Ella Halikas
Walnut Creek, California, U.S.
- Model
- TikToker
- Activist
Eliana Mason (cousin)
5 ft 7 in (170 cm)
Brown
Brown
708.8K
19.5M
Early life and education[edit]
Halikas grew up in Walnut Creek, a town in the San Francisco Bay Area.[1][2] She is Greek American and was raised in the Greek Orthodox faith.[3][4] She is a cousin of goalball player Eliana Mason.[4] Halikas studied at Washington State University before transferring to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where she graduated in 2019.[1]
Career[edit]
In 2020, Halikas lost her job as a waitress at a restaurant in San Francisco due to the COVID-19 pandemic and moved to Los Angeles to pursue modelling and social media influencing.[1] She was scouted by a modeling agent on Instagram, based in San Francisco.[1] Halikas was featured in commercials for JCPenney and Snapchat.[1] Halikas later signed with Ford Models as a model and content creator.[5] In 2021, Halikas was featured in Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.[6][2][7] She was photographed by Yu Tsai in Atlantic City, New Jersey for the magazine spread.[6][8] In July 2021, she walked the runway at Miami Swim Week for Berry Beachy Swimwear, Cupshe, and VDM The Label.[9][10] She had previously walked in Miami Swim Week in 2020.[10]
Halikas is a public speaker and activist for body positivity and confidence.[3][11][12] She uses her TikTok and Instagram accounts to promote body positivity.[13][14] She partnered with the Canadian company Pebbles & Palms to launch a plus-size swimwear line.[15]
In March 2023, Halikas was featured in Robbie Tripp's music video for his song Basic Bro.[3][16]
Personal life[edit]
In 2022, Halikas and plus-size model Alexa Jay were reportedly barred entry from The Highlight Room, an exclusive club Los Angeles.[17][18] They posted about their experience on TikTok, claiming that they were denied entry because of their weight.[19] The video received over one million views.[20]