Below you’ll find a story from my friend, Angela, who went through a series of struggles in her childhood and younger life, pursing a life of modeling. What’s really great about Angela is her continued tenacity to drive forward in the face of adversity. Aside from the stigma of the perfect body type required to model, she faced challenges of skin color, a lack of support from the community around her, and a series of setbacks keeping that dream just out of reach. The power of her story, though, is found with a love for a dream that outlasted the negative. Her story shows that in time, if you believe in something hard enough, long enough, put in the work behind it, you’ll achieve your dreams.
“What inspired me to become a model was as a young child I knew I liked being in front of the camera but I also struggled with being accepted for my skin color. I remember all the boys in school. This was like 1st grade they like all the white girls or the light skinned girls and called me ugly. That struck with me way into my twenties. I remember wanting to model but I was told I was too short, too dark or simply did not know how to walk the runway.
My older sister was light skinned, so my mom put her in modeling and singing class. That also killed my modeling off inside, because I was over looked. Sure, I knew I was beautiful, long black hair, beautiful skin color, but not good enough to model. I remember dressing up as a little girl putting on my mom’s high heel shoes on and practice walking across the floor in my bedroom, trying to get my modeling moves together. I laugh now because a few times I almost broke my neck.
Through my teens, I would always buy the latest fashion. I stayed geared up. Everybody at school loved my clothes, but it wasn't enough. I was already scared modeling was a thing of the pass. Sure they like your clothes, but not your color under the clothes. Crazy thinking, but it’s true. Yeah, I got noticed for the size of my butt or my long black hair, but that was it. Plus my confidence and my self-esteem was very low. The smile and clothes covered it up.
As I entered my thirties, my self-esteem had hit a low - a lot of abuse. I won’t go into that today; that's another story. What self-esteem I had it was gone for sure. So I put modeling and my dreams on the back burner and focused on raising my children, which is the best gift ever and my best accomplishment in life -raising my babies.
In my mid-thirties, I went to acting school. I remember modeling on the runway, and one time during break, we had to put on more make up. The make-up artist told me, “I don't have any make up dark enough for you." That feeling came back right away of how I felt as a teenager. I was shocked with what she said. Modeling never went far out of my mind I was just looking for an opportunity. So again, it was placed on the back burner as an ideal. At the end of my thirties, I wanted to open my own clothing store and I promised myself, if I did, I would be the model. Mz Mahogany.
However, the store didn't open just yet. My mom died and I was laid off of my job. My only income to get my business off the ground. Well to make a long story short, I now have my own store, Mz Mahogany, pronounced Ms. Mahogany. When I model, I become a whole different person. I don't look at age or color. I look at beauty and I love who I am. I tell myself I am made in God’s own image and He doesn't create anything ugly. The name Mz Mahogany came for my skin color. Everybody is beautiful, whether you’re white, brown, or yellow.
I know a lot of younger girls struggle with this, even older women of every age deal with this skin color thing. I have learned to embrace my skin color, ‘love the skin you’re in’, those are my daily words. I am also a model at my own company. When I get in front of the camera, I turn into somebody else. Mz Mahogany. I want to take my business to a whole new level so I can give other women a chance to model with my company. I say love the skin you’re in. We are beautiful, dark, brown skinned women, and we have a place in this world. A lot of people look towards light skinned women for modeling. I don't have a problem with that, but I think people limit themselves by doing this. Blessings are everywhere, not just in certain skin colors. I am the proud owner of and model for Mz Mahogany. Finally, my dream came true, and there is more yet to come. You are never too young to start a business and never too old to run an empire. – Mahogany”
Angela is currently building her business, modeling, loving her role within the company, and paying it forward by affording opportunities to others going down this path. If you’d like to know more about Angela, what she’s doing with Mz Mahogany, or find out about other opportunities with her company, check out the link below. If you’re a young woman struggling with the color of your skin, and need a mentor, an encourager, someone to lift you up when you’re down, hop on Twitter and send her a DM.
Website: www.mzmahoganyshop.com
Instagram: mz_mahogany__
Twitter: @BAngieB0