Anastasia Karanikolaou on Loving Her Curves, the Top Selfie Rule and Coachella
Social media star Anastasia Karanikolaou, aka Stassiebaby, celebrated her new collection with PrettyLittleThing on Tuesday with BFF Kylie Jenner and a performance by Travis Scott. Beforehand, she sat down with WWD to discuss her body confidence, Coachella goals and a new YouTube channel.
WWD: Why do you love being curvy?
Anastasia Karanikolaou: Being curvy makes me feel sexy, but I don’t want to say that because every body type is sexy, but I love having curves. I used to be really insecure. But no one is perfect. I just began to accept my body for what it is.
WWD: What was the turning point?
A.K.: Honestly, summer. It was an issue. I didn’t want to go to the beach, all of my friends would be by the pool and I didn’t want to go swim. I was, like, “Why am I having these thoughts and letting it impact my life.” One day I was, like, “F–k it, just love who you are and have fun.”
WWD: Do you have any advice for curvy girls?
A.K.: Just embrace yourself. I know it’s hard. What is normal these days? Everyone is different shapes and sizes. I hate seeing women body shame other girls. We need to support each other and make others feel confident in how our bodies are.
WWD: What was the experience like at PrettyLitteThing HQ in Manchester?
A.K.: It was so fun. I had never been to Manchester. I had an English Sunday roast at a pub. Every Sunday they have this roast. I got turkey and a Yorkshire, which is like a croissant. I went with [Umar Kamani], the owner of PLT.
WWD: Did you learn anything from him careerwise?
A.K.: Yes, he’s a very smart business man so I’m learning some tips from him.
WWD: Coachella is around the corner. What are you looking forward to most?
A.K.: I really want to see Mac Miller perform. I also want to see Travis Scott. I was really excited for Beyoncé, but I guess twins are more important.
WWD: How do you plan to further your social media platform?
A.K.: I have a lot of brand collaborations coming up with some pretty big names. I’m not able to say their names, but if you keep an eye out you’ll be able to see. And I have my YouTube out. I haven’t posted a video yet and it has a lot of subscribers. I’m filming soon. It’s going to be a fashion, beauty and lifestyle channel.
WWD: You have more than two million followers on Instagram. What’s your number-one rule or motto before posting?
A.K.: Lighting, it has to be clear. I won’t ever post a bad quality photo. Other than that I just post what I think is cool and people like it.
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