If you Google Julia Fox, you may find headlines for articles detailing her relationship and lavish dates with Kanye West, Twitter posts comparing her to Kim Kardashian West, and other articles speculating on her drama with Kardashian. What you don’t see is anything crediting nor depicting her as who she truly is. She is an accomplished actress, muse, artist, fashion designer, former dominatrix, and mother. Kim Kardashian sold her line in Dash and wore it on her reality show Keeping Up With The Kardashians long before magazines compared their Paris Fashion Week looks. After listening to her interview with Alexandra Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast on Tuesday, it is clear she has a rich lived experience and immense depth that the media has chosen to ignore.
Don’t get me wrong, Call Her Daddy is not without its issues. The host Alex Cooper addressed criticism of her recent lineup of guests such as Colton Underwood and Jamie Lynn Spears. Despite Underwood’s courageous coming-out journey, I was shocked that she gave him a platform after his ex Cassie Randolph filed a restraining order against him for alleged stalking and abuse last year without holding him accountable. However, Cooper affirmed in the episode titled “Cancel Call Her Daddy” that she is committed to having open conversations with people who have stories. Despite how listeners personally may perceive her, Jamie Lynn Spears’ lived experience as a child actor, teen mother, and the sister of a pop global icon made for an incredibly interesting podcast episode. Cooper’s interview with it girl of the moment Julia Fox was no different.
The recent episode gave listeners something media rarely does: dive deeply into the struggles, past, passions, and accomplishments of a woman that was recently put in the box of “the girlfriend of”. Fox is a witty and dynamic woman who grew up in New York City with married parents who lived in different countries, has overcome a heroin addiction, and accomplished all the things listed above while financially supporting herself.
The video form interview is fifty-nine minutes long. In the interview, Cooper and Fox discussed everything from growing up too fast in New York with limited supervision to her experience as a dominatrix to support herself to finding her voice as an artist and more. Fox gave insights and anecdotes on social media, sexuality, owning your power as a woman, and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to live your best life. You might listen to the interview; you might not. With that being said, here are the five biggest takeaways from the Julia Fox Call Her Daddy interview:
- You’ll find the most success when you push yourself out of your comfort zone.
In the interview, Fox reflects on pushing herself out of her comfort zone in life: out of necessity and by choice. She explained how she found herself working as a dominatrix when forced into a situation where she had to support herself at eighteen. Fox detailed how her after-school job put her in scary situations. She credits that to teaching her how to act and landing her a role in the Adam Sandler film Uncut Gems. Fox gave great insights on networking, taking risks, and finding your passion. Fox recounts leaving New York for LA which allowed her to experience the fashion world after a personal betrayal. She left a fun and exciting life in LA, to go to the south where she found her passion as an artist through photography. Despite many hardships, she always sees the silver lining. Her time as a socialite in New York and LA provided her with contacts that allowed her to make herself a designer, an artist, and an actress. Overall, she cites her biggest successes as ones that happened when she pushed herself out of her comfort zone.
- Be different – if people hate it, you’re probably doing something right.
Fox noted that despite the criticism of her iconic kohl liner moment at the Kenzo show on social media everyone loved the smudged-out look. She pointed out that Chanel featured a similar look during their couture show later that week, which was reportedly inspired by 1920s avant-garde art. If you feel good in an outfit or a makeup look, go for it! I know so many girls who won’t wear something they feel amazing in because they’re afraid of what others might think. As long as you feel confident that’s all that matters. Fox herself says if people hate it, you’re probably doing something right. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Be bold.
- It doesn’t matter where you start; your journey can take you anywhere
Like all Call Her Daddy episodes, Alex went through every phase of life with Fox. They dove deep into Fox’s childhood and struggles growing up in New York. At a young age, she was exposed to homelessness, sex work, drug abuse, and more. She recounts going clubbing for the first time at fourteen and trying drugs at twelve. When Cooper pried further, Fox compared her and her friends to the girls from Thirteen, “I had braces and they let me into clubs,” she recounts. She recalls being in trouble with the law multiple times for everything from drug use to grand larceny. She feels very lucky to have gotten through that time in her life. She credits her probation officer Miss Cortez for saving her life. She later describes her experience with heroin addiction and how she overdosed several times. After her best friend died of an overdose a few years ago and with the help of her ‘sister’ she got fully clean. The interview paints a picture of an extremely resilient and powerful young girl who has accomplished so much despite her circumstances. She’s lived a rich life full of highs and lows. She recounts a full-circle moment where she did a campaign as a model with Bloomingdales at a location she had previously been arrested at. It doesn’t matter where you start, your journey can take you anywhere.
- Learn to not allow yourself to be dismissed in situations because you’re perceived as confident, dramatic, or assertive.
While reflecting on her days as a nightclub owner, Fox recounted a situation where her ex assaulted her in the club before the me-too era. Despite it happening in a room full of people, she remembers her friends dismissing her and accusing her of instigating it because of the perception that she was a loose cannon. Fox explains being labeled as such because she stood up for herself and called out instances that she saw as unfair or wrong. Like many women both before and after the #MeToo era, because she was assertive, sexually confident, and a little bit dramatic she had to be the one to instigate the issue. Fox refrained from saying anything out of fear of being dismissed again when something else happened in the future with a prominent person. Holding this in caused emotional damage and trauma for her. Obviously, we are now post #Metoo era, but women who are perceived as assertive or sexually confident are still regularly dismissed even by their friends. Although the toxic culture of victim-blaming remains, there are now more resources for survivors. As hard as it might be, do not allow yourself to be dismissed by anyone – especially friends or loved ones. Surround yourself with positive people who support you, and don’t be afraid to set healthy boundaries. Ultimately, this betrayal led to Fox leaving New York and moving to Los Angeles where she launched her fashion line. She reflects on this transition as one of the best things to have ever happened to her. The only person you need is you. You know your truth and your worth and shouldn’t compromise that for anyone.
- Stop pitting successful women against each other: we can celebrate two things at once.
Fox candidly responded to Cooper’s questions about being compared to Kim Kardashian West in the best way. When Fox and Kardashian were both spotted wearing the same looks, she acknowledged she was aware they were similar but didn’t think it was a bad thing. She says she’s currently “playing the role of Ye’s muse” and that it shows how Kanye influenced Kim as a designer. Kanye’s need to control his partner’s appearance is a totally separate issue to unpack. Fox thinks it’s unfortunate that like many other women they are being compared to each other. That is kinda ridiculous considering they both have been Kanyes’ “muse” and this is his first relationship post-separation – they are going to be compared. However, that does not mean one has to be better than the other. I appreciated that Fox didn’t see herself as competing with Kim, but as appreciating and paying homage to her. Fox had co-owned her fashion own line and even came up with the iconic smudged eyeliner look that stole the show at Paris Fashion Week. Both women can be celebrated for their style and taste without taking away from the other.
When I conceptualized this article, I knew I was not going to entertain the subject of Fox’s relationship with Kanye. A simple Google search can provide you with speculation, commentary, and information on Fox and Kanye’s relationshipArticles do not cite him as “Kim Kardashian’s ex or Julia Fox’s boyfriend”. Most articles cover his social media presence, music, appearances, and life. There are articles about his relationships, but he is recognized as an individual because he is a man. So many women are labeled “the girlfriend of”. Their accomplishments and individual identities and stories are dismissed and their identity is reduced to their relationship. Julia Fox was an actress, fashion designer, artist, mother, muse, and public figure long before she ever met Kanye “Ye” West. The Call Her Daddy interview with Julia Fox painted a full picture of the fascinating lived experience, accomplishments, and identity of Julia Fox. Say what you will about Alex Cooper and her recent lineup of guests, but most media has focused only on her relationship with Kanye or compared her to Kim. Cooper’s questions allowed Fox to highlight her depth, experience, and accomplishments that deserve to be celebrated just as much as Kardashians.