After 7 years modeling for Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues, Jessica White is arguably the most successful black model in the magazine’s history. With the latest edition out this week, White dialed up HipHop to talk about her career and to kill certain rumors. Pop the hood for the details, along with pictures from her latest SI spread.
HipHop was relieved to learn Jessica is no longer upset over the “Swirl Sandwich” photos we posted.
“I shouldn’t read the blogs but I do,” Jessica told HipHop. ” I read the comments and I was bothered by it. It’s never what the journalists say it’s the people, I’m most concerned about the people and how they view certain things. That was a photo that we took that was behind the scenes. You have to understand you’re on a fashion shoot and you’re in these countries working long hours and you’ve been up since 3 am to catch the sunlight. You tend to do silly things on set to have fun and keep spirits light. It was all harmless.”HipHop is also happy to be FIRST to report Jessica has a leading role in Trey Songz’ upcoming “Neighbors Know My Name” video.
“The video is gonna be hot, really beautifully done,” Jessica confirmed to HipHop. “It’s art, pit really is, a video based on art between a man and a woman.”While Jess was happy to confirm her collaboration with Trey, she also wanted to set the record straight about her rumored involvement with another R&B singer — Ne-Yo!
We’re friends, nothing more nothing less. We went to the Grammy’s because he was nominated and I came as his date to support as a friend. People tend to think just because you were seen with someone of the opposite sex that you’re dating them.Jessica says she’s currently single after dating Sean Penn and a brief appearance as Terrell’s love interest on his reality show. She maintains friendships with both, but says she beefed with Terrell about the way she was portrayed on his show:
“I was disappointed by it obviously, because it wasn’t supposed to be that way. I expressed that to Terrell and I’m still friends with Terrell, very good friends with him, he knows it and I’ve never been quiet about it. It was to make him to look cool it was his show okay so whatever. At the same time I think he should have been a little bit more concerned that there was another person involved.”In addition to modeling, Jessica also revealed she’s working on a new singing career but she is most passionate about her charity, Angel Wings Foundation.
“I’ve overcome a lot, I started my foundation, Angel Wings Foundation which will house 40 women admitted on a case by case basis,” Jessica told HipHop. “We’re starting in my hometown of Buffalo. It’s filled with women who have been abused, women involved in domestic violence relationships, even women who caused abuse on themselves because not all the abuse is caused by somethone else. These are things I can relate to because I’ve gone through so many things in my life, even at 25. I wanted to be hands on and physically help women because we are the future.”Jessica told HipHop her new venture was inspired by her experiences from age 6-14,
“I was a victim of sexual victimization. I was a young kid and I watched my sisters, both of them were in abusive relationships and when I was a kid watching that really affected me.”The daughter of a preacher, Jessica says she dealt with the child molestation she experienced through spiritual means:
“My greatest therapy was church. I went through a very long period with not talking about it at all and allowing that anger and rage build up. Trying to just be strong. I raised myself. I left home when I was 16 years old to pursue this career. Everything I did, I had to go through it by myself. People came in and out of my life to impart some powerful things but I never did therapy, I went to church and I needed God to help me. And it really it started to heal through talking to him.”Whoa, that’s heavy. We wish Jessica the best with her charity foundation. Keep scrolling for a look at Jess modeling bikinis for SI.
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