Selena Quintanilla, the little Mexican girl. I was Selena mixed with a little bit of Tyra. And that’s how I thought about it growing up. I like to say I coined the phrase “Blaxican”, because I am “Blaxican.”

You began your professional career as a preschool teacher. What lessons did you learn from that time in your life?
That children and their minds are so moldable. And that I wanted kids of my own one day. Because of the way my mom raised us [me and my younger brother], even as a kid, I was a nurturer. So later when I got the opportunity to work with young children, I always wanted to help uplift them. I think that’s what I loved most about teaching. I helped children to be the best they could be while enjoying a genuine connection to all of them. I spent about eight or nine hours with these kids and I sometimes I had more time with them then their own parents. So I wanted to make the most of that time and help create amazing new minds for our future.

You were a contestant on America’s Next Top Model, which was big in our cultural reality TV zeitgeist. Different countries even aired their own version of the series around the world. What was that like?
My thought was, “This is so crazy. I can’t believe they chose little ole me!” That whole process was insane because I watched America’s Next Top Model  religiously from from age 12 all the way into my 20’s. Tyra Banks has always been my idol; I watched and loved her on The Fresh Prince of Bel Air. I auditioned for the show when I was working in a preschool. I was broke and living in my own, so never in a million years did I expect to be selected. It was one of the best experiences of my life. I would do it all over again and even with the same results—coming in 5th place. With America’s Next Top Model  I was able open a door for myself and become an established name in the industry. I ended up with an amazing agent, modeling agency and we’re celebrating our 10th anniversary together this year. They plucked me straight from ANTM— so the whole experience was heaven sent.

People always talk about the drama and girls fighting each other on ANTM. But you call it one of the best experiences in your life. What made it such a favorable time?
There wasn’t much drama on my cycle. I wish I could say that there was but there really wasn’t, overall it was pretty calm and easy going. Top Model represented a lot firsts for me; it was the first time I left my hometown, my very first photo shoot and my first new look in the modeling world. I had my security blanket—my hair—completely chopped off on national television. I think having my hair cut was one of the pinnacle points of finding my true identity. It’s when you’re pushed out of your comfort zone and you really find out who you truly are. It was a great awakening and self-connection for me. 

Another major opportunity for you as a model was being Playboy’s Playmate of the Month for April 2019. Tell me how that came together. How did Playboy find you?
When Playboy approached me on Instagram and I saw the emblem pop up with that blue “verified” dot, I just about pissed my pants. All I could say was “Oh, my god!" Because two weeks prior, I was telling my husband how much I wanted to do Playboy and how I felt it was something I was ready for. It ended up being manifestation at its finest. Of course my husband was like, “Babe, my wife a Playmate? Fuck yeah!” We were both thrilled. And I say “we” because it was definitely a joint decision. He’s supported me 100% percent the entire way.

How long have you been married?
I've been married two and a half years. We were married in Sedona, Arizona on October 15, 2016 and we’ve been together for seven years total. He’s my partner, my true best friend and someone who unconditionally loves and tolerates all that I am. My husband was actually the prop stylist on set for my Playboy shoot; it was an awesome experience for us. I’ve never felt more comfortable posing nude for all the word to see than with my kick ass husband by my side. 

As a wife today, what did you learn from your ex-boyfriends? How did those relationships lead you to your husband?
I've only had two solid boyfriends in my life with my husband being the third. I wasn’t a “one-night stand” or “booty call” type of gal. I went through a pretty bad breakup when I was about 22 years old and living in Los Angeles. I felt like I really needed to get away and do some soul searching. Around the exact same time my agent told me an agency in Cape Town, South Africa wanted to sign me. But, I would have to stay there for three months. So as a newly single free bird, I screamed, “Sign me up!” As soon as I got there I felt right at home. I had so much wine, I ate so much delicious new food and I even put on ten to fifteen pounds. I called it my happy weight. After my third month there I wasn’t ready to go home so I stayed a month and a half more. I was in absolute bliss. It was the first time I’d ever been by myself and a whole world away. It was one of the most beautiful times in my life and it was where I found my true independence. I found out I didn’t need a man to make me happy. But of course life has its ways. I came back not needing a man and two weeks later I met my adoring husband. But the wonderful thing is I still know exactly who I am as an individual. I have all of my independence and my husband always helps to uplift that within me.

Why do you think you were ready for Playboy at this point in your career?
Because I’m ready to be out here to help spread the word of body advocacy. I want to help other people, women, men, Transgender, LGBT whatever they may be across the board, to feel the same way I do— free and liberated in their own skin. My pictorial is for the person looking at Playboy to say, “I totally relate to her. She’s a women with curves. She's natural, of mixed race and not super enhanced. She’s real like me.” I also deeply believe in the following quote that everyone should live their lives by. Kurt Vonnegut said, “Enjoy your body, use it in every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or what people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.”

Tell me about the celebrity and personal influences who helped to shape and mold your life and career.  
When Ashley Graham graced the cover of Sports Illustrated, my self-image and the view of my workspace completely changed. I thought to myself, “Holy shit! This woman is not only voluptuous and real; she’s the cover model for Sports Illustrated. She's the first woman with curves to do so.” I  want to embody what Ashley stands for. I'm also crossing my fingers that I become Playboy's 2020 Playmate of the Year. I know and feel I would hold that title proudly and to the fullest extent. Another longtime idol of mine is Gwen Stefani, I’ve been obsessed with her for over twenty years. She's had a major influence on me growing up. I think Gwen is one of God’s gifts to earth and women in general. She was a pioneer for all young females on standing up and having a real voice. I feel that Gwen represented the ‘90s female empowerment movement magically. There’s also Selena Quintanilla, an insanely talented and sexy Mexican singer with moral values. She was often displayed as a sex symbol but it never fully defined who she was. She was powerful, confident and represented beauty unapologetically. Selena showed me how to be and act like a woman. I always say in a world full of Kardashians, be a Selena Quintanilla. My mom also defines so much of who I am today. She's a powerhouse who always told me ,“only weak women say ‘they can’t’, you’re not weak so, you can.'" And last but not least, RuPaul Charles who is a man wise beyond his years. He showed me how to love and love myself. All those individuals make up my chakra; I live by their morals.

For people who don't know you personally and have only seen your photos, how can they understand the true essence of who Fo Porter is? Ultimately, how would you describe yourself?
I’m a huge cheese ball, I love smiling and I tend to laugh a lot. On the other hand, I do love feeling absolutely sexy and fully embodying that word and feeling. Above all I’m a hundred percent about women and self-empowerment. Since Playboy is now more of a women’s forward magazine and a magazine for everyone, I want “Rebecca in Ohio” who has never picked up an issue to do so and feel like she can totally relate to me without intimidation. “The perfect body image,” is a complete façade and is no longer the media norm. All natural curves and C cups like me are much more than perfect. We're fucking real and I tried to emote every last bit of that in my shoot. It would be an absolute honor to help women, men, and everybody in—between, to view Playboy in a progressive and empowering light. Because at the end of the day, as RuPaul says, “We’re all born naked and the rest is drag!” A naked body is a beautiful instrument that can be seen and used as a positive platform, to help promote healthy body imagery.