Kenya Kinski-Jones's Animal Activist Tips

Kenya Kinski-Jones's Animal Activist Tips
About this video
YH catches up with model Kenya Kinski-Jones as she shoots a PSA for Last Chance for Animals to help out her furry friends! She tells us what inspired her to become a vegetarian and how other young people can get involved with animal activism, plus she talks about how she first got into modeling, describes her "off-duty" style, and reveals her beauty essentials for traveling!
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Hey guys, I'm Brandy Chang for Young Hollywood.
We're here on the set with Kenya Kinski Jones as she shoots her new PSAs for Last Chance for Animals.
Let's go inside.
This is your first PSA, huh?
Yes.
Are you excited to be here?
I'm so excited and I'm so honored to be doing this and it'll be fun.
I can't wait.
Tell me about your involvement with LCA.
How did you get started?
I've always been really passionate about animal activism.
I've been a vegetarian since I was eight years old and I just really wanted to get involved with an organization that I really identified with.
So, we did some research.
I came upon LCA.
I was really drawn to them and everything that they're striving to do and their accomplishments.
So, I feel really lucky to join in.
Things are going great.
I'm really looking forward to this shoot with Kenya.
Be great.
She's so lovely.
She's so passionate about what she's doing.
She really cares about the animals.
So, I'm honored to be here, I'm honored to meet her and I'm honored to meet Maisy over there.
We have to have a dog on set, right?
Got to have it.
She's so cute.
How many animals do you have?
I have her and then I have my horse Ceder that I grew up with eight dogs and five cats.
Oh my gosh.
So this is like I'm so not used to just having two pets.
Yeah.
We have like a madhouse.
So, you signed to Ford when you were 18 years old.
How did you get started in modeling?
I visited a Bruce Weber shoot in Santa Monica and on the side we took some pictures just for fun.
And then a few months later he asked me to come do an editorial for Spanish Vogue.
Being able to work with a photographer like that, it's what made me fall in love with it and made me think, you know, wait, this is something that I want to do and it was a really special experience.
So, that's kind of where it all started.
Yeah.
What is the biggest thing that you've learned or surprised by about the industry?
I guess how impulsive things can be sometimes, which is what makes the environment so creative too.
You know, sometimes you think that everything is so thought up beforehand but that's what's so cool is like when you get on set you never know what can happen.
So, I think that's really cool.
I want to talk about how you were a vegetarian when you were 8 years old.
That's a really big decision to make that decision at eight.
You know?
Yeah.
Like I said, I grew up with so many animals.
I just always had a sensitivity towards animals and I felt this responsibility to be a voice for them.
Which ties in perfectly with what you're doing today, you know, because now you are literally the voice.
I'm so excited to finally be able to do that.
I've been wanting to do it for a really long time and LCA is the perfect organization for me to team up with.
What do you wish that the younger generation knew about animal rights?
Just creating conversation and being aware and learning from others and being open to learning from others and teaching each other about it.
I just realize that like conversation can make such a difference.
You know, whether it's you're deciding to go vegan or you see the negative aspects of wearing fur.
I just think that creating an open and safe conversation is really important.
Who are some of the people that you're following on social media that you think that are doing it right as well?
Stella is amazing about that.
The other day I retweeted on on Twitter about meat-free Mondays and the ways that also going vegetarian or vegan benefits the environment too and it's kind of like this chain effect.
So, that goes back to like what I said about just creating conversation.
But I think Stella is really amazing about that.
Obviously, your style is amazing and I walked out in this and I was like, dang girl, she's like rocking it.
Thank you.
What are you wearing when you're not dressed head to toe in What and who are you wearing right now?
This is Stella.
That's Stella.
Yes.
So, when you're not wearing Stella, what are you wearing?
What's your off-duty style like?
I'm a chameleon just like I said with my mood.
I like pairing up like having basics like a t-shirt and jeans but then also having fun with accessories like shoes or a jacket or jewelry to kind of give it a quirk or give it an edge.
Mhm.
So, I like building around that.
Who influences your style?
Is there a specific person or designer?
I love Carine Roitfeld.
Oh, she's so good.
Yeah.
She's so chic.
The French women, they do it well.
Yeah, absolutely.
Are you getting to travel a lot now with modeling?
Yeah.
More so now because I just graduated from college.
Now I have the freedom to travel because I don't have classes and it ties into the job as well, which is really cool.
Yeah.
So, I'm excited.
I have a lot of places I want to visit.
Where do you want to visit next?
If you can choose anywhere.
If you can get on a plane right after this shoot, where are you going?
I would go to Tokyo.
To Tokyo.
Tokyo is my dream.
I really wanted to go there for such a long time.
When you're traveling what are some of your beauty essentials that you're taking on the road with you?
Sunscreen is really important to me because we need to protect your skin.
Face wipes.
Face wipes.
To keep your skin clean on the go.
Definitely.
Drink lots of water, right?
That's always like every time someone is just like just drink water.
I know.
I wish it was that easy, right?
I know.
Water is good for everything.
It's so true.
Timestamps are approximate — click one to jump the player.
PEOPLE MENTIONED
- Kenya Kinski-Jones
Main subject of the interview
- Brandy Chang
Interviewer from Young Hollywood
- Bruce Weber
Photographer who started her modeling career
- Stella
Named as an inspiration for activism and her current clothing
- Carine Roitfeld
Style influence for Kenya
FAQ
What organization is Kenya Kinski-Jones working with for animal activism?+
When did Kenya Kinski-Jones become a vegetarian?+
How did Kenya Kinski-Jones get started in modeling?+
What are Kenya Kinski-Jones's go-to beauty essentials for traveling?+
Who influences Kenya Kinski-Jones's style?+
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