Tanja Beljanski: It is an honor to have you as our cover star. You were on over 800 magazine covers. Is it possible to choose your favorite one? Which one would that be?

Helena Christensen: I have three I can think of right now: the white horse cover on the British Vogue (my first Vogue cover), the French Glamour cover by Mario Testino shot in Cusco, Peru and the British Vogue cover by Nick Knight with a blue veil in front of my face.

TB: As a model and photographer, do you enjoy being in front of or behind the camera more?

HC: I enjoy both. They really go so well together. I learn from one and use it for the other, it goes both ways.

TB: What do you love about photography?

HC: The sheer miracle that you can capture a moment in time and freeze it forever still blows my mind. And it does that every time I take a picture.

TB: You were photographed by the legends of fashion photography. I believe those were unforgettable experiences. What did you learn from them? Who was your favorite to work with?

HC: I absorbed so much and learned something unique from each one of them. I was in the best photography school, being educated by those iconic photographers. I was very lucky to start working just before they all left us, one by one. They were magical being on set for different reasons, but Irving Penn is probably the one I’m most proud to have worked with.

TB: Did you ever feel pressure to change yourself to fit better into fashion life?

HC: Never. Thank god!

TB: Do you still enjoy modeling? What makes it exciting for you? And what do you think about modeling today?

HC: Yes I do, I don’t really see it as me modeling but more as me being part of a team working together creatively making up a story. I like it perhaps even more today, working with new people who see you differently is always interesting.

TB: You have supported UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency since 2015 and were appointed a Goodwill Ambassador in June 2019. In your work with UNHCR, you are using your creativity to tell refugee stories.

HC: I am so honored to have been given the trust and responsibility to, with my camera and my eyes, tell the stories of refugees and convey their emotions to the world. I couldn’t have wished for a better opportunity because it has so many layers. To share the harrowing stories of all these people and to feel their despair mixed with hope and to hopefully convey those emotions via my photography feels like a privilege.

TB: As a woman with many triumphs under your belt, do you find it annoying that women are often still judged just on how they look?

HC: You got to just rise above it. Sometimes I feel the more women talk about this the more we set ourselves back. Sometimes we are our own worst enemy. I don’t think men care about it really. It is always women who ask about looks, beauty and age in interviews. Not men.

TB: Who is your biggest support in your life, and your inspiration?

HC: My mom for sure. She is magical and such an inspiring woman and mother.

TB: Part of your self-confidence comes from looking after your skin. Would you share with us the “secret”?

HC: I like taking good care of my skin and my body. I box and sprint and do cold water dips all year long. I scrub my skin and use beautiful oils and serums. I steam and go in saunas because I love how my skin feels afterwards and I like how good it feels for my entire body.

TB: You love to cook and you love to eat. Food has always played a huge role in your life. Why is that?

HC: Because food is the most wonderful thing on earth. It’s my favorite sense, taste. Food gives me so much joy. I was born hungry and am always looking forward to the next meal.
Cooking is just so inspiring, I put on loud music and mix all different kinds of herbs and spices in anything I make. I learned that from my mom.

TB: We would love to hear some advice for improving our wellbeing in general. Running or Jogging? Diet? Water? Boxing or Yoga? Jumping into freezing water? :-)

HC: I box and condition, I train with weights which are very impetuous. You have to keep activating and shocking and surprising your muscles. I love getting in cold rivers, even when covered in ice. More so how it feels for my body; it’s a way of challenging my brain and mind. Immersing myself in raw nature is such an interesting high. I do yoga once in a while, love it. I
try to drink enough water but I don’t always get there. I eat what I want, which basically is possible because I’m very active.

TB: Reasons why you love nature.

HC: A million different reasons! I yearn for nature and have to be in it as often as possible. I think I was supposed to be either a mermaid or a forest fairy instead of a human. Nature makes me feel like the most real, most truthful version of myself.

“I yearn for nature and have to be in it as

often as possible. I think I was supposed

to be either a mermaid or a forest fairy

instead of a human. Nature makes me feel

like the most real, most truthful version

of myself.”

TB: You have a love for art and design, too. What type of art and design do you gravitate to? What speaks to your personality? How is that exemplified in your home?

HC: My home is a total extension of the art I love. Every single object says something very personal about me. I don’t really think about whether something is an art or design piece, it’s really more about what I feel inside when I look at it. I tend to lean towards antique rather than modern art. One of my favorite art forms is Bauhaus. There was never a more talented group of women than in that movement. I am constantly in awe of how productive, creative and talented they were.

TB: Your instagram is like a journal, a visual diary. Your thoughts on Social media? And how does it work for you?

HC: Because it is a visual diary for me that’s the only way I look at it. And it’s the only social media I am on. I don’t think further about it than that. I find it a bit daunting and surreal that so many different people look at it. But it’s not something that crosses my mind very often. I mostly put images on for my mom. I know she enjoys seeing what I’m doing and knowing where I am.

“There was never a more talented group

of women than in Bauhaus movement. I

am constantly in awe of how productive,

creative and talented they were.”

TB: Where are you most at peace?

HC: In water. I could live in water.

TB: What pushes you forward?

HC: The fact that life suddenly will end. It frustrates me endlessly. So I try very much to live in the moment and be open and curious about everything around me.