Leah McSweeney: The "Women Are Complex, Too" Interview

The streetwear queen bee plays "Would You Rather" for the August/September issue.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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The Married to the Mob boss, famous for her “Supreme Bitch” T-shirts, talks the “B” word, social climbers, and sexualizing herself in a game of “Would You Rather.”

This story appears in Complex's August/September 2013 issue

I’d rather my daughter say “bitch” than censor herself.
If my daughter uses the word when she’s older, in an authentic way, it’s cool. I want her to be herself, whoever she ends up being. If that’s how she speaks, that’s how she speaks. But I don’t want her to say it yet.

I’d rather struggle than be a social climber.
People who strategically befriend someone to get ahead disgust me. When I had my deal with investors and people knew I had all this money behind me, friends showed up out of nowhere. When my investors and I broke up, suddenly those friends weren’t around. I’m jaded now.

I’d rather have creative control than rich investors.
For the first time since I’ve owned Mob, I’m doing what I want to do. This summer, I’m debuting my first full collection in three years, and it’s the first collection I’ve had complete creative control over. I hired the designers I wanted and had it made in the factories I wanted. It’s more than just clothing—there’s meaning behind it. 

I haven’t been with many nice guys. There’s just something about the unavailability of bad boys.

I’d rather inspire competition than stifle it.
I’ve had girls who worked for me who wanted to start businesses. I say go for it. There’s enough room for everyone to eat. If anything, it helps Mob to have other female streetwear brands in the market.

I’d rather date a nice guy than a bad boy.
I haven’t been with many nice guys. There’s just something about the unavailability of bad boys. With my “Good dick will imprison you.” tee, I was expressing my frustration with how you can get stuck in a relationship just because the guy’s fucking you right. If that’s the only good thing that’s going on, you’re in a prison. I’m working on myself so I can find the nice guy attractive.

I’d rather sexualize myself than let someone else do it.
The question is, what’s your motive? Is it to empower other women? To get more attention from men? To sell a skateboard? Is it an art project? If I do a photo shoot with a gorilla—meaning that men are just dumb-ass apes—it’s my prerogative to be sexual and provocative and have control over how I present myself.

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