by Mike Bandy

Last night on Top Model, Sara, the 18-year-old hardcore feminist from Edinburg, TX, was eliminated. Sara struggled with confidence issues throughout her time on the show, and in the bottom two with Alexandria, Tyra and Co. decided she didn't give enough in the commercial shoot to be able to continue. We caught up with Sara to talk about how feminism relates to modeling, what "femcore" is, and what's coming up next for her!

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: On last night's episode, you mentioned that you're a feminist. How do you reconcile your feminism with entering an industry that, on some level, objectifies women?
A. Sara: Well, the main goal of modeling is to create a beautiful shot and something that grabs the consumer, and I think of that more as a natural thing, like a brightly colored flower. It's terrible to compare a woman to a brightly colored flower, but it's true. I feel like if that's what you want to do, then f*** it, you should just do it! Once you get to a certain point in your career you can pick and choose what you do, but right now I can't.

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: On your way down the runway with Alexandria, you said, "One last walk." Were you that certain that you were going home?
A. Sara: Um, I really was. I had a very resigned feeling - once again, I don't know how to say this without talking s*** about myself, but I have a lot less experience than Alexandria; she's a dominant personality with a lot of experience behind her. They're gonna send home the quieter girl with less experience, not the bitch of the cycle. I felt very zen about it.

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: During the commercial shoot, you said that you were embarrassed to have your "femcore" friends see it. What is "femcore", and how did your friends react to your commercial shoot?
A. Sara: Femcore is hardcore feminism; I don't know if you're familiar with the riot girls of the early 90s? A lot of my friends are kind of punky hippies, and I was embarrassed because it was a really weird time with the commercial, and it seemed like what was going on behind the scenes was really what they were looking for. They were stuffing our bras with socks and things like that, and then they gave me a broken dress that split when I sat down. It was like, "Oh, let's make her look sexy by making her look like a 50s secretary." I was raised to think that power is sexy, and I think it's demeaning to men too, that they would only respond to a woman trying to seduce them. I think that the genders need to stop playing tricks on each other, and just be direct. My friends were actually okay with it, they knew I was doing what I had to do, and I should have been able to own it, but I wasn't ready to do it then.

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: You made it through a runway show in a giant bubble, a photo shoot with live bees, and a runway show where you had to ignite yourself on fire. Given this craziness, if you could speculate what the final runway show would be like, what would it be?
A. Sara: I have a feeling it's gonna be a runway show like 10 stories up or something...very survivor-esque! I feel like a lot of our challenges have been dealing with your fears and going the distance...maybe it'll be a runway show on top of a mountain? I can only speculate.

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: On the show, it seemed as though you didn't like your makeover at all. What would have been your dream makeover?
A. Sara: I actually did a couple on set interviews and I actually loved my makeover! I think that the short hair on Top Model is kind of the kiss of death...I don't have the experience that the other girls have, so I feel like having all the attention on my face when I'm not really sure how to work it was a bit of a challenge, and I wanted it to be easy, and that was selfish and immature of me. But I didn't hate it, I loved it! I've had that haircut for four years, if I hated it, I'd be walking around with a wig. I was most upset I didn't get a weave.

Q. Mike, RealityWanted: You mentioned going back to school if ANTM didn't work out. What's coming up next for you?
A. Sara: Um, well school's always in the back of my mind, but I just have to hop on the skillet when it's hot, so I'm going to be moving to LA in June with my roommate, and work on my portfolio, and when I'm more grounded as a model and as a person, I'll move to New York and try to make it. Hell no, I'm not giving up!

America's Next Top Model airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on the CW.

(Image courtesy of the CW)