some models might be concerned that covering themselves with tattoos could turn out to be a bad career move, but the badass cat mcneil isn't the type of model to concern herself with such things—or with much of anything, for that matter. In fact, her carefree attitude has the opposite effect: It's what makes her a stronger model. During a shoot with cat for cr fashion book issue 6, carine was quite taken with cat's wide range of tattoos, many of them clearly the product of a drunken night. But cat doesn't regret a single one. Here, we capture her ease and almost every tattoo on her body (there's a few that we let her keep secret).
what’s your first memory of fashion?
"i remember when i first came to new york after i had just won a modeling competition. I came with my grandma and we went to h&m and i thought it was the coolest store in the whole entire world. I bought this really amazing skirt and i was like “oh my god, i need to go back to australia to wear this.” looking at it now it’s gross. It’s some fully retro, ‘70s skirt with a huge button and it was black and white. I think i only wore it four times."
what was the first show that you walked in?
"i’ve been modeling since i was thirteen, but internationally since i was seventeen. I remember doing australia and new zealand fashion week, but the first big show i ever did was opening and closing for cavalli. I remember being so nervous that i thought i was going to throw up everywhere."
where did you get your first tattoo?
"at this place called smith street in brooklyn. One of my friends had been tattooed there before, so i went back there with him and we both got a tattoo. That was my first one and then i just kept going back."
do any of them have special meanings or are they all random?
"a few of them do. Some of them my friends have given to me and then some are from drunken nights when i got my sister’s name and a few friend’s names. Others are really completely random. For example, i was doing a shoot in a house in carroll gardens and they had a frog skeleton on their table and i was like 'oh i like that, i’m going to get one of those.' come to think of it, i actually have a lot of bugs. I have a rhinoceros beetle because i used to see them in australia when i was a kid a lot. I also have a moth, a bee, and a candle burning on both ends because i have a tendency to do exactly that."
can you explain what you mean by that?
"it’s about not being able to find a balance—working too much and then partying too much."
are there any tattoos that you regret or want to get removed?
"there’s one on my body that i absolutely hate, but it’s on my foot so i can’t see it. All of the tattoos tell stories, so i feel like that’s part of getting them. I have friend’s names that i’m not friends with anymore which can feel a bit weird, but luckily i never get any ex’s initials or anything like that."
do you find the act of getting tattooed to be addictive?
"i think so. I don’t know if it’s the process because each person is different, but i was addicted after the first one. I have a friend who doesn’t even see his tattoos when he looks at himself in the mirror anymore, but he’s completely covered. It’s almost like a type of body dysmorphia. You just look at all the free skin and how empty it is."
is there anything other than the tattoos that people would be surprised to know about you?
“not really. I used to get asked the same stuff all the time like “what’s your beauty routine?” and “what do you do to stay healthy?” but it’s nice now because having the tattoos makes the questions different. I didn’t do it because of that, but you know you’re always getting told what to do with your hair. You can’t eat this and you can’t eat that. When people used to ask me that i always think: Do you want the real answer or do you want me to lie about it? What works for some people doesn’t work for others.”
what would you do if you weren’t modeling?
“i get asked that all the time and i have no idea. I guess i should probably start thinking about it. I once had a normal job. I worked in a popcorn shop when i was about fifteen, but then i got fired.
you weren't very good at serving popcorn?
"no, i used to come in and eat it all."
who would you love to work with?
“mario sorrenti is incredible. Other than him, i really want to work with bruce weber.”
what’s your advice for someone getting their first tattoo?
"you should be sure on what you’re getting. If you’re really not that sure, get it somewhere you can’t see it so you can’t look at it. Make sure you do your research and go to a good shop."
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