I’ve gone viral for modeling Depend adult diapers. Now women who use them are reaching out.

Some models do the catwalk. Others do catalogs. You’ll find Alyssa Alexander’s work in the personal care aisle of your local drugstore.

As the face (and, erm, bottom) of Depend underwear size XL, Alexander has been “making adult diapers look good” since 2023. Thanks to a viral Instagram Reel she shared as part of the #holyfknairball social media trend, everybody knows about her gig posing for the incontinence product’s packaging.

Alexander wouldn’t have it any other way, she tells Yahoo’s Kerry Justich. Here, she shares in her own words why she’s proud to represent a product that’s so often stigmatized — and how she ended up modeling absorbent undies in the first place.

I started [modeling] back in 2014, when I was 26 years old. I’m only 5 foot 6, and I’ve always been on the borderline of straight- and plus-size, so I never thought there was room for me in the industry as a shorter, curvier girl.

I had a friend who was starting a photography business and was like, “Hey, will you model for me? I want to take some photos of you.” And I was like, “OK, I guess I’ll try it.” Once the photos were posted, everyone’s like, “Oh, you’re a natural at this, and you’re inspiring me to have confidence at my shape or size.” Models like Ashley Graham and Hunter McGrady were also starting to pave the way for more representation. I just started using that as fuel to keep growing and keep seeing where I could take it.

I was living in Kentucky at the time, where I’m originally from, and I just decided to take the leap. So I moved to Los Angeles to see if I could make a career out of this. And Los Angeles treated me well.

At first, you think modeling is all about fashion and clothing. Then you come to realize that there are all these other lifestyle products out there, things that people are using or buying that need bodies to model them. Average-size women are between a size 10 and 16 these days, so I’m basically an average-size consumer of these products.

Doing a deal with Depend

[The brand did] a nationwide search, so they weren’t able to call everybody in to see them in person in the underwear. They actually had us go out and buy a package of Depend to try on because they wanted to see how it looked on. They were looking for a particular model for each size; I just happened to fit their extra-large. They booked me, and we shot it in late 2022 in New York.

Out of all of the shoots that I’ve done in this industry for 10 years now, this was one of my favorites. The team was mainly all women and so encouraging throughout the process. People think there’s a lot of Photoshop that goes into the packaging, but they weren’t allowed to use Photoshop. They had to make sure everything was looking great but also very realistic. There’s no airbrushing out cellulite or anything like that. They’re not even allowed to Photoshop creases in the Depends, which makes me laugh because they were sitting there ironing the Depends.

The package first came out in the spring of 2023. around Mother’s Day. I made a post saying [something like], “Happy Mother’s Day, Mom. You get to see me in diapers again.” Ever since then, it’s been friends, family or followers sending me selfies every now and then when they see it [on shelves].

Recognizing its impact

It’s been two years since I saw the packages first arrive in stores, and I created a video on a whim, sharing the package using a viral trend. It’s nothing that I’m trying to keep under wraps, but I did not expect what happened to happen.

The video was crawling near a million views and some of the comments really, really touched me. These women were sharing their stories about [experiencing] heavy bleeding postpartum or from a surgery, ulcerative colitis and bowel issues, or going through cancer treatments and saying that seeing my face had made them feel more confident and more secure, like I helped them through these times, or I was with them on their journeys. … I heard from so many nurses and health care workers that they’ve memorized my face now because they’re using [the underwear] on their patients. It’s crazy, the amount of people that know my face.

Until those comments started rolling in, I had no idea the reach and impact this had. I’m honestly floored by how many people, women especially, have been positively impacted by this.

I think people walk down that [store] aisle thinking there’s a stigma around [adult diapers], that it’s gross. People were even confused as to why [the manufacturing company] Kimberly-Clark and Depend were putting a younger person on the package, but it makes total sense. It’s normalizing that it’s not just for old people who have bladder issues. There are so many other uses. I didn’t even realize how many women just use them instead of tampons or pads on heavy [bleeding] days or to sleep in. I actually bought a package and tried them. And, yes, if you are a heavy bleeder at night, they are great. Just having these conversations and seeing those comments is also helping other people realize that it’s OK to wear these.

My future with Depend

Normally, for this type of job, you have a session fee that you’re paid for the day, but then there’s also a usage fee for a certain amount of time that they’re planning on using the packaging or the imaging. For this one, I believe it started at three years. So come next spring, they have to decide if they’re still going to be using the same packaging and imaging, and they’ll do what’s called a renewal for another period of time. It could be another year; it could be another three years. I would love to continue this.

Depend actually has commented and seen the video, so I’m hoping that the positivity that they’re seeing in the feedback will help keep my image on the packaging for longer. If Depend ever decides to do more commercials or have a spokesperson, I am totally open to that. After seeing all of these positive comments and how this has impacted women, I’m like, let’s keep the conversation going; let’s keep normalizing this so people aren’t weird about it.

Now when people see that package, they know that’s a real person. Hopefully they look at me as a genuine person who’s there with them. … I’m the Depends lady as far as I’m concerned.

This has been edited for length and clarity.