Nikki DuBose: From Modeling to Recovery and Mental Health Advocacy

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Living in the spotlight is more than glamorous photoshoots and dazzling dresses. Sometimes, fame comes with a price — one that’s difficult to come back from. Twenty years after the start of Nikki DuBose’s modeling career, the mental health advocate is changing the narrative of what beauty looks like.

With her latest Harper’s Bazaar Serbia digital cover, DuBose is proving that beauty and success aren’t defined by age, contrary to the rhetoric that’s been parroted for decades. The feature, photographed by Veronica Sams in Hawaii, pays homage to more than Dubose’s modeling career. It showcases her growth as an author, mental health advocate, and psychology student.

DuBose says that she feels healthier, more confident, and more in love with her body at 40 than ever before. The feature isn’t the first time she’s graced a cover, either. DuBose’s Harper’s Bazaar cover is her ninth to date.

From Modeling to Mental Health Advocacy
DuBose may have started her career in fashion and modeling, but her experience in the industry took her on a path to advocacy. As a PsyD student, DuBose focuses on clinical psychology, using her mental health recovery to help others. She’s passionate about creating safer and more supportive spaces for everyone, particularly when it comes to navigating trauma and body image.

Dubose’s memoir, Washed Away: From Darkness to Light, walks readers through her struggles during her early modeling career. It’s always cathartic to tell one’s own story, but more importantly, DuBose’s book is an empathetic resource for anyone facing similar challenges. It’s easy to tell when someone preaches about something they’ve never experienced. But DuBose gets it, and that shows in both her prose and impact.

Changing the Body Image Narrative
It’s easy for people, especially young women, to feel like their worth is directly tied to how they look. DuBose is working to change that rhetoric with the message that everyone is worthy and beauty isn’t determined by weight. How? She fought back against the unrealistic and dangerous expectations forced on her during her early modeling days. Instead, she’s championing an inclusive version of beauty and encourages others to do the same.

Of course, DuBose practices what she preaches. She proudly showcased her natural beauty in Harper’s Bazaar, transitioning from a classic model to a role model. DuBose has experienced the freedom that comes with embracing her natural beauty. Now, she inspires others to focus on nourishment and self-love, all while rejecting harmful industry standards.

This ideology is the foundation of her practice, Live ED Free. By promoting body positivity and mental wellness, DuBose supports young women recovering from eating disorders. Her mission? Helping others reach the level of peace and self-acceptance that she’s worked her entire career to achieve.

Creating Change on a National Scale
While her one-on-one work is critical to the young women she supports on a smaller scale, DuBose is making a significant impact on the entire industry through legislative advocacy. Her primary focus centers on legal reforms created to protect models and child abuse survivors. Given her lived experience and psychological insights, DuBose offers unique and valuable insight into her causes.

Between showcasing genuine joy and body positivity on Instagram and in professional shoots, mentoring young women, and creating change at the legislative level, DuBose is redefining the meaning of beauty as self-respect rather than appearance. But more importantly, she encourages others to do the same.

Presented by: APG

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