Velvet d’Amour is a model

Velvet d’Amour is a model, an actress, a photographer and a filmmaker. But she isn’t your typical trendsetter. In fact, Velvet is helping to tear down more trends than setting any. The 41-year-old makes her own rules and believes in herself and has done so en route to a successful career as a 300-pound fashion model. She is best known for having appeared in an October 2006 Jean-Paul Gaultier catwalk show in Paris and for her role as the title character in the French film “Avida,” which was distributed by Cinema Epoch.

So how did it all begin for this sexy American model in Paris and what is her advice to aspiring models and others that struggle with size discrimination? PollyStaffle.com decided to find out. We caught up with Velvet and here is what she said in this empowering edition of Polly’s Pinups.