Annabelle Schmitt (Pennsylvania) |
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Name: Annabelle Schmitt
Location: Kennett Square, PA Age: 21 Weight: I think 130 from my last doctor’s visit? I don’t weigh myself anymore. Tattoos/Piercings: one tattoo Annabelle Schmitt is a 21 year old, intersectional feminist fashion blogger dedicated to inspiring and empowering womxn through radical self love and social justice.
There’s lots of things to love about what she does and meeting and working with talented creatives is one of them. Styling outfits and modeling are some of her favorite things to do and she loves the way that modeling has given her newfound confidence in herself and helped her challenge herself creatively. You should totally check out her blog and podcast. Click here. |
Interview by Kyle Sobieski
What is one thing that can make a good shoot great and what is one thing that you have experienced that can just completely ruin a shoot?
Great shoots are all about communication for me. If a photographer and I can clearly communicate with each other regarding an idea, everything goes smoothly for the most part. In terms of something that can ruin a shoot, I honestly haven’t had any super negative shoot experiences. I only work with photographers that I believe are 1) not creeps (especially for the men that reach out to me) and 2) have a good eye. The only thing that can really ruin a shoot for me is someone showing up mega late to a shoot. I once had a photographer show up an hour late despite previous communication regarding my limited availability at that time. The shots we got in came out well, but I remember that shoot as an extremely stressful experience, especially because it was my first one in a brand new city that I had moved to literally the day prior for the semester. |
You call yourself a matcha lover… What is matcha? Because I honestly have no idea.
Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you don’t know what matcha is! It’s a type of ground green tea that’s especially popular in East Asian countries, particularly Japan, so I suppose as someone who’s Taiwanese it’s always been in my life. Some people tell me they don’t like it because it has a rather grassy, earthy taste to it, but that’s precisely why I love it so much.
Espresso and coffee typically make me jittery, so I drink almost exclusively matcha lattes with oat milk when I go to cafes. Philter Coffee in Kennett Square, PA is my go to for those.
Oh my gosh! I can’t believe you don’t know what matcha is! It’s a type of ground green tea that’s especially popular in East Asian countries, particularly Japan, so I suppose as someone who’s Taiwanese it’s always been in my life. Some people tell me they don’t like it because it has a rather grassy, earthy taste to it, but that’s precisely why I love it so much.
Espresso and coffee typically make me jittery, so I drink almost exclusively matcha lattes with oat milk when I go to cafes. Philter Coffee in Kennett Square, PA is my go to for those.
What has been your favorite location to shoot at?
Last summer, I interned at URBN in Philly. It’s located in the Navy Yard, so I’d ask people to meet me there after work pretty often because the campus was so beautiful. It’s great because there’s free parking, too. Other than that, I love Chinatown in Philly. I feel closer to my roots there and the bits of Chinese architecture there have always inspired me.
Below you can see photos from The Navy Yard. Then below those photos, there are two taken in Chinatown.
Last summer, I interned at URBN in Philly. It’s located in the Navy Yard, so I’d ask people to meet me there after work pretty often because the campus was so beautiful. It’s great because there’s free parking, too. Other than that, I love Chinatown in Philly. I feel closer to my roots there and the bits of Chinese architecture there have always inspired me.
Below you can see photos from The Navy Yard. Then below those photos, there are two taken in Chinatown.
Where have you traveled to so far? Which trip was your favorite and which was your least favorite?
I’ve traveled to Taiwan rather often with my family since my mom is Taiwanese. Beyond that, I went to Austria, Switzerland, and Germany as part of a trip in high school. Two years ago, I also went to South Africa with one of my college classes. Otherwise, I take a lot of trips to NYC and Philly and lived in DC for a few months. My favorite trips are always those to Taiwan because it’s home to my heritage. I don’t really have a least favorite trip, although I will say that traveling for school isn’t nearly as incredible as truly living in a city as a local, even if everyone can tell I’m not actually from Taiwan. What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever had while traveling?
In Taiwan, I’ve tried chicken heart as a street food snack. Lots of intestine and cow blood, too. This past summer I had duck blood, as well. I really appreciate the way that Taiwanese people don’t waste the animal in their cuisine. In a weird way (because how much can you really respect an animal you plan to kill for food?), it feels as though it respects the life of the animal more by not wasting them in death. |
And because you travel a lot, do you have any stories that stick out to you?
I’ve never felt like I travel a lot, but now that I’ve answered where I’ve been to, I guess I have! As a mixed race person of color, the stories that stick out to me have to do with how I’m perceived abroad.
When I was in South Africa, I was there on a school trip for a media class. We had studied South Africa’s media system and their history of racism and Apartheid. We visited a Pretoria radio station, which is home to a huge white population in South Africa, aka where the racists live. Upon walking into the station with the rest of my cohort (all of whom were entirely white), the (white) woman asked if we all spoke English and snuck a rather uneasy glance at me. Throughout the rest of the presentation, we listened to one of their employees struggle to speak proper English to us. The irony was not lost on me.
In Taiwan, because I’m half white and half Taiwanese, I get lots of stares from people. People will compliment my sisters and I for being so beautiful and pale (aka white). It’s interesting how different my experiences abroad are because of my mixed race heritage and has informed a lot of my platform.
On a more lighthearted note, though, when I was in Switzerland in high school, I came across some Chinese tourists who were struggling to communicate with the employees at a store I happened to be shopping in. I knew German, but the pronunciation in Switzerland is totally different from what people speak in Germany. Thankfully, the employee knew English, so I was able to help translate. It was amazing seeing the power of language in action between three people.
I’ve never felt like I travel a lot, but now that I’ve answered where I’ve been to, I guess I have! As a mixed race person of color, the stories that stick out to me have to do with how I’m perceived abroad.
When I was in South Africa, I was there on a school trip for a media class. We had studied South Africa’s media system and their history of racism and Apartheid. We visited a Pretoria radio station, which is home to a huge white population in South Africa, aka where the racists live. Upon walking into the station with the rest of my cohort (all of whom were entirely white), the (white) woman asked if we all spoke English and snuck a rather uneasy glance at me. Throughout the rest of the presentation, we listened to one of their employees struggle to speak proper English to us. The irony was not lost on me.
In Taiwan, because I’m half white and half Taiwanese, I get lots of stares from people. People will compliment my sisters and I for being so beautiful and pale (aka white). It’s interesting how different my experiences abroad are because of my mixed race heritage and has informed a lot of my platform.
On a more lighthearted note, though, when I was in Switzerland in high school, I came across some Chinese tourists who were struggling to communicate with the employees at a store I happened to be shopping in. I knew German, but the pronunciation in Switzerland is totally different from what people speak in Germany. Thankfully, the employee knew English, so I was able to help translate. It was amazing seeing the power of language in action between three people.
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