Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Victoria.
Hi Melanie, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
Back in my college days, people would often ask me if I was a model or they would suggest that I become a model. I’d curl my face up and say, “No. Never!”. Despite having watched every episode of America’s Next Top Model in high school, I was somewhat of a sporty girl that wasn’t into fashion, so modeling had no place in my desires. After college life I still found myself receiving suggestions to become a model and I even began receiving emails about it. I was so annoyed! Shortly after the emails began, a man from my church started a clothing line and needed a few models to promote his brand. The photographer for the photoshoot was a friend from the church as well, so they reached out to me to be in the shoot and I decided to give modeling a try. Omg, it was so much fun! Lol. From there I began to practice shoot with the photographer @iconicgeminii, and the art of modeling really grew on me. I created a portfolio and met with a couple of modeling agencies. I got rejected by a couple and the last one decided to bring me on board. I was ecstatic to be a signed model!
I continued to do photoshoots with local photographers and I got published in a couple of magazines. All of this success and newfound passion for modeling encouraged me to relocate to a market that had more opportunities, primarily for women of color. So I decided to move to someone warm with minimal natural disasters and a thriving Black community. Yes, Atlanta! I moved to Atlanta in the summer of 2019 with pursuit to get signed to another modeling agency. Then a few months later in 2020, the pandemic flipped the table. I ended up getting an “essential job” and my modeling plans were put aside. I did a few photoshoots here with @montyangelo, but it wasn’t until the summer of 2022 that I decided to get back into the entertainment world. This time I chose to work on movies and TV shows. I started out as background, then featured background. Now I do all of that as well as stand in for the main actresses. This is just the beginning and I look forward to getting booked for short speaking roles and commercials. I’m excited!
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not at all. Modeling is awesome, but as you can imagine, loving my reflection in the mirror came with its challenges. I’ve always been on the taller end for ladies standing at 5’8”, but sometimes gigs would require 5’9” or 5’10” minimum height. Many times gigs would require size 6 or under and I was a 10. The experience of rejection had me frequently questioning my looks and sometimes I let it hurt my self-esteem. I found myself wondering “if I was enough” in many situations. As of lately, the biggest challenge is staying booked and busy while having locs as a hairstyle. Many productions request no locs and suggest that a person doesn’t even apply if they have locs or braids. While there are explainable reasons for the request, I still question how much further and quicker my success would be if I wore my hair straight.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a creative! I’ve been successful in modeling, and now I’m delving more into acting. I’d ultimately love to be the main voiceover character on a popular animated series or movie. I’m also a writer/contributor for the online magazine Blackartsygirl.com. It has been an encouraging challenge for me to express my journey in this creative space through writing. Everyone should check it out!
I am known for marching to the beat of my own drum and going after every experience that I desire even if it means detaching from everything that I’m familiar with. That is also what sets me apart from others. I am most proud of my materializing my passion for health and wellness by producing quality herbal supplements that help me stay in the best mental and energetic state to remain creative! I will be having a website launch in 2023 for my products, but I currently fill orders per request via my Instagram or personal contact.
What were you like growing up?
Growing up, I was very-very sheltered. I was born and raised in the inner city of Chicago, so my family was pretty overprotective due to the level of violence in the community. I couldn’t do much of anything but go to school. I was called “the weird girl” or “the white girl”, because I went to a private school. I actually got picked on a lot for being tall and “inexperienced”. I was kinda of quiet but I also loved sports and that’s where I’d be more outgoing. I was always interested in music, drawing, and basketball.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @_melanievictoria_
Image Credits
Monty Angelo Alfield Reeves Photography Eugene Wilborn GXFTD Natey Nukez D. Crain Portrait Photography LLC Livia Mussi Photosby27north
