Kamer's focus over the course of the interview was less the affair, which has been exhaustively recollected in every media outlet including our own, and more how a 23-year-old who is suddenly notorious for titillating reasons might deal with that. Leathers answers his questions gamely and sincerely, which is perhaps why she was so easily set up for the question quoted above. But the overall impression she gives is of someone comfortable with the decisions she has made—at least the decisions she's made in 2013. Only in the face of meanness does Leathers' self-assurance wane at all.
And she gets that people see her publicity tour as attention- (and money-) seeking efforts. She explains:
If I really wanted fame or attention, I probably wouldn’t have tried to remain anonymous (for as long as I did). I probably would've came out sooner with everything. And to be honest, I wouldn’t have given away the exclusive photos and the transcripts of our conversations for free to Nik Richie if I was looking to gain from it. … Once my identity was leaked, I felt like I had no choice. It was like, “You might as well speak for yourself, otherwise everyone else is going to try.”
This is a sentiment that would have seemed savvy in the pre-millennial era. In the time of reality television and Twitter, though, it's common knowledge that has saturated even southern Indiana. Leathers is happy to tell Kamer the dumbest little details because why not? This is what we do.
The danger, which Kamer touches on, is that Leathers will start losing followers — not her real / virtual Twitter followers, but her metaphorical / real-life followers. That people will stop caring. That's the tricky part of this for even those who are savvy in the ways of modern media: knowing when to exit the stage. For Leathers, the minute hand is just about at the 3. Kamer spends much of the interview trying to figure out if she can see the clock.
This article is from the archive of our partner The Wire.
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