Supermodel Coco Rocha opens up about life as a devout Jehovah's Witness

[Guest Guest]

Having met both Coco and James, I can confirm her husband is a Witness...born in the UK, if I remember correctly, but spent his childhood in Michigan before moving to NYC. Prior to marrying Coco he supported himself by painting faux finishes and high-end murals but I believe he's spending a fair amount of time working for her company now.

 

Lately she's been leveraging her role as a top super model to tighten child (model) labor standards and fight eating disorders in the industry.  

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2471852/Coco-Rocha-tears-announces-new-child-model-protection-law.html

[Buddy]

Do you live in Richmond, if you do you might know Chris and Jenny they used to be in my congregation(Ladner congregation)

[perspective]

I love what this board allows me to see. The different thought process' we all have. It's like a box of chocolates.

 

 I notice that some from certain parts of the world appear to have less tolerance when it comes to matters of conscience. When I see their comments my imperfection makes me kind of cringe at their thoughts. But as I think about it, I understand they are trying to take a personal stand and do not begrudge them there opinion. I think a lot of it is based on the environment we are raised in. It also makes me reflect on wether my tolerance is acceptable to Jehovah. So once again I really appreciate the interchange of thoughts and comments. It makes me think.

 

I have heard to many talks, from District Conventions down to KH discources that make it perfectly clear we are not to judge others especially when there are no direct scriptural directives against what we do as individuals. What about friends who are wealthy, should they give away all they have based on what we belive is in excess? Should they stop working to make more money? I've wondered that at times. What are they thinking? Don't they know money will not make them happy? It will be worthless someday? They could do so much good with what they have? My conclusion, it's really none of my business. It's between them and Jehovah.

 

Dear friends if you think what they are doing is wrong, please pray for them. Help them to see what you see. We are all in this race together.   

 

That's all I'm gonna say about that.

 

I read this thread before being approved to post, as it is publicly visible.  I wanted to say that the tone of some posts are very much what I was brought up with.  A very strict and word literal (sometimes going beyond the words) view of what is written in the pages of the Watchtower or other publications, and the Bible.  It reminds me of the "old school" congregation that I grew up in.  Lots of watching others and comparing them to words in a paragraph somewhere, lots of judgement, lots of very strict interpretations and rules that resulted from those interpretations.  In fact, I was very much that way, as I grew up in that environment.  I was king of the rules and judgemental decisions made on things that certainly were not mine to judge, much less mine to judge so harshly.  I certainly hope that Jehovah doesn't judge me in kind.  

 

The end result of such a strict view of everything was that one day it all caught up to me.  I met circumstances in life that didn't allow me to do everything I thought that I "should" do in serving Jehovah.  I kept beating myself up with the words of the slave or the Bible itself, comparing myself to some image of perfection that I thought I had to achieve and maintain, just as I had done with others.  In the end, I became depressed and went very deep into it.  Why?  Because perfect isn't possible, and I was measuring myself against it.  Words in the magazines like "NEVER should we look at a woman so as to have a passion for her" are great as a guide as something to try and avoid, but the reality is that every person with a sexual desire in this world has looked upon a member of the opposite sex in an improper way at some time.  But if you take those words literally, you can really start to feel bad about others, or yourself.  I felt wholly bad, and to be honest, I still feel that way many days because I just grew up in an environment where things were taken so literally and so judgementally.  I can see now that Jehovah is much more merciful than I ever was or could be, and that he sees us for who we could be minus all of this imperfection, but due to growing up in such a strict environment, my emotions and thoughts are still automatically strict.  It has been a long and sickening process to see how deeply those things are ingrained upon my psyche, and it is one of many reasons that I'm in the place I'm in now spiritually.

 

All this to say a heartfelt "Thanks!" to those that are displaying a different attitude that allows everyone to be themselves, to exercise the free will that Jehovah gave each one of us, without the judgement and beating of people with words from a publication.  It really helps me to see that Jehovah's organization doesn't have to be about rules and judgement, but rather can be about love and respect of one another.  When you're raised on old school thinking and not on love, it is hard to love Jehovah, the brothers and sisters, or yourself.

 

In the end, whether you're the brother or sister at either end of the spectrum, both are operating in love and a desire to do what is right.  One is just far more palatable, and when operating out of more of a loving baseline than a rules baseline, the results are much longer lasting.  Rules, and the desire to do what is right, will only get you so far.  Love is supposed to be the basis for everything, and unfortunately my basis was always the desire for what was right, which eventually caught up to me because nobody taught  me the whole love part.

 

Edited December 16, 2013 by trottigy

[trottigy]

It is nice to see the wonderful brotherhood we have  

[Margaret]

Very few rules, lots of principles, and as we have been reminded, it's not all about us, but is all about Jehovah

[minister159]

@ Perspective:

 

It sounds like you had a Pharisaical upbringing in the truth, and as a result, suffered from the disease of self-righteousness. It's probably more common than you think, but it looks like you're on the road to recovery and gaining your spiritual balance.

 

Along with love, mercy is a quality that we all need to cultivate as part of a Christ-like personality. Peter learned the hard way that he wasn't perfect and needed Jesus' mercy and forgiveness. As Jesus told the Pharisees, "Go, then, and learn what this means, 'I want mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came to call, not righteous people, but sinners." -- Matt. 9:13, See also Ch. 23 of "Imitate Their Faith."

[perspective]

@ Perspective:

 

It sounds like you had a Pharisaical upbringing in the truth, and as a result, suffered from the disease of self-righteousness. It's probably more common than you think, but it looks like you're on the road to recovery and gaining your spiritual balance.

 

Along with love, mercy is a quality that we all need to cultivate as part of a Christ-like personality. Peter learned the hard way that he wasn't perfect and needed Jesus' mercy and forgiveness. As Jesus told the Pharisees, "Go, then, and learn what this means, 'I want mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came to call, not righteous people, but sinners." -- Matt. 9:13, See also Ch. 23 of "Imitate Their Faith."

 

Thanks.  Yes, Pharisaical would be a good word to describe it, and one that I've used myself.  I've gone through lots of stages of grief, from learning that the things I was taught were the "Truth" weren't always so, to stages of outright anger that I was taught so many hurtful things, to where I am now.  Now I'm trying to take my new knowledge and compassion to the congregation, but when I hear someone make a comment in a talk or from their seats, or even just when talking before or after a meeting, that reflects the beliefs that I once had that hurt me so badly, it makes me want to scream.  I really struggle with going to meetings because my eyes have been opened and the eyes of others may not have been as yet or may never be (we all have different capabilities and backgrounds) able to see past ignorance, and the comments of others really trigger things within me.  

 

I was taught that this was "The Truth", and that was an absolute.  Unfortunately, that is never the case in an imperfect world.  But I wanted so badly to do what was right, and everyone had these strong ideas of right and wrong in strict binary code.  It really set forth a perfectionstic view, and genetically with a mom that is a perfectionist anyway (there is reason to believe a genetic predisposition as well as an influence in the way one is raised), it made me extremely rigid.  I've been everywhere from leader of the rigid club to suicidal from seeing everything crumble around me when I couldn't live up to my own rigid standards due to things like depression, cognitive distortions, ADHD, and maybe a few other things thrown in for good measure).  

 

So I AM on the path to recovering from it all.  One of the reasons I joined here was to find others that had gone through something similar, to see how they coped and how they got past it.  Those automatic thoughts and accompanying feelings are still my go-to despite knowing better deep down.  I'm trying hard to de-program myself, and that is made more difficult when I hear others expressing those types of thoughts and feelings, even still.

 

Looking back through Biblical examples, from David to Peter to the Israelites in general, Jehovah proved merciful and kind, not rigid and demanding, taking into account their makeup and wanting so badly for them to serve Him.  I love the talk about how God is greater than our hearts.  I just don't hear that often enough, and probably read into things sometimes because of the way I was brought up even when things aren't written that way.  

[yassoulit]

I didn't know that she's a witness. I really admire her beauty and finally know that sh's also one of my sisters. Happy for her and I hope that she will stay strong because being in that kind of industry is not really easy. We are all praying for our whole brotherhood.

[carlos]

These last days there's a tv commercial for a big department store. My wife loves the ad and every time she sees it she comments how beautiful the model is and how elegant her dance. Yesterday she did a Google search and told me the woman is Coco Rocha. That reminded me of this thread and I told her Coco Rocha is a sister.

 

It's great so see someone who has managed to keep a clean and decent life and a good spirituality in such a difficult world as modeling.

 

By the way, this is the video if you want to see it:

 

 

 

[thegreenjudy]

The following is only my opinion so I don't want to be a party pooper 

 

 I have googled her before and though she is not as revealing as worldly models she has done shootings in quite revealing  and tight clothing and suggestive poses.

So as much as I understand that many like to use the line of argument to not judge and that everyone needs to make decisions on the basis of their conscience (I have read this A LOT here) and at the same time judge people for apparently being "oversensitive" even I can see that the quoted Awake article is less in favour of this career choice than it is approving of it. However, Jehovah dignifies us with free choice and each and everyone of us must carry their own load. Thats not me judging, just making a factual statement. I sincerely hope that her career does not have a negative impact on her spiritual life long term.
In the words of the Apostle Paul in 1.Cor 10:23

23 All things are lawful, but not all things are advantageous. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.

By the way, I am not from Africa 

But I would probably feel uneasy if I showed a worldly person, like my father, pictures of her stating that she is a witness. He, like many, just see whats on the surface and he made comments in the past about other JW celebs and being surprised about their lifestyle choices. Goodness, he even thinks that me putting on make-up is in some way contrary to my beliefs (go figure..)

The GB cant make rules about every single thing in our lifes they can only hope we use bible principles in connection with our common sense.
 

[carlos]

Party pooper Judy , I don't think your post is unbalanced at all.

 

The points you mention (modelling not being a wise choice for Christians and not judging others) are not incompatible but rather complementary. Nobody said it's a good idea to choose a modelling career. The Slave warns us that certain work environments (such as a music, modelling or sports career) involve an extra challenge to our spirituality. Even sister Rocha will confirm that. We would not encourage our young ones to follow those careers. At the same time, though, we wouldn't want to judge our brothers even if some of the choices they made are not the wisest ones. If someone said that because a certain sister is a professional singer or a professional model she's automatically a bad Christian or would question her integrity, we would call that person oversensitive.

 

I have seen other people who call themselves Jehovah's Witnesses in the media doing inappropriate things, but not Coco Rocha. None of the pics I have seen of her seemed inappropriate to me. Of course that's subjective to a degree and certainly I haven't followed her career closely. But the things she said at interviews sound like she's successfully keeping her moral integrity and that's something to congratulate her for.

 

By the way, this is a a public forum so maybe sister Rocha is reading us. 

[thegreenjudy]

16 minutes ago, carlos said:

At the same time, though, we wouldn't want to judge our brothers even if some of the choices they made are not the wisest ones. If someone said that because a certain sister is a professional singer or a professional model she's automatically a bad Christian or would question her integrity, we would call that person oversensitive.

 

 

Mmmh to be honest I have never heard anyone say that, because someone made a choice they wouldnt necessarily agree with, this person is a bad Christian.

 

To the contrary - I hear more people getting very defensive if someone dares to say something about their or someone elses lifestyle or entertainment choices and quickly use the word judgemental and oversensitive. I agree some people are very patronizing about their opinion and I dont think thats ok at all. However if someone gets overly defensive I cant help but think that deep in their heart they are not as confident about their choices as they try to pretend (I once got invited to a brothers house when I newly arrived in a congregation - I was excited to meet new friends but it was the first and the last time. The evening ended for me when he thought that putting a DVD on that was basically a Thriller/Psycho movie along the lines of Scream/I know what you did last summer would be wholesome entertainment - nobody dared to disagree with him. I didnt make a scene but spent the rest of the night alone in the kitchen..lol.. I guess that was the end of it. I didnt make a comment but my action alone made him feel patronised)

 

I might not fully agree with her choice but I can only see whats on the surface - eg some of her pictures. And 95% are very low level and I can see how she is certainly trying to keep it that way (Unlike some certain tennis playing sisters lol)..

 

I am also saying that from the standpoint of a woman who does not agree with the sexualisation and emphasise on appearance especially of women full stop - and thats my opinion regardless of the bibles viewpoint. Even if I was worldly I probably wouldnt want my daughter to be a human coat hanger, forced into staying a certain size all the time, so young girls have to feel guilty about their bodies and looks and men can slobber all over her. It just doesnt sit well with me. 

 

 

 

[Julieann]

@ Perspective:

 

Sounds like a congregation I grew up in for a while. As a kid, it made a big impression on me that most of the kids, when they came of age, left the truth. Only a few stayed, and those that did, tended to move away to other congregations.

 

For a kid, yes, that was a sobering observation. I was determined not to be so judgemental and taking things beyond the bible's words.

[navco]

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Edited April 6, 2017 by navco

[navco]

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Edited April 6, 2017 by navco