20 Questions with Hannah Ann Sluss

Model Diaries: Hannah Ann Sluss
Photographed by Sarah Krick

Hi, guys. It’s Hannah Ann. Welcome to my apartment. I’ve been quarantined here for the past two months, but I’m so excited to be a part of the Modeliste Magazine to really make this cover shoot happen. I actually had to do a Zoom photo shoot in my apartment, so whenever the images come out, you’ll be able to see little glimpses of my home, which I’m excited about because it just makes the photo shoot more personal, so you guys get to see where I live and get to know me more, but I am just so thrilled to be a part of Modeliste Magazine. I have looked up to so many of the women that have been on the cover before and knowing that I get to be a part of it is just such a highlight for this year, and I’m just so appreciative and thankful for it.

Modeliste: Where are you from?
Hannah Ann: I am born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, so that is East Tennessee close to the Smoky Mountains.

Modeliste: What influenced your decision to move to LA?
Hannah Ann: And what really encouraged me or influenced me to move to L.A. is it’s I believe is truly the city of dreams and opportunities, and it’s truly the epicenter of food, culture, fashion. It’s a city that’s constantly moving forward. I had it on my bucket list to move out here in 2020. Despite being quarantined, I’ve got a good experience. I lived in different cities before I’ve lived in Miami and then I’ve done subleases in L.A., but this is truly my first time really calling L.A. my permanent home for the time being. But I’ve loved it so far, and I’m looking forward to the day where I can go to a restaurant and go get my nails done and really see the city for what it is.

Modeliste: What are three words to describe you?

Hannah Ann: Three words that describe me. Oh, I feel like these questions are awkward because I hate talking about myself. I’m a listener, I’m creative and I’m a hustler. I’m definitely a hustler, and I enjoy listening to other people. I’m very curious. I like to ask people questions. I definitely prefer being the listener than the talker and then creative. I love art. I love fashion, and truly modeling is a creative outlet for me. Those are the three words that would describe myself.

Modeliste: You were recently on season 24 of The Bachelor, how has your career changed since?
Hannah Ann: Since the show, it’s not just my career that’s changed. It’s my entire life and everyone I feel like in my life as well just knowing so much of myself is out there to the public. I modeled prior to the show, so I’ve continued to do the career that I had prior to the show. It’s definitely expanded my range, but I’m going back to what I’m passionate about. It’s interesting because being a model you just see pictures and then now I feel like have more of a voice, and I’m excited about that. But also, it’s a big responsibility when you are carrying this voice. For me, it’s important to make sure I’m continuing to be a good role model and using the voice I’ve been given for greater good.

Modeliste: How was your experience on The Bachelor?

Hannah Ann: My time on The Bachelor was definitely a wild ride, very unique. But, at the end of the day, I wouldn’t change anything about it, about the experience because I’m a stronger woman for it, and it truly has deepened my appreciation for my family and my friends and just life in general. And I’m truly grateful for it.

Modeliste: You were a pageant star growing up, can you tell us about your experience?
Hannah Ann: I would not call myself a pageant star by any means. I was among many stars, but I’m not one of them. Pageantry really gave me the opportunity to brush up on my etiquette and on media and speaking, and I enjoyed the experience for what it is, and I met a lot of wonderful people.

Modeliste: What is a highlight in your career?
Hannah Ann: So the highlight of my career thus far has to be the very first big job I got, and I have to make this highlight because it’s the craziest story. I was about to turn 17. It was after school and I was waiting for my mom to get done with work because my mom was a teacher and she had a meeting. And so I was looking through Seventeen Magazine, and I was looking at the pictures of the models. I was like, “I would love to be in this magazine. What a crazy dream.” And so I saw that they were doing a model search, and so I had my little sister take pictures of me. And I didn’t tell my mom, and we submitted the photos. I literally printed them off at Walgreens and then mailed them. And about two months later, my mom got a phone call that they wanted little Hannah Ann from Knoxville, Tennessee to fly to New York city to do some of … It was for a makeup line. And my mom was like, “Wait. Hannah Ann, what did you do? You can’t just be sending my number, your address, your pictures to random companies and magazines.” I’m like, “No, mom. It was only in Seventeen Magazine.” So that’s really the highlight of my career because it really taught me that it just takes one person to believe in you to completely change your life, because with Seventeen Magazine it truly opened so many opportunities for me. I was able to work with them, I think, for about a year and a half, and I met so many awesome people, designers, the stylist, the makeup artist. And also, throughout the experience I met my best friend, Leah. She was also modeling at the time. Of course, this was years ago, and we’ve always been good friends ever since.

Modeliste: Are you working on exciting projects that we can expect to see in 2020?
Hannah Ann: For me, it’s not about just getting the next job. The takeaway of it is the experience and truly appreciating every aspect of it. It’s not just about looking at pretty photos of yourself. It’s paying attention to the smallest details and working together as a team is just the best part of modeling in my career. I just shot a campaign with Juice Beauty, which I’m so excited about. I have used their products for a few years now, and I love them because you don’t have to worry about what you’re putting on your face or your body because it’s free of anything harmful, so I’m really excited about that.
Of course, in 2020 I had so many projects and plans that have had to be postponed because of quarantine, but I’m looking forward to them. One of them is I’m working towards being part of Sherri Hill’s fashion show in September, and I’m very excited about that. I hope this year I can continue to model but also expand my career a little bit more and branching out into possibly hosting. I love entertainment and I love meeting new people, so I might as well give it a shot. I might be terrible at it, but at least I could try.

Modeliste: What is something people don’t know about you?
Hannah Ann: Something people might not know about me. I laugh a lot. I don’t take myself too seriously. If you were to hang out with me, I would probably be mispronouncing a word. Dancing, music, trying something new, very spontaneous. I like to have fun. I like to be light-hearted. So that’s what it would be if you were to hang out with me. Throughout my experience on The Bachelor, the most important thing I learned is that I can be my own rock and I can be completely content on my own, which I didn’t really realize how strong I was until I had to be.

Modeliste: What is something you learned about yourself through your experience on The Bachelor?
Hannah Ann: And in my situation, I couldn’t really share my pain with a lot of people, so I had to develop a strong backbone. And it really gave me a chance to practice gratitude. And for me, that is whenever I would start to feel pain and feel like life is closing in, I would just like to take a moment, stop everything I was doing and think about all the things that I could celebrate and be thankful for. Because what I learned is that it’s all about your perspective and what you’re choosing to focus on because I never wanted my pain to blind me from all of the other great things going on in my life. And it’s truly all about perspective.

Modeliste: Favorite memory?
Hannah Ann: My favorite memory. If this is my favorite memory out of my whole life, this is hard because I have a lot of great memories, but I think more of an important memory would be I was really close with my grandmother. I’m Hannah Ann, and she was Carol Ann. I was named after her. Actually, I was named after both of my grandmothers, grandma Hannah and grandma Carol Ann. And she was about to die of colon cancer, and one of the things she wanted to do was to take me to Disney World. I think that’s probably my favorite memory because we just had the best time together getting ice-cream, and Disney just takes you away from reality. I really appreciate that memory with her because it taught me that never to take life for granted, take a day for granted, to always just make it a priority to let the people you know how much they mean to you because life is way too short.

Modeliste: Favorite place?
Hannah Ann: My favorite place would have to be Rome, Italy. I was able to study there back in high school a long time ago, but I was able to study in Rome art, and it was just an amazing experience. I fell in love with the people and culture and food. This girl can eat some carbs, but I loved it over there and it’s definitely my favorite place, and I hope to go back.

Modeliste: Favorite meal?
Hannah Ann: My favorite meal would have to be grandma Hannah’s monster chicken. Monster chicken is a family recipe. I can’t tell you the secret ingredient, but I will say that it involves chicken being soaked in buttermilk. It’s so good. It’s actually what she makes me every year for my birthday and, honestly, for my other siblings too. We love it, and we like it with a side of mashed potatoes and green beans.

Modeliste: What would you like to be remembered for?
Hannah Ann: What would I like to be remembered for? This is a deep question, but it’s simple. I would want to be remembered by someone that is always encouraging other people to be their best, most authentic self. I always want to be someone’s cheerleader and truly just be a good listener and encourager.

Modeliste: What do you like to do in your spare time?
Hannah Ann: What do I do in my spare time? I never get bored. I just feel like I have so many different hobbies. Right now I’m training for a half marathon, and that’s taking up my time. I love to run. I love art. I love painting. I really enjoy cooking. I grew up in the South, and so all these meals are on the unhealthier side. So being on the West coast and being quarantined, I’ve been trying to take my Southern recipes that I love that I enjoy eating and putting a healthier twist on them, so trying out and creating new recipes is something else that I love to do.

Modeliste: Do you have any beauty rituals you can share with us?
Hannah Ann: Beauty rituals. I would have to say they’re cliche but so important. It would be to drink enough water, to take good care of your skin and to get plenty of beauty sleep. For me, sleep, I try to get 8 to 10 hours a night. I sometimes will have trouble going to sleep just winding down, so I try to put my phone up, turn the TV off 10 minutes before bed. I love taking melatonin. Right now I am hooked on Olly gummies. They’re this great flavor. It’s so good. And it does the work. For skin, always wash your face with a washcloth. Don’t try to pick out your acne. And then, with water, I try to drink a gallon a day. Water makes a huge difference. It not only controls your appetite, but it helps with your skin. You can go out and put all these different products on your face to hydrate, but it comes down to just drinking enough water.

Modeliste: What do you love most about Modeliste Magazine?
Hannah Ann: I love Modeliste Magazine because it showcases a variety of women from all different backgrounds. I truly have looked up to so many of the women that have been on the cover, and it’s just always maintained such a great reputation, and I love the collaboration of style and fashion. It’s a magazine that’s constantly moving forward, and I’m just so happy to be part of it. Something I like to say to my fans. It’s crazy to think that I have fans. It’s been unbelievable the amount of support I’ve been given. Just knowing that there are people out there in the world that follow me and support me, it truly gives me that extra encouragement to continue to put myself out there and to try new things. They truly are my friends and I support them too. And I appreciate every kind comment and uplifting message. It truly just makes the world of a difference, and it truly has shown me just how powerful and important words are. And I think we need to be each other’s fans and champion one another.