Canadian supermodel Coco Rocha is a Jehovah's Witness who has managed to find mainstream success in the fashion industry, despite her refusal to bend her values by taking overtly sexual photos.
Rocha, 26, discussed her career and faith with HuffPo Live this week, saying that she has likely lost opportunities due to her moral standards, but that most people in the industry respect her viewpoint.
"I'm sure there are some jobs I'm not doing, because of what I stand for, but that's totally okay," she told HuffPo Live's Ricky Camilleri.
In this Sept. 20, 2014 file photo, supermodel Coco Rocha arrives for the amfAR charity dinner during the fashion week in Milan, Italy. Rocha managed to come up with 1,000 different poses for a new coffee table book, "Study of Pose," which hits stores Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2014. (AP Photo/Giuseppe Aresu, File)
Rocha said that she has many good friends who do the jobs she isn't willing to do, but that she respects them for making the choices they deem proper for their own lives and careers.
"Hopefully people that respect them would also then respect me and my choices," the model said.
Rocha added that there is enough diversity among models to meet the needs of the many designers and photographers working in fashion.
"It would be a boring industry if I was the muse of every designer and every photographer," she said.
While Rocha admitted being nervous about her faith and moral standards at the beginning of her career, the model said that she now openly outlines what she is and isn't willing to do — and she's hoping to inspire other young models to do the same.
"I tell young models — religious or not — whatever it is that you would like to stand up for or believe in, make sure that you just have a voice," she said. "Use it."
Watch Rocha speak out about her faith below:
(H/T: Huffington Post)
