Rachel Zoe Eats, Never Feels Sexy, Uses the Word ‘Zoebot’

After we caught the preview of Rachel Zoe’s new reality show, The Rachel Zoe Project, we thought perhaps we had judged the celebrity stylist too soon. In preparation for the debut of her new series, the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar has a profile of Zoe which seemingly aims to refute what we all thought we knew about her. Let’s start with the picture on the left here: That’s Rachel Zoe Photoshopped from her actual size 0 to a size 8. (Also, doesn’t she kinda look like Tara Reid there?) She must want us to think that — even though she’s not — she’s perfectly comfortable with being shapely. Hm, that doesn’t make us want to reevaluate how we already view her. Which is where Marc Jacobs comes in. He tells Bazaar, “I don’t ‘fashion love’ her, I love love her. She has an iconic look. And she is a caricature in some ways, and I don’t mean that negatively.” Huh. Marc hearts Zoe … We heart Marc … Could we … heart Zoe, too? Let’s delve a little deeper into Zoe the Person, shall we?

Contrary to popular belief, she doesn’t force celebrities to get skinny.

[S]ays Cameron Diaz: “Print that I laughed out loud. She’s more likely to press big dangly earrings or chunky necklaces on you! No one can make somebody do something they’re not already predisposed to doing.” No, says Eva Mendes: “If anything, that woman makes me eat. When I leave Zoe’s place after a fitting, I feel better about myself because she has only ever encouraged me to stay the way I am.” Zoe makes a point of mentioning, “I don’t have one client right now who is a size 0. All of my clients have athletic or curvy, healthy bodies.”

She marvels at her own success.

“Now my heroes are a reality in my life. It’s not like, ‘I can’t believe I’m having dinner with John Galliano or Karl Lagerfeld.’ But I still die. Like when I talk to Tom Ford. When I was in my 20s and he was doing the whole Gucci horse-bit pants? Are you kidding me?”

She inspires women, just like super–role model Tyra Banks does!

“A woman came up to me,” Zoe says, “and she said, ‘I’m battling cancer for the third time, and I read your book every night’ — look, I still get chills — ‘because it makes me want to be beautiful again.’ “

She’ll be an excellent reality star since she already has witty and unique catchphrases.

[The Rachel Zoe Project] showcases Zoe’s hyperbolic fashion vocabulary: “I mean” is big, as is “sexy time” and, most enthusiastically, “I die.” “I also love her ‘amaazing,’” says [Eva] Mendes. “Amaazing, which I’ve totally stolen.” “No way, it’s [I have] ‘no words,’” says Jacobs. “‘No words.’”

The word “Zoebot” seems to be part of her daily lexicon.

“Sometimes [my husband] Rodger will say, ‘Honey, she looks like you!’ But in the case of Cameron or Jennifer Garner or Demi Moore, I would never say they were a Zoebot! You never see Jennifer in a bohemian caftan, wavy hair, and sunglasses the size of her face, you know?”

Zoe eats, okay? We mean, her favorite food is chock-full of calories.

“It’s not that I don’t eat. I eat.” Lunch? “Truth? I don’t. I’m not a lady who lunches; it’s a lull in the day.” What’s the daily diet? “When I’m on downtime, like on vacation with Rodger, I take care of myself. But when it’s me working on my own, it’s 7:00 p.m., and I’ve had coffee and a grapefruit.” Favorite food? “Asparagus! I’m kidding. I’d have to say cobbler.”

She never feels sexy, but being Photoshopped faux-curvy might have almost gotten her there.

Of her size 8 self that she conjured for the camera, Zoe smiles and says, “I immediately worked my body differently. As soon as I had curves, I was like, I want to stick my butt out, show my cleavage. I immediately felt sexy. I don’t feel sexy on a daily basis. In fact, I never feel sexy.”

So how did your feelings about Zoe fare coming out of that? Ours flip-flopped the whole way down, and we’d say they broke even.

Rachel Zoe: Size 0 to 8 [Harper’s Bazaar]

Related: Rachel Zoe’s Reality Show Reveals She Might Not Be Half-Bad