Ireland Baldwin, 18-year-old daughter of Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger, is the new face of Rampage; it's her first solo campaign as a model. Cosmopolitan.com spoke to her on June 25, on the set of her photo shoot.
Do you feel like you need to use Twitter and Instagram to help your career — is that part of the job now? Kendall Jenner, for instance, is active on social media. Do you feel it's important for an up-and-coming model or actor's career?
If you're up-and-coming, it's definitely important. It's a great way to market yourself and your personality, and kind of build a fan base. There are established actors of a completely different generation than mine that you don't really see having Twitter or Instagram, and that's because it's been a progression, and they've worked their entire lives and had their own forms of exposure. This is my generation's exposure. So I think it is important if you're up-and-coming.
When you post something to Twitter or Instagram, do you think first, Is this going to have consequences or look funny later on?
I just tweeted something like that yesterday. I said, "Before you tweet something, you should ask yourself: "Do people actually give a shit about what I'm about to say?"
I saw that tweet.
Yeah. I'm starting to definitely think about what I post, especially in terms of my future, and work and everything. I used to be a bit more careless, but now I definitely sit there and really think about whether this is a good idea or not.
Do you have any opinion on the "free the nipple" campaign that a lot of celebs — Rihanna, Scout Willis, Cara Delevingne — have taken up? Is it an important cause to you?
Yeah. To be honest, I think that it's so effing stupid, because there are boobs and nipples all over Tumblr, all over Twitter, all over the world. Just walk around and there are boobs all over life, and in great artwork, in classic paintings, and in sculptures; it's everywhere. Instagram is just behind the times.
I wasn't using [Instagram] for a while, actually — I wasn't necessarily protesting, but I just don't agree. I've had photos deleted by them, and I stopped using it for a month or so, just because I was so over it. I've had so many photos deleted by them, for whatever reason. And they'll send you an email saying, "Oh, we removed it because it had graphic whatever, or it was flagged, or blah, blah, blah." I posted some famous photograph of this Easter Bunny, like a Donnie Darko-type situation ... I don't know, it was an Easter Bunny costume, and it was covered in blood. And it was this interesting art situation, and they emailed me and said it was too graphic. I just think that they're completely, whatever, over there. I do. I support Rihanna. [Laughs.]
Do you think that policy is somewhat sexist too? Male models all post photos without their shirts.
I do. I had this conversation the other day with one of my best guy friends. I said, "It's so unfair that you get to walk around with your shirt off all the time, and women don't." It's weird, you know? I saw Scout Willis's whole thing she did, she walked around New York City topless. I think that's so awesome. Yeah, I do think it's sexist. I think it's dumb. And, like, they make crazy Helmut Lang tops, all these different high-end fashion brands, showing nipple for days. I wore a super sheer — see-through, basically — Helmut Lang top to Coachella and my nipples were out, and no one cares anymore. So I don't know what [Instagram's] deal is.
What is the inspiration for these tattoos? [She has, from left wrist to elbow, the David Bowie lyric "we can be heroes," a bra, and a lotus.]
These are all drawings that I've drawn myself, but the one I have here [points below left breast] is probably my favorite. It says 'Try a little tenderness," because that's my favorite Otis Redding song.
And what about the story behind these others?
This David Bowie one, another close person in my life has the same one. We both have matching tattoos. And this one [the bra] is because I used to love drawing bras and panties and lingerie when I was little. I used to love little sketches of lace dresses and things. And this one's a lotus, and I got it because I drew a lotus one day, and I was like, "I want that."
How do you handle dating? Do your parents approve your dates? [Ed note: This interview took place before Angel Haze confirmed that she and Ireland are dating.]
I don't think so anymore. I think I'm old enough. [Laughs.]
What about fame and the pressures and perks? Do you feel more pressure to succeed because your parents are both famous? Do you feel maybe you get overlooked sometimes, because of your name?
I think that people aren't necessarily going to hire you, especially in this industry, just because of who your parents are. Because, honestly, they're not going to waste their time and they're not going to blow money on someone. They don't give a shit. You have to have it, or you don't have it, and you have to work hard. And I do think it's not fair that a lot of people perceive me, as well as someone like Kendall Jenner, as someone who was born into a particularly famous family. I don't think it's fair that they think because of our "silver spoon" heritage, that we don't work hard. Because we do. We work hard to get to where we are. And some people get jobs and things in different ways, but ultimately, it comes down to if you have it or not.
Do you have a plan for your modeling career, or you're just taking projects that feel right and you'll see where it goes?
I'm still relatively new to this whole thing. I think that even though it's been a year and a half now, I'm still kind of figuring out where I belong and what I want to represent and what my image really is. And I am taking on acting and photography; I have other interests as well. So I'm just trying to expand on all of those.
Do you have other life plans at this point? Do you hope to at some point have marriage and children in the future? Or, at 18, you're not even thinking about that stuff yet?
I definitely don't think about — well, I think we all think about marriage and kids and whatever. I sat next to this really rad Australian mom on my flight yesterday. She was 23 and she had, like, a five-year-old. And I don't know, she was so cool; she seemed like the coolest young mom, and she was one of those moms that makes you want to be a mom — until, you know, you see kids freaking out on the plane. It's hard and it's a lot to handle and I'm definitely not ready for that. Maybe in, like, 50 years, but right now, yeah, I just think little fantasies about it.
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