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It was a surreal moment in Racked history, walking into the Midtown Manhattan Hooters and witnessing an epiphanic moment amongst the staff as the Neil Sedaka classic, "(I Love My) Calendar Girl" played overhead. "Oh my god! This song is about Jasmine!" a delightfully tacky, yet unrefined waitress yelled into a sea of orange hot pants clad co-workers.
Who is Jasmine? Jasmine Syed is one of seven Hooters calendar girls that we interviewed Wednesday prior to the 2012 Hooters Calendar launch. Lindsay Way, Liz Lugo, Morgan Meyer, Sarah Hinton, Crystal Cunningham, Alex Dumrauf and Jasmine Syed were in New York last week to promote the release of the new calendar (the first of many stops on a national tour). They are some of the select few chosen from 20,000 plus Hooters Girls nationwide to be featured in the calendar's pages (and on the cover!).
We sat down to talk to them about beauty, life goals, crazy fans, and more.
Morgan Meyer (Above photo by Anna Fischer), click images to enlarge
Name: Morgan Meyer (Miss December)
Age: 26
Hometown: Kansas City, Kansas
Home Hooters: Oberlin Park Store
Been with Hooters: 7 years
Racked: Is this your first calendar?
MM: It's my third calendar. But it's my first time with a big picture, and so, I was very, very excited when I got the phone call. I was jumping up and down screaming! Everybody saw me on the phone and was like, are you okay? It was a great, great moment.
Racked: What's the process of getting chosen for the calendar out of the 20,000 girls that work there?
MM: Well, you submit pictures at the beginning of the year, and then, if you get called back, they travel around the country and you shoot on location where you’re from. You also have another way you can get in the calendar—if you go to the pageant, they do have photo shoots during the week they shoot, and sometimes that is the calendar picture they choose. Mine this year was a shoot that we did in Aspen. It was a shoot we did in the beginning of the year, in April. And, it was kind of a quick little shoot we threw together. It was really fun, but it was one of those times that I was like, oh it's the beginning of the year, I doubt it will be it. I'm going to shoot again. And, they picked it, and it was a big one! I was like, wow, this is really cool!
Racked:Since you've been in calendar multiple times, do you have any crazy fan experiences?
MM: I don't have any crazy fan experiences. I do know, we've got so many great fans with Hooters. We've got so many, very dedicated fans. They show up at every signing [around the country], they show up at every event. And, they are the nicest people. And, I know a lot of people think, oh, it's these crazies. But, it's like, those are our number one fans. Like, we are fans of celebrities or movie stars or whatever—those are our fans. They're genuinely great people. And, they come in and they say, will you sign this. You get to know them, you get to know about their lives. And, they truly are amazing people. It's great. They bring what Hooters is out to the community.
Racked:How did you get involved with Hooters to begin with?
MM: Actually, a girlfriend of mine, a long time ago wanted to go in and apply. And, so, I went in to kind of support her. When I walked in, she was like, Hi, can I get an application? And the manager goes, Oh, okay, do you want me to bring two? And, I was like, No, no I'm just a friend. I'm here for support. And, he goes, I'm just gonna bring one and you can fill it out. And, I'm like, Whatever. Under my breath, I'm like, I'm not filling that out. And, I was like I'm just a friend, you know. I'm not here to work. You know? So, we sat down, we filled it out. And, we got hired on the spot together! We started together! So, it was super fun. But, I initially did not want to work there when we went in. And, they were really good about boosting my confidence like when I went in and they asked me to fill in the application, and to work there. It made me feel really good about myself, and I think that's why I went through with it and decided to work there.
Racked: And, now modeling for them?
MM: I know, it's like, if it weren't for them, I probably wouldn't even be here!
Racked:So, this is your first time in New York?
MM: This is my first time in New York! I've wanted to come to New York for so many years. Like, I remember being a little girl, and I would dance around in the living room and, I told my mom and my grandma, I'm going to go to New York. I'm going to go to NYU. I'm going to be a fashion stylist. Like all this stuff and I was just like this little brat. And, now here I am! And, I'm just like overwhelmed. I love it here.
Racked: Are your career goals the same? Do you still want to work in fashion?
MM: I do enjoy fashion. I did go to hair school. I've worked in hair for about six years. It's a little bit harder, since I am traveling with Hooters to do the home base. But, I still do really love fashion. I love working with the people. I'm really into science. And, I'm probably one of those people who will probably always go back to school, even after I'm done. I'll work in what I just finished, and then I'll just go back to school and learn something, because I love learning about things that I know nothing about. So, it's just really nice to kind of broaden your horizons on a lot of stuff.
Racked: So what would be your dream job, ultimately?
MM: Ultimately, if nothing was standing in my way, I would want to be an astronaut. I want to work for NASA. I'm obsessed with space. I watch the history channel all the time. I totally geek out when I'm on the couch with my mom. I'm just blown away by how much is out in space that we don't know. And, I love science. So, it all kind of rolls together. I love it.
Racked:Can you describe your personal style?
MM: My personal style is very girly. I do find comfort most important, though. What I'll do is, I will first assess what I want to wear, and then second find a way to make it what I can be comfortable in. Because, the sexiest way you're going to be is when you're comfortable. If you're not comfortable in what you're wearing, you may look good, while you're standing there, but it's going to come across that you're not confidant. And, that's the sexiest thing a girl can wear is her confidence. So, I'll first go through magazines, and I'll say, wow, that's a great looking dress. Then, I'll try something on similar, and make it comfortable for me. But, I also want to be a girly girl, and I remember when I was little, looking up to girls and saying, oh my gosh, they're so beautiful. Well, I want to do the same thing for girls. I still try to set a good example. I try to be fashion forward, and I still try to be sexy, but at the same time, I try to draw that line where I'm like, if my little sister were to see me wearing this, would I be setting a good example and have her leave the house in it—no. So, yeah, I keep that in mind.
Racked:Do you have any special talents?
MM: I would say I'm good at a lot of things. I'm probably not great at some things. But, I pick up on things quickly, whether that be sports or anything—games. I'm really, really good at a Battleships. I just beat my boyfriend the other night. We play like once a week, and I think I figured out his strategy. I used to think he cheated, and now I think I caught onto his little tactics. But, I do love games. I love being involved with people. I try to do it all. I try to find out what I have fun doing, and then I just kind of try to master that.
Liz Lugo (Above photo by Anna Fischer), click images to enlarge
Name: Liz Lugo (Miss March)
Age: 21
Hometown: Miami, Florida
Home Hooters: Coral Gables Store
Been with Hooters: 3 years
Racked: Is this your first time in the calendar?
LL: Yes.
Racked: Do you do your own hair and make up in shoots?
LL: I do, most of the time. I'm okay. I'm not the best here [laughs]. I would prefer to have a make up artist, but I think I do okay.
Racked: So, what would you say is essential to your beauty routine?
LL: I moisturize every day—every day. And, I never go to sleep with my make up on, no matter how tired I am, no matter how drunk I am, I always make sure to take my make up off. Because, when I don’t I feel like my eyes hurt the next day. I always make sure to take my make up off. It's very important!
Racked: How would you describe your personal style for any given day?
LL: I like to dress up all the time. I'm always over-dressed. Well, there's no way to be over dressed, I think. I wear heels everywhere I go, hence why my feet always hurt. I like to wear sexy stuff. I mean, not slutty, but, pretty sexy—tight dresses, you know. I wear jeans sometimes. I think even when I wear wedges they are like super high.
Racked: Do you have any specific celebrity that you would akin your styling to?
LL: I guess I take a little bit from everybody. Because, some people—celebrities are like crazy, they'll dress super hot one day, then super tacky the next. So, laughs, it just depends.
Racked: What's your favorite element of your Hooters uniforms?
LL: I love the tank tops. I really love our uniforms. I have really big breasts, so I think it accentuates them really well! So, I actually sometimes—if I'm going to go to work, but I have to do something before, I'll wear like jeans, and the tank top too—It's my favorite.
Racked: Where do you all get your hose, socks and shorts from?
LL Everything is available in the store.
Racked: So, anyone can buy the full uniform?
LL: You can buy the lycras. I don't think you can buy the shorts (A post-interview investigation revealed that the shorts have since become available in Hooters stores). And, the lycras are really important, because without them, your ass—your butt would be exposed! So, it's important to have those. And, they keep everything together and tight. It's good.
Racked: What are your personal career goals?
LL: I am actually studying international relations. I would love to work at an embassy or something. Ambassador is a really high goal to have, but, I would love something like that, that has to do with other cultures and other languages and religions.
Racked: Are there any other interesting or funny facts you would like to share?
LL: I'm a really bad driver. Don't ever trust me with your car. Also, I can't swim. I remember we went to shoot the Hooters calendar in the Bahamas, and I can't swim. I was like, no, I'm scared. In our free time, we were going to go snorkeling to see like, the reefs and stuff, and so I put on a little vest or whatever, and then the fish were coming my way, and I got scared, and I almost drowned one of the owners. And I was like, oh my god! So, I had to have another one of the girls swim with me back to the boat because I was freaking out. I'm terrified of the water.
Racked: Any final modeling tips for fans?
LL: I wouldn't really consider myself a model. But, I guess eat right and exercise. Exercise is very important, and not just for models, but for everybody in general.
Sarah Hinton (Above photo by Anna Fischer), Click image to enlarge
Name: Sarah Hinton (Miss July)
Age: 21
Hometown: Birch Run, Michigan
Home Hooters: Hooters of Lansing
Racked: So, is this your first time in the calendar?
SH: No, this is actually my fourth time. But, this is my first big picture, so that's exciting.
Racked: Being in the calendar so many times must lead to some crazy fan experiences?
SH: Yeah, I actually have one. [blushes] I have a regular—You know our logo uniform shirts? Everyone's seen them. He wears one every time, with his stomach hanging out, and it's signed all over. He comes in with posters, magazines, calendars from all the past years. And, he's obsessed with me. When he comes, he stays for like my whole shift until closing time, until finally, I'm like, we need to close, you need to leave. And, he knows all of the girls, from all of the calendars from the past ten years. He'll tell you their life story. He knows everything–middle names, everything. It's insane.
Racked: What do you like about your uniforms?
SH: Nothing, really—they're uncomfortable for me.
Racked: Can you describe your personal style?
SH: I'm really laid back. I'm kind of a little bit country-ish, hippie. I'm from Michigan, so everything is really not dressy. I wear flats most of the time, boots, leggings—it's cold up there, so, scarves and off the shoulder more loose things. I'm just more casual. Like for me, right now, [what I'm wearing] is really dressed up. I don't really have the opportunity to dress up that much. (During our photo shoot, the Hooters Rep and former Hooters girl, called her, "our little conservative one" to which she responded someone has to be)
Racked: Is this your first time in New York?
SH: Yes.
Racked: What do you want to see while you're in town?
SH: I'd love to take a walk around and see 5th Avenue, and go to the shops, and also see the Statue of Liberty. We went to Central Park this morning. That was really nice.
Racked: Do you like shopping?
SH: Yes.
Racked: What are some of your favorite stores or brands?
SH: Right now? Forever 21, because of my budget. I spend like all of my time shopping, so, pretty much.
Racked: What is a brand you like, if budget wasn't a factor?
SH: I honestly don't know.
Racked: What are your career goals?
SH: I'm graduating in December with my BFA in graphic design and photography [from Michigan State]. So, I would love to be able to work for a design firm, hopefully. That's the goal—being a designer.
Racked: Do you like football?
SH: We just beat Ohio State. I love football. I go to every game. Actually, my boyfriend is on the team, so.
Racked: What's something else that might surprise someone who only knows you as a Hooters girl?
SH: I'm really down to earth and I’m just actually like your average girl. I'm nothing that you would expect from a Hooters calendar girl.
Crystal Cunningham (Above photo by Anna Fischer), click image to enlarge
Name: Crystal Cunningham (Centerfold)
Age: 22
Hometown: Nashville, Tennessee
Home Hooters: Downtown Nashville Store
Been with Hooters: 2 years
Racked: Is this your first time in the calendar?
CC: Yes, ma'am. [blushes] It's my first time in the calendar.
Racked: What are you excited about for the calendar release today?
CC: I'm just excited to see all the fans, and see all the turn out. And, I'm excited for everyone to just see the calendar. It's finally here! All these rumors, now, everyone finally gets to get a calendar.
Racked: Describe your personal style.
CC: I’m a huge sneaker head! I love Nike Dunks, and Chuck Taylors and Jordans and even TOMs. I have a ton of sneakers—a ton of Nike high tops.
Racked: So what would your typical off-day outfit be?
CC: I would either do Nike high tops and—I am a True Religion freak too. So, those with either skinny jeans and a simple v-neck and maybe a checkered scarf. If I'm feeling a little more dressed up, I'd do heels with boot leg—still True Religions—and still a v-neck. I'm very comfortable. But, I like to wear scarves. I like studded earrings a lot. I don't normally wear dangle-y earrings like today.
Racked: What's you're beauty regiment like? Any pointers?
CC: I take really good care of my skin. I would suggest every night, washing your face. I use Olay. Like, it's not even expensive. Olay—to make sure my skin stays nice, and then, I live by Zeno Hot Spot. It works so good!
Racked: How do you keep your tan?
CC: I try to get a base tan, so, I'll tan maybe three times a week at first until I build up my base tan, but then, after that I'll tan maybe three times a week, because it's not too healthy to keep going in the tanning bed. During the winter season, normally, if I'm not at the beach or in the sun, I'll spray tan, just because it's healthier for you and makes your skin stay fresh.
Racked: What are your career goals?
CC: I would love to get more into [modeling]. Every time I have [modeled], it's been a lot of fun. So, if I had the opportunity to, I've enjoyed it. I'm also in school right now full time. And, my major is mass communications. I want a degree so I have a back-up plan. So, I can pursue my dream and the things that I love to do, but also, I have a degree.
Racked: What would be your dream modeling job?
CC: Well, 90% of the stuff I do is swim suit. So, I have always wanted to do Sports Illustrated or Maxim. I'm way too short to do Victoria's Secret. So, that's out of the question, but, definitely Maxim and Sports Illustrated.
Racked: And what would you want to do in mass communications, if you ended up taking that segue?
CC: Well, I'm also a dancer for the NHL—Predators. So, I would either want to do like sports broadcasting or even just broadcasting in general.
Racked: Any celebrities you like?
CC: Gerard Butler, yes. I just like his acting. I always fall in love with his characters in every movie he's in. Law Abiding Citizen was a great movie, then, 300. Hello?
Racked: What's something a lot of people don't know about you?
CC: I'm half Korean! Yep, my father has blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and my mother is full Korean.
Alex Dumrauf (Photos by Anna Fischer for Racked.com), click image to enlarge)
Name: Alex Dumrauf (Pull-Out Poster)
Age: 24
Hometown: Tampa, Florida
Home Hooters: Hooters of Tampa
Been with Hooters: 4 years
Racked: Is this your first time in the calendar?
AD: It is my fourth time. I started out with smaller pictures my first two years, last year I had a feature picture, and this year, I am the pull out poster.
Racked: How would you describe your personal style?
AD: I'm sometimes eclectic. Sometimes, I want to dress hippie or whatever, but for the most part, I kind of try to be sexy but conservative, something like that. I don't really like to show too much.
Racked: Who would you say would be a style icon or celebrity influence for you?
AD: Maybe Katie Holmes—she usually looks pretty put together, when you're not seeing her in her sweatpants or something [laughs]. But, she's pretty conservative, and stylish but beautiful at the same time.
Racked: What is a brand you gravitate towards?
AD: Express—it's not super cheap, but it's not really expensive either. You can dress it up. I think that's it, Express would be my style.
Racked: What tips do you have from your beauty routine?
AD: I just try not to wash my hair every day. That's my main one. I have really fine hair, so it's just really difficult to keep it maintained and healthy.
Racked: Did you do your own hair and make-up for the shoot?
AD: Yes, I did. You just learn tips over the years and learn to put eyelashes on and do make-up and all that stuff.
Racked: So what would your typical off-day outfit be?
AD: Probably leggings, an over-sized shirt with a little shoulder showing maybe, and some flats.
Racked: What are your career goals?
AD: Well, I'm going to school for marketing. I want to go somewhere in that field. I like working with people. I like working with people but I don't even know what I actually want to do [ultimately].
Racked: So, you don't think you want to pursue modeling long-term?
AD: I've been doing it with the Hooters thing and even a little bit before Hooters. I’ve been in a lot of local magazines, and a lot of local style magazines, and things like that. And, it's neat and it's a lot of fun, but it's just not something I would want to do long-term.
Racked: What is something that someone who only knows you from the calendars wouldn't expect from you?
AD: I'm a huge sci-fi fan. I love Star Wars and Lord of The Rings.
Racked: Do you have a favorite actor?
AD: I just met Hugh Jackman. Well, I didn’t meet him, but I saw him from a far today, so he's my new one. We were [in the same building] for an interview and he walked by and said, hi. We were literally on the other side of the glass from him. He was doing an interview in another room.
Racked: Do you have any special talents?
AD: Nothing crazy—I can sing, a little bit. But, that's about it.
Lindsay Way (Above photo by Anna Fischer), click image to enlarge
Name: Lindsay Way (Covergirl)
Age: 22
Hometown: Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
Home Hooters: Ft. Lauderdale Store
Been with Hooters: 3 years
Racked: Is this your first time in the calendar?
LW: It's my second time.
Racked: Did you do your own hair and make-up for this shoot?
LW: I did my own hair, but not my make-up for the cover. But, usually, we do our own hair and make-up.
Racked: Do you have any crazy fan experiences?
LW: Well, since last year was my first year, all of the tours were my first tours also. And, Tampa was pretty crazy. That's when I saw all of the true fans that come out, and they were bringing like, memorabilia and just like stuff that other girls who had been in the calendar had shot in the previous years, and they had like collected all of it, and brought it, because they knew the girl was going to be there to sign it. So, that was pretty cool to see how really die-hard they were.
Racked: Is there any part of your beauty routine you would recommend?
LW: I love the Olay Night Recovery. When I wake up, my skin feels so good. And, I make sure that I floss, brush my teeth, always. Like, I won’t go to bed without brushing my teeth and taking my make up off. And, I like to shower like three times a day and I wash my hair a lot, but then I put oil in it.
Racked: What does a Florida-native do about tanning?
LW: I try to hit the beach as much as possible. It's really hard though, because I travel a lot, so, when you make appearances, you don't want to look pail. But, I'm scared to fake-bake because of the [health risks]. And, then, if you get a spray tan, you look, like orange and then it comes off all crazy and then you smell weird. So, they make—I like Jergens [self tanning] lotion. If you like continuously put it on, you will actually see a difference.
Racked: Describe your personal style.
LW: My personal style—I don't really follow trends too much, just because they go in and out so quick. And, I just like to keep it casual/basic, dress things up. I'm very plain Jane, kind of. I’m kind of plain. I like to dress up when I go out and stuff, and look all snazzy. But otherwise, basic tee and jeans is my style, Converse, just casual.
Racked: What kind of career goals do you have? Modeling? Acting? Entrepreneurship?
LW: Entrepreneurship, for sure—I feel like, something different always interests me, and I'll be constantly chasing a new dream. Entrepreneurial—and I want to always achieve a goal. So, I don't see myself doing a 9 to 5 like, jail cell. I don't know, that's just not me. I don’t know, I could tell you what I'd be doing, and I'd probably be doing something completely different. So, that's just how I see myself.
Racked: Are there any surprising facts about you, you'd like to share?
LW: I know how to play the drums. Does that surprise you? It's really fun.
Jasmine Syed (Above photo by Anna Fischer), click image to enlarge
Name: Jasmine Syed (December Girl)
Age: 29
Hometown: Long Island, New York
Home Hooters: Manhattan Store
Been with Hooters: 7 years
Racked: Did you do your own hair and make-up for your shoot?
JS: I don't know about the other girls, but for my shoot, I did my own hair and make-up, because I do make-up on the side.
Racked: Do you have any make-up or beauty tips for readers?
JS: For girls that wear make up all the time—just wash your face all the time. It’s really, really important—so, yes, it's really important.
Racked: How many times have you been in the calendar?
JS: This is my second time.
Racked: How has life changed for you since being in the calendar last year?
JS: It's great, because people come to see you. They want your autograph and they just know your name. It's fun, you know? People just buy the calendars because you're in it. Everyone knows your name! You get to do different types of promotions. For us, it's been really good.
Racked: What's the best fan experience you've had?
JS: Working at Hooters in general, you get to meet all types of people. So, I don’t have any interesting stories in particular, but [the fans] are all interesting.
Racked: What's you're personal style?
JS: I wouldn't say that I have a sense of style. I'm really laid back. I can wear jeans and a t-shirt or heels and a dress, and it would be okay. I'm not really into following the trends or anything like that. I just kind of do my own thing.
Racked: What are some career goals you have?
JS: Well, hopefully, I'll get to work behind the scenes, for fashion. That's really my goal. So, I'm going to try and pursue that.
Racked: What is one unexpected fact that people wouldn't suspect just knowing you from work?
JS: I think—just be really sensitive? Or—I'm shy, but a lot of people don't know that at first. I'm actually really shy.—Payton Wang
· All style coverage [Racked]
· Hooters Calendar 2012 [Official Site]