Beautiful, crazy, she can’t help but amaze me.” So I just feel so grateful for him, cause he makes it real for me and he shows me like “Hey, you’re beautiful and you’re amazing, too.” So he just really means it and puts it out there, he does not hold anything back, and I think it’s awesome because everyone deserves to know that you are, and that they love the real you, and I think it really helps other people. You want to tell me about the first time you got your hair done? I got my hair dyed at this salon in the Castro. I was like 16 years old, my birthday was coming up, and I had seen a picture of Rihanna on the cover of Allure magazine with like super hot platinum blonde hair, and I just went “Hey, that’s what I want.” I think I saved up my babysitting money and went to the first salon that I went to in San Francisco. And I walked in and this is my style now, I just walk up to people and ask “Do you think you could give me this look?” And you know, they say yeah, or no. So I had this whole thing planned out and I just went in, I did this big fake smile, and I had $100 to pay. And I told them that I needed to get it done today so it would be dark enough to go with my black dress for my birthday party. And they were like, okay. And so they dyed it purple, because purple was the trend then. And then I got a ton of compliments, and it just kind of like opened up my whole confidence to like, you know what, everyone’s different. Everyone’s different. My family, and my friends, and people at work were so supportive and so happy for me, you know. What do you hope other people will take away from looking at your photos? I think what people should do is look at these pictures and be like, “Oh my gosh, it’s okay to be yourself.” Like, all these people are really beautiful, you’re beautiful, we are all human beings, and I think we just really need to stop the hate, stop the negativity. I feel like we don’t have to make this a negative world. I really want to shine a light on people that don’t have it easy in life, and people who maybe don’t have their dream job, or what ever, or they maybe don’t have a nice family life, and they don’t have a lot of money. Because you’ve got to realize that beauty comes from within. It’s not about the outside, it’s what’s on the inside. And so I feel like if you can appreciate somebody’s beauty from the outside, but also what’s on the inside, and how much courage they have to go through life, you know, if you were happy to look at them on the outside, it’s only going to make them stronger and more determined to achieve their goals. What’s next for you? So I just moved to L.A. from San Francisco. And that was a really big move and I’m working on a lot of projects. My career is going very well. I have been with Getty Images for about seven months and the pictures that I am taking are going to a ton of different places. It’s just been super-busy for me, and I’m trying to figure out a lot of different things, a lot of different ideas and brands and so on. I’m a really huge fan of all different kinds of music. I am a huge Weezer fan, like that’s my favorite band, ever. I think they were really really important in the music industry during the ’90s, and then after that they kind of went down the tubes. And they were like, “Wow, really?” I can’t believe that, like, wow, really? I don’t think we can go backwards or forward, and we can’t take a step back. And also I am a huge fan of the Talking Heads and I’ve been seeing my favorite singer, Frank Black, and my favorite band, the Ramones, who were obviously from the ’70s, because I was so young when they were there, but they have been really really important in my life. And I think that they always give good advice. Like, you don’t ever want to be the person that’s just a trend follower, that follows trends. You have to stay true to yourself and just do it. Be yourself, and have fun with it. You had so much fun getting your hair done! You know what? I was thinking about this. I was talking to some friends recently, and they’re like, “Oh my gosh, I don’t know how you can go to school and do all of that.” And so I just go, why not? I don’t know. It just kind of always happened. I mean it does feel like it’s just a constant learning process. And it’s just like a different way of taking classes. I love the book, “You Can Date Boys When You’re Forty.” I read the blurb on the back. I went to the San Francisco Comic Con last year, so I was in the hallways where they were selling the books, and I found it and I was like, “Oh my gosh!” It made me really happy and I bought two. And then, of course, I didn’t tell anyone that I loved the book until later on, but then the people that I told were like, “Oh my god, that’s so funny.” I don’t know if you wanted to touch on that at all. I think you should. Yeah, there’s a lot of things in there. You know, I think so many people are like, “What do you think is in that book? You don’t understand. It’s a million dollars. It’s a million dollars. It’s not worth it to do the book.” So I just had to do it and have fun with it and have some fun with my life and just go on a tour. Like, I just wanted to take a chance and take a risk and be fun and not, like, “Wow, it’s going to be tough. It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be a lot of hard work.” Just have fun. I think if you really want something and you really want it bad, don’t be afraid to be strong. Photo Courtesy of Amy Lombard Thanks so much, Amy! You’re welcome. And thanks to The Coconuts for giving us the platform to talk to Amy Lombard. We’ll definitely be looking out for her next show. And you should too. About The Author Amber Chia Amber Chia is a fashion writer, TV personality, and the founder of Fashionista Media, an on-line magazine, blog and TV series about everything that goes into making fashion week happen. A native of Vancouver, BC, she graduated from SFU with a BFA in fashion design and has written for the Vancouver Sun, CBC.ca and Toronto Star’s Fashion magazine. Now based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Amber loves to spend her time checking out what the best of West Coast style has to offer, including what’s trending on her favorite shopping streets, Melrose Avenue and Hayes Valley.