About
Ama Elsesser (born May 1 2000, California) is an American model, actor, and LGBTQ+ advocate celebrated for blending style with social purpose. Represented by IMG Models, they have fronted campaigns for UGG, Kenzo, Calvin Klein’s #ProudInMyCalvins, and appeared on the cover of i-D’s Legacy edition. Runway work for labels such as Miu Miu, Collina Strada, and Savage x Fenty showcases their relaxed walk and expressive body language, while film audiences first recognized them as one of the skater kids in Jonah Hill’s Mid90s (2018). In 2020, Dazed named Ama to its annual Dazed 100 list, praising the way they channel visibility into concrete action—most notably, a redistribution art project that funds Black queer creatives. Whether stepping in front of a camera or sharing a microphone at Pride rallies, Ama treats every booking as a chance to widen the frame for queer, Black, and plus-size communities.
Before Fame
Born Amaterasu Eliana Oshun Elsesser, Ama grew up in a Los Angeles apartment humming with vinyl records, incense, and Buddhist chants. Their Chilean-Swiss father Ben is a multi-instrumentalist who kept jazz and soul on repeat, while their African-American mother Anedra—a practising Nichiren Buddhist—encouraged dinner-table debates about justice and empathy. Siblings Paloma (plus-size supermodel), Sage (skateboarder-rapper Navy Blue), and Kanyessa (designer) proved that unconventional paths were possible, and long after-school drives with grandfather Madison stitched the family even closer. Childhood friends remember Ama carrying a disposable camera everywhere, shooting classmates and graffiti walls—an early clue to the visual curiosity that now guides their posing on set. Their life changed in 2017 when Jonah Hill held an open casting for Mid90s; Hill wanted authentic skaters, and Ama’s easy confidence landed them on-screen and on fashion mood-boards almost overnight.
Trivia
- Ama identifies as non-binary and uses they/them pronouns. In a 2020 i-D interview they said leaving the gender box felt like “closing an old chapter rather than starting a new one.”
- Their Instagram (@amaelsesser) has grown past 30 000 followers thanks to candid behind-the-scenes shots and frank mental-health check-ins.
- They starred in Calvin Klein’s 2020 Pride series, recalling the teenage moment they blurted “Mom, I’m gay!” during an anxiety spike—an anecdote now quoted across queer TikTok.
- Ama’s Dazed 100 project redistributed their own modelling fees into micro-grants for Black queer photographers coping with the 2020 lockdown.
- Downtime involves experimenting with plant-based twists on family soul-food recipes, a hobby picked up while helping their dad prep gig-night potlucks.
Family Life
Family is Ama’s anchor and sounding board. They often describe the Elsessers as a “tribe” whose members “ride for each other.” Sister Paloma, now a Vogue cover star, frequently requests joint bookings so the pair can push for truly inclusive casting. Brother Sage—who handed Ama their first skateboard—later opened doors to New York’s downtown scene via Supreme look-books. In an i-D round-table, the siblings credited their parents’ open-door parenting style and their grandfather’s daily school runs for teaching empathy and hustle in equal measure. Extended gatherings double as brainstorming sessions for mutual-aid drives, and Ama credits those living-room debates with sharpening the organizational skills now used to stage fundraising pop-ups. Their mother remains the family’s “fearless leader,” blending Buddhist principles with pragmatic advice; their father still mails playlists that Ama blasts in the makeup chair. That lived-in closeness shows up on set, where Ama routinely calls crews “chosen family” and gravitates toward photographers who keep shoots collaborative rather than top-down.
Associated With
Threads of Ama’s career weave through an ever-growing network of culture-shapers. Jonah Hill not only cast them in Mid90s but later tapped them for an Adidas FW19–SS20 short film, praising their natural camera presence. Campaigns have paired them with free-spirited model Slick Woods, while Rihanna’s Savage x Fenty shows offered a blueprint for diversity run by a Black woman at the top. Designer Angelo Baque of Awake NY invited all three Elsessers for an editorial on legacy, turning the shoot into a family portrait with purpose. The Calvin Klein Pride spot grouped Ama with actors Tommy Dorfman and Jari Jones, deepening ties within queer Hollywood. Looking ahead, the indie drama Once More, Like Rain Man places Ama opposite character actor Scott Krinsky, expanding a filmography that already includes Mid90s and an Adidas campaign. Across sets, runways, and panel discussions, Ama consistently aligns with collaborators who break molds and leave the door wider for the next generation.
