Emmestyle

5 Questions from Steve Adubato For Emme—supermodel, bestselling author, host of E!'s Fashion Emergency, clothing designer, and Bergen County native.

WHEN DID YOU SAY, 'HEY, I CAN BE A PLUS-SIZE MODEL?'
I had no idea that there was this industry. A friend of mine calls me out of the blue and says, "My girlfriend is a full-figured model." And I go, "Okay-now what is that?" She says, "You're 5 feet 11, Emme, and you have good looks, and you have blond hair and blue eyes, and I swear to God you could probably get into this." I was a thin size 12, not eating anything. I'm a 14 to 16 now, exercising regularly. Anyway, I walked into a small hole-in-the-wall modeling agency, and they said to me, "We'd like to sign you up." And then, six months after not getting a paycheck, I ran over to Ford and they said, "Great. If you're 12 to 14, we'd like you more as a 14." Now how about that, after being told initially, "You need to lose 50 pounds in order for us to consider you"? I would have had to cut off part of my body.

WHAT'S YOUR DIET LIKE?
I eat everything that I want-within reason. If I say that I can't have anything, that's where the bingeing comes into play, and the denial. No more dieting, but I eat really, really well, like organic meats, and I eat lots of vegetables. But if I want to have a cookie, I do.

YOU WERE THE FIRST PLUS-SIZE MODEL WITH A BILLBOARD ADVERTISEMENT IN TIMES SQUARE. WHAT WAS THAT LIKE FOR YOU?
It was wonderful. We had a big press party up in the Marriott Marquis, where part of the hotel has a really great view of this particular place where Liz Claiborne was highlighting their new billboards. I just kept pinching myself, going, "Is this really happening? "

IN THE BOOK [LIFE'S LITTLE EMERGENCIES, ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, 2003], YOU'RE VERY COMFORTABLE SAYING, "I JUMPED INTO THERAPY." WHY ARE YOU SO OPEN ABOUT THIS?
Life is short. My mom died when I was fifteen, and I took this attitude that I want to enjoy my moments. And if I have these issues with the place that I live in all the time, I want to figure out what it is that's bothering me. So I ran into therapy with open arms saying, "Give me the tools. Help me." And I was happy. So with those tools, you're able to be a constant work in progress, to defy the odds of people saying, "You could really lose some weight, or you could do this." But instead you say, "Thanks so much. I appreciate your concern."

LET'S SWITCH GEARS TO THE COSMETIC SURGERY THING. IN GENERAL, ARE YOU AGAINST IT?
The one thing that I am against: someone getting cosmetic surgery before the age of eighteen, before their beautiful faces are completely developed...I just want the child or the individual to be able to blossom into who they're going to be. But if they really, truly feel that there's something seriously wrong, then it's something to consider. But please, there's also a problem with people who are beautiful and the images that we see in our mirrors. It's sometimes so different than what really, truly exists. A lot of people say, "Oh, I look so fat," and they are rail-thin.

Steve Adubato is an Emmy Award-winning anchor for Channel 73/WNET and author of Speak From the Heart. E-mail himatsadubato@aol.com