Date of Birth 11 July 1984, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Birth Name Serinda G Swan
Height 5′ 7″ (1.7 m)

I didn’t want to find out the reality that if I wanted my dream, I had to lose weight. That’s a crushing dream for anybody . . . to change yourself to get your dream. Nobody should have to do that.

[about modeling] One of the hardest things is the weight factor issue. I’ve never heard of a size 0 or a negative human. That’s hard. A lot of girls aren’t naturally built that way. Also, the lack of having an opinion is the main difficulty. I was always like, “How about we try this?” or “Let’s do that.” I sort of got the look, “Shut up, model. We pay you for your face, not your mind.”

[getting her first love letter] I got some really cute fan mail from an 11-year-old boy, who told me I’m “prettier than a rainbow,” which is, like, the sweetest thing any boy has ever said to me. Maybe when he grows up, he’ll be able to read this story–and if he is reading this now and he is 11, then, hey, you shouldn’t be reading Maxim!