In partnership with Jake Donald
Society has suffered for a long time from a popular misconception about what women’s beauty and empowerment mean. People routinely confuse appreciation for objectification and vice versa. For influencer and model Ejay Stokes, there was never an arbitrary line drawn between what she could share and admire about her own body and what she knew that figure would be worth, both to herself and to her bank account, when presented in her way to an increasingly voracious online public.
Beauty is, after all, the one true currency of the world. Whether people are comfortable with it or not, beauty will open doors that even money cannot, and if we are ever to be a truly inclusive society that values women’s decisions at the same rate as men’s, we should never be anything but supportive of women who work the way Ejay does, leveraging her physical image into financial stability and an adventuresome, active, and fulfilled life.
Hailing from Newcastle, Australia, Ejay was scouted early via Instagram and began modelling at 16. Working her way through the usual disappointments and disillusionments that occur when people in a vain and transient industry do not keep their promises, she quickly learned to keep one promise to herself at all times: love what you do and do what you love. Controlling her content became professional priority number one, which proved to be a positive game-changer.
Ejay began to apply the same ethos to her OnlyFans, TikTok, and other profiles that she had already instituted in her life, one of exploration, creativity, and full enjoyment of the moment no matter what that moment held or did not hold. Having travelled to The Philippines with her parents in her younger years, Ejay imbibed a special message from that geographically gorgeous but economically challenged place: money or lack of it does not matter when you know how to be grateful for what you do have.
By and large, this is what Ejay sees herself doing with all forms of her modelling. She shares her philosophy on her line of work and how she views the meaning of the money she makes. Ejay states, “I want to provide the life my family gave me.” With a supportive partner who likewise makes a living in the world of refining body image as a personal trainer, Ejay’s career-to-home balance illustrates the answer to another misguided notion about what modelling of any kind can mean in a family setting.
Many would like to believe such work invariably takes a critical toll on romantic unions or traditional familial obligations, but that has not been Ejay’s reality. Like her partner, Ejay brings in her income, works freely from any setting the couple may find themselves in on a day-to-day basis, chooses her photographers or shoots on her own, and enjoys the liberty to select her collaborations or lack thereof.
When asked what she sees in her five-year future, her response is as apple pie as it gets, “Honestly, I see myself having kids. I hope to have built up the confidence to get my license by then to drive myself to do charity work. Most likely, I would have invested in starting a business.” For Ejay, these classic success markers are founded by a refusal to believe in failure as a concept. She prefers to call anything challenging in her life a “lesson” and admits that she has had “a lot to learn” but would not change the rocks in her road for a smoother trail. Nor would she hand over her autonomy for more “likes,” more money, or a broader appeal, prioritizing herself and her happiness. In her own conclusive words that we could all take note of as great advice for staying stoked on life, “Who bloody cares what people think as long as you are doing what you love!”
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