A Beautiful Kind of Darkness

Diana Pohorila on Halloween, Alter Egos, and the Art of Transformation

Halloween has become one of your favorite holidays. What makes it so special to you?

Ever since I came to America five years ago, I’ve completely fallen in love with Halloween. It’s become one of my favorite holidays, and every year I genuinely can’t wait for Halloween weekend.

What I love most is the freedom to transform. For one night, you can become absolutely anyone you want. There are no rules, no limitations, and no expectations. You can step outside your everyday identity and explore a completely different version of yourself. I find that incredibly exciting.

What do you enjoy most about dressing up and becoming a different character?

I think it’s the opportunity to embrace your alter ego. I’ve always been fascinated by transformation, and it’s actually one of the things I love most about being a model.

I love experimenting with different characters, energies, emotions, and aesthetics. Sometimes I want to be soft and angelic, sometimes mysterious and powerful, and sometimes a little dangerous. I don’t think we should ever limit ourselves to just one version of who we are.

For this Halloween editorial, you chose to become a devil. Why this particular character?

There’s actually a funny story behind that choice.

Earlier this year, I was invited to participate in the Victoria’s Secret Angel Search casting in Chicago. It was a really exciting experience, and during that time, I was very much in my angel era.

So when Halloween came around, I thought, why not explore the complete opposite?

I spent part of this year chasing angel wings. For Halloween, I decided to wear horns instead. (Laughs.)

I love playing with contrasts. There’s something so fascinating about the balance between innocence and temptation, light and darkness. And that’s exactly the energy I wanted to bring to this shoot.

What does your devil character represent to you?

For me, she’s not necessarily evil. She’s fearless, confident, playful, and a little unpredictable.

I think we all have different sides to our personalities, and there’s something liberating about allowing yourself to explore them without judgment.

Sometimes it’s fun to step out of your comfort zone and become someone you wouldn’t necessarily be in everyday life.

Does that love for transformation influence the way you approach modeling?

Absolutely. Transformation is probably my biggest passion when it comes to modeling.

I don’t want to simply wear beautiful clothes and pose for the camera. I want to become the character, feel the emotion, and tell a story through my body language, movement, and expression.

That’s when fashion becomes something much more interesting to me. It’s almost like acting without words.

Every new project is an opportunity to discover a side of myself I haven’t explored before. And I think that’s what makes this profession so exciting.

If you could describe the message behind this Halloween editorial in one sentence, what would it be?

Maybe our greatest power isn’t found in the light, but in the shadows we’re bold enough to embrace.