Kia Drayton Nude
Although clearly a wonder of womanhood, Kia Drayton knows how to get in touch with her masculine side. “I’m a tomboy who grew up around a lot of boys,” she says. “I have many guy friends because I love sports and manly things, like Harleys. And sometimes these friends want to take it to the next level, but what can I do? I’m kind of torn, but I don’t know how to ice down.” Which is all for the best, since this 23-year-old mix mistress spends her nights generating plenty of heat on the dance floors of Atlanta. “When it comes to getting on the turntables, I have an alter ego,” she says. “I’m not just Kia–I’m DJ Jazzy Belle. Some people see me as a model who has just taken up a new hobby, but I prove them wrong. I’ve been collecting since I was eight and have more than 20,000 records in my garage.”
Miss December had to tote that collection all over the country when she was growing up. “My dad was in the Air Force, so I spent a lot of summers wherever he was stationed,”she says. “It was hard for me to make friends because I was always the new girl.” Part African American, part Polynesian and part Cherokee, Kia says she got picked on as a child for looking different. Now she is comfortable in her own exotic skin and declares that she is an unapologetic flirt. When we ask her to tell us the difference between a flirt and a tease, she laughs and ponders the question. “How about if I say from a flirt you might potentially get it, but from a tease you definitely won’t?” This is the best thing about hanging out with Kia–she’s relaxed and fun, and she puts everyone at ease. She also has a big heart and is hoping to plan a fund-raiser for the Make-a-Wish Foundation this Christmas. Kia’s personal holiday wish, however, is to get married and have lots of kids. “My grandparents have been married for 60 years,” she says. “My grandfather says that every time he looks at my grandmother he falls in love all over again. I want to find that love.”
Photography by Stephen Wayda