Dascha Polanco loves to use the phrase #ismellgood and believes in the act of practicing self acceptance daily. In ModCloth’s new “Against The Current” campaign, Dascha reveals the difficult decision she made to have a child right after high school, but at the same time, she fought through the elements to become the educated and successful actress and activist she is. “I want to be able to have little girls, or even have women of various ages, to look at something and say, ‘Wow, I see myself there,’ and that’s the beauty of this,” Dascha explained in an EXCLUSIVE interview with HollywoodLife. “I’m really proud of the whole idea of this video and how they are marketing it. It’s just not the face, but also the story, which is so important because at the end of the day, if you can’t relate to the person’s experience, then what does it matter that you got to wear the same shirt? It doesn’t mean anything, but to add that sentimental value to it, for me to tell my story while wearing ModCloth’s clothes, was wow! I’m so thankful that I got the opportunity to be part of it.”
In the campaign, the OITNB actress wears a polka-dotted navy dress and a forest green handbag while walking through the busy streets of NY and taking in her surroundings. At one point, Dascha sees a young women, pregnant, as she tells the camera in a confessional, “One year you’re graduating from college, and the next you’re having a kid.” “Although I made the decision, I knew that I wasn’t ready,” she explains as objects begin to light fire around her. At the crosswalk, fire engulfs Dascha, but, just like she took control of her life and was determined to “not become a statistic,” she took control of the flames and they began to die. “There’s no right or wrong way to be the right way, which is you,” Dascha says.
ModCloth’s largest campaign to date doesn’t just celebrate Dascha’s story, but it also highlights their universal style. Halsey, Awkwafina and model and trans activist Hari Nef join Dascha in the “Against the Current” campaign, which was Directed by photographer and filmmaker Alex Prager. Each short film shows the stars battling against the elements (earth, wind, water, fire) in more ways then one. As International Women’s Month comes to an end, these short videos tell a bigger story of the personal struggles, mentally, emotionally and physically, so many women endure around the world.