Reece King’s accent is almost as hot as his abs
British model Reece King, who is currently signed to Supa Model Management, is here to talk about some of the hurdles he has had to overcome in his industry as an openly bisexual male.
Not only does his close knit group of fans give him a boost, but his levels of self love do to. To be in the modeling industry alone is a lot, but add in the hate he receives for being open with his sexuality in our closed-minded world, and it’s an all around recipe for disaster yet somehow Reece is conquering it day in and day out.
You seem to have a really supportive relationship to your fans. Why is this important to you?
It’s so important because it’s why I’m doing everything I’m doing, it’s why my life has changed and why I’m doing things like this interview right now. Having a connection with the people who have supported me is the only real natural feeling that I don’t have to think about.
We have nicknames/group chats/private jokes, the list goes on, it’s more like a friendship than a fandom. They have helped me through some dark times because I don’t pretend to portray a perfect life or environment, so we are very real within our circle and just remain uplifting each other.
You have been outspoken on social media about posting photos without makeup or retouching. What are your thoughts on conventional beauty, especially what you have witnessed in the modeling industry?
Yes I have really tried to make a point about this, for some reason everyone forgets that we all post the best versions of ourselves online and that includes content that looks socially “perfect” hiding any flaws that ruin that.
But, as real human beings we have to be secure with being imperfectly perfect, we have to show the small pimples, uneven skin tones and different body types because there is nothing wrong with being natural and imperfect, it’s actually the most genuine beauty that exists.
How do you handle negative comments on social media?
I actually don’t anymore. I barely look through comments. But if I do, and see something that is horrific or disgusting, then I’ll block that person. Other than that I just leave them to it because I find it funny seeing strangers think they are superior to comment something untrue that they “think” is right.
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What has your journey been like towards embracing and loving yourself more?
My journey has been a roller coaster, I’m so aware about the importance of it but my job and the industry I’m in doesn’t always support it as much. It’s a battle to feel good, making sure I have enough good energy in and around me to dust off negative hateful words or views.
It’s about simply being confident and wanting to love yourself for who you are in terms of appearance and personality. But I have stuck to my path and haven’t changed who I am for anything, authenticity is more essential and worth while, over listening to what other people think will be best for you and making you into another copycat version of someone else.
Was your sexuality something you were always up front with on social media/in your career or was there a moment when you had to address it or “come out”?
I wasn’t always as up front about it in the past, like anyone else I had to grow and understand who I am because it’s confusing. Being younger I felt so much pressure to be a role model to certain people that I wasn’t ready for yet, I struggled for a long time and even thought I was asexual.
I can’t explain how I felt or how I interacted with others but it was hard and now at 22 years old, I know I am the type of individual that can fall in love with a woman or a man, it’s less about the sexual side and more about the partnership for me.
I used to say I was straight because sometimes I felt that, but sometimes it felt like that was the easy thing to say, I felt a pressure of having to grow my image and myself as a brand having to please a mass majority. So I avoided the question or diverted it because I wasn’t ready and sometimes I still am not ready, life is crazy confusing and everything can change. But I’m very proud to say I am bisexual man, more importantly I am a carefree, nice, happy man.
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Is breaking down gender roles something important to you in your work as a model, especially since the lines are still pretty rigid in terms of “menswear” and “womenswear”?
Yes for sure, we have to break down things that limit us, men not wearing a certain color because from birth they are told it’s for girls and vice versa for women. It’s a sign of being scared and people shouldn’t be that fragile to not try the opposite side of things.
I really respect people who do merge the lines between menswear and womenswear because it’s the same fabric and it can be worked in so many different ways, not just two categories. We are more than that and it shouldn’t be so frightening to go against old views on something so simple as clothing.
You have art directed a lot of shoots you’ve been in. Is that something you’re interested in?
100%. I love art directing because sometimes there is content that I think would look amazing and people would draw a lot of inspiration from and appreciate, but no one has done it so I know I have to do it myself.
Before modeling I was a visual merchandiser so I already had that sense of making something look good. It’s satisfying to see the image or concept in your head come to life, it’s definitely something I see myself going towards when I am older and want to focus less on modeling.
Song you’re obsessed with right now?
So hard to pick only one because I listen and adore so many underground artists especially women artists, but if I had to choose only one song right now it would be “Princess Nokia” by G.O.A.T.
What’s your first kiss story?
The kiss was with my first girlfriend when I was six. It was funny because my cousin was dating her best friend, so it was the four of us being stupid little love-heads, kissing, thinking we knew what love was.
What’s the last embarrassing thing that has happened to you?
Omg this is really hard to answer because it’s an everyday thing, but I fall over or walk into things quite a lot.
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If you could only wear the same thing for the rest of your life, what would you choose?
Easy, all my favorites: my baby Deadpool t-shirt, Nike baggy pants and Nike up-tempos.
Do you have a celeb crush of the moment?
I do I have a nice handful but I won’t name them because I’ll get too awkward if they see this, because I talk to a few of them lol.
Photography and Creative Direction by Prince & Jacob
