About
Ava Hariri‑Kia is an Iranian‑American curve model and vocal fashion activist living in New York City. She entered the professional ranks by signing her first pro contract in July 2020, landing editorials for publications like Vogue and campaigns for big brands within weeks. Her mission is to demonstrate that style knows no bounds of size and that representation must be a daily occurrence, and not a fleeting season headline. Having grown up with rich Persian heritage, she has a deep sense of community and warmth—qualities she now directs into demands for enduring size inclusivity on runways and in boardrooms.
Before Fame
Fashion fascinated Ava from childhood, but her first brush with the industry was scarring: at thirteen, a photographer told her to “lose 30 pounds” before stepping in front of his camera. The comment fueled years of doubt, yet it never dimmed her love for style. After graduating from New York’s Spence School, she headed to the University of St Andrews in Scotland. There, she threw herself into Don’t Walk, the campus charity fashion show famous for its activist spirit, eventually curating the production and managing a team of student stylists. The experience taught her how runway spectacles can double as platforms for social change and cemented her resolve to model on her own terms.
Trivia
- Contract to cause: Ava’s agency deal arrived during what she calls the “fat‑people renaissance,” a brief period when plus‑size casting surged—only to recede just two years later. Her first‑person essay in Harper’s Bazaar details how quickly doors closed when ultra‑thin bodies returned to trend, a pivot she now critiques loudly.
- Vision board heroes: As a teen, she covered her bedroom walls with images of trail‑blazing curve supermodels Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser, reminders that opportunity did exist.
- Quote to remember: “I want every woman to just feel themselves and exist with no boundary,” she told Refinery29 when profiled alongside other size‑inclusion advocates.
- Creative side hustles: Before modeling full‑time, she styled peers, sourced looks from student designers, and even stitched last‑minute alterations backstage—skills that still come in handy on set.
Family Life
Ava was born to Iranian parents who settled in New York after the revolution, raising their daughters in a household where generosity and loud dinner‑table debates were the norm. She is the younger sister of award‑winning author and journalist Iman Hariri‑Kia, who recently wrote that Ava served as maid‑of‑honor at her Lisbon wedding—a testament to their tight sibling bond. The sisters also share another, older sibling who once pursued music; Ava’s very first photo shoot happened while tagging along to that sister’s headshot session. Ava credits her family with grounding her during industry highs and lows, often citing Persian notions of khanevadeh (extended family) as her emotional anchor.
Associated With
Hariri‑Kia’s career is threaded with influential connections:
- Role models: She openly praises Ashley Graham and Paloma Elsesser for proving that curve models deserve top‑tier billing.
- Peers in progress: Publications frequently bracket her with change‑makers like Yumi Nu and Devyn Garcia as part of the cohort pushing fashion toward real size diversity.
- Industry supporters: Her photographer friend Ethan James Green urged her to join an agency after she did her first major editorial shoot, an act Ava calls career‑changing.
- Inspirational role models: Outside of fashion, she names Iranian women protesting for freedom as inspirations, incorporating their bravery into her campaign for body acceptance.
