Luma Grothe’s first reaction to being called a ‘sexy cutie pie’ in the streets of New York City was to walk faster and away from the threatening man.
But moments later the 25-year-old Brazilian-born model stopped, realising that she needed to take a stand against random street harassment.
‘At first I started walking faster and I didn’t want to do anything about it, but he kept on going,’ the face of Paco Rabanne’s Olympea perfume told FEMAIL.
Luma Grothe’s (pictured) first reaction to being called a ‘sexy cutie pie’ in the streets of New York City was to walk faster and away from the threatening man
‘And then I was like “you know what?” and I started yelling at him, because I wanted all the women around to know, and I was like “we are scared, we have our keys in our hand all the time because we want to run home”.’
Luma asked the anonymous man to stop talking to her, to which he replied ‘it was only a compliment’.
‘We don’t want to hear that, that makes us scared. And I think as women we have all been through so much in our lives, when it comes to sexual abuse, sexual harassment, the numbers are high and they don’t lie,’ she said.
‘At first I started walking faster and I didn’t want to do anything about it, but he kept on going,’ the face of Paco Rabanne ‘s Olympea perfume (pictured) told FEMAIL
The former Victoria’s Secret model said the man ran away after her tirade began because he was so shocked at her yelling
The former Victoria’s Secret model said the man ran away after her tirade began because he was so shocked at her yelling.
‘My heart was racing and I was thinking “Am I going to be abused on the train today? Is this what’s going to happen today?”‘ She said.
If she saw someone else being harassed Luma said she would drop something in front of the people involved and act like she knew the victim.
‘There are little things that you can do, you know? If you see someone being harassed you can go and drop your coffee and be like “Oh I’m so sorry! Oh hey, are you ok?”‘ She said.
‘You don’t have to go and yell and put yourself in danger. But you can go in and distract and do something about it to diffuse the situation,’ she said
At the launch of Paco Rabanne’s new parfum (pictured) with former rugby player Nick Youngquest, Luma also spoke about being a vegetarian and taking care of her body
‘You don’t have to go and yell and put yourself in danger. But you can go in and distract and do something about it to diffuse the situation.’
At the launch of Paco Rabanne’s new perfume with former rugby player Nick Youngquest, Luma also spoke about being a vegetarian and taking care of her body.
‘I eat a lot, I’m always hungry. But I make sure that I know where my food is coming from, I make sure to choose from local markets,’ she said.
‘Most of the time I’m vegetarian, sometimes I eat fish and meat on some exceptions, but I think vegetables are so important. They have all the vitamins that you need.’
Luma chooses to be balanced and follows her cravings if she’s wanting something really sweet, but for the most part she keeps things controlled
Luma stars in the latest Paco Rabanne fragrance adverts, seen here riding a horse in the desert
Luma chooses to be balanced and follows her cravings if she’s wanting something really sweet, but for the most part she keeps things controlled.
But to prepare for a big fashion shoot she feels it’s more important to focus on your mental health.
‘It’s important to have space for yourself and really put your mind to something,’ she said.
‘My diet never changes, I’m always doing the same things. But I make sure I do resistance training so I feel good.’
‘I always make sure I have something to clean my skin and I bring sheet masks with me,’ she said
Travelling for her work can take a toll on her health but Luma stays on top of her schedule with a regular makeup and skincare routine.
‘I always make sure I have something to clean my skin and I bring sheet masks with me,’ she said.
‘I use it on the flight until it gets really dry, and that makes a difference for sure. And I know it sounds cliché but water. You have to drink a lot of water if you don’t want to feel that hangover feeling after the flight.’
One of her favourite ingredients is aloe vera because it reduces inflammation so she does her best to find masks that include it.