Vittoria Ceretti takes the spotlight for Vogue France April 2025 issue, styled by Alastair McKimm in Balenciaga, Chanel, Chloe, Fendi, Gucci, Helmut Lang vintage, Louis Vuitton, Maison Alaia, Prada and Prada vintage and more. Photographer Carin Backoff [IG] is behind the lens, fresh off her SKIMS bridal campaign featuring Abby Champion and Patrick Schwarzenegger. / Hair by Ryan Mitchell; makeup by Jamal Scott

Vittoria Ceretti has a truly original interview icebreaker with Arthur Dreyfus for Vogue France. In fact, they made it the headline, even though this response came mid-interview.

"I have always been sure that I was a whale, in a previous life."

Dreyfus presses Ceretti a bit too much on the rivalry between models — when Ceretti’s certainty of her whale heritage is a far more interesting focus of our attention. Like multiple times from different angles, and she deftly and gently pushes back — as do so many models today.

Personally, I think the models mean what they say — and they are quick to embrace their solidarity and friendship above rivalries.

It's true that a job that I miss, another will get it for me. But I don't feel it as a competition. Probably because I was lucky enough to get the things that made me dream. If now the wheel turns, I am proud and happy for the other girls. I don't feel any rivalry. It's more about mutual support.

And his questions aren’t general enough for this very successful model to easily reveal herself. He is building the communication box around her. Example:

Did you play Barbie? Did you like to dress up as a princess?

Not at all. I never dressed up as a princess.

Actually, he leads the convo and knew about her horse-riding days, and Ceretti explains that she wasn’t very good at riding horses, unfortunately. Dreyfus’ next question is not open-ended. He goes to what Vittoria just said she wasn’t good at. Fascinating!

If you were an animal, would you be a horse?

I asked myself this question a hundred times, and I would be a whale. I was always sure that I was a whale, in a previous life.

Why a whale?

Because she lives in the ocean - I love the ocean as much as it scares me. And they are mammals, so they keep their young with them, even for very long trips.

Ceretti gave him a real opener with that answer, but Mr. Dreyfus wants none of it. This is fascinating. She already told him she doesn’t really relate to Barbie or being a princess. She preferred playing with her brother’s cars as a child.

I have rarely seen you wear pink. Do you prefer neutral colors?

Vittoria is whispering in my ear: “Oh, Anne, don’t be hard on Mr. Dreyfus. Stop this. He is a nice person! Often, they can’t help themselves. You know that.”

Okay, okay, okay, Vittoria! Over and out. ~ Anne

Vittoria C as a whale once upon a time update March 26: In honor of Vittoria Ceretti, AOC will share details of how Ancient Greece regarded [and almost worshipped] both whales and dolphins. Because whales were not exactly abundant in the Mediterranean and dolphins were, the dolphins were held in even higher status.

Vittoria may know all of these facts, but it’s accurate to suggest that dolphins had a higher status than women in Ancient Greece. AOC first wrote these whale and dolphin stories 15 years ago — joining the international effort on a regular basis to save the dolphins and whales, and always writing about their social structures.

So honoring Vittoria Ceretti — and not her internationally-known, conservationist boyfriend — we’ve read her thoughts about being treated like the serious and beautiful person she is, and not the man she is dating.

AOC will bring us all up to date on how much progress the world has made in solving the slaughter of dolphins and whales globally. Not enough!!! The effort involves non-lethal, hand-to-hand combat in some cases, with the activists. And we will focus on the supermodel’s comments on the matriarchal social structures of these sea creatures, although she did not use the word ‘matriarchal’.

As I write, we’re running all our old stories through our AI for scholars program. Without it, AOC could not respond to Vittoria’s Vogue France interview comments, as it would take too much time. Today, it’s a new world if one finds the right programs to update past works.

Sending love to VC. ~ Anne

Update Apr. 20, 2025: I’ve been working on new stories on whales and dolphins, but became sidetracked on an American history story I knew nothing about. Black Americans represented 20-30% of sailors on whaling ships and bought their freedom with wages. A significant number of those whaling ships were owned by American Blacks, who became major financers of the abolitionists movement to end slavery. As informed as I am, the discovery blew me away.

Read on: New England's Whaling Industry Was a Meritocracy for Black Enterprise, Including As Ship Owners AOC Art of Living