Today we’d like to introduce you to Morgan Hennum.
Morgan, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I started acting at age 8 and then moved to modeling at age 12. Being on sets drew me to the hair and makeup aspect of everything and got me interested in studying cosmetology. During my senior year high school, I did the dual enrollment program and started the cosmetology program and now am enrolled full time. I am still modeling and plan to continue with it for as long as I can but my real passion is hair and I hope to focus on cut and color. I started working at Salon Modelo a little over a year ago as an assistant after being a house model for them and they knew I was interested in cosmetology. I love working there as I am learning while working under the guidance of some of the best stylists in Atlanta.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would say for me the biggest struggle was the whole “mean girl” thing while I was in middle school and early highschool and learning to find myself throughout all of that. When you model and everyone thinks you are awesome but then go to school and it is the opposite you tend to pick on your insecurities more. Once I hit about 11th grade is when I became more confident in who I am. I think that most girls go through some sort of that phase during that age and they just need to know that it gets better as you mature and the other people mature. I have always been more comfortable with people older than me so it helps that everyone I work with now is older!
Please tell us about Model/Cosmetology Student.
Right now, I am part-time at the salon as an assistant while I am in Cosmetology School, so my specialty would be lots of learning! My modeling would be considered my other job and as far as that goes I am most proud of being versatile. I get told a lot that I can go from silly to serious, to commercial look to editorial look and in this field, you need to have options. I try to brand myself more in the line of high fashion since that is my goal to hopefully get a campaign one day! Nothing really sets me apart from all the other thousands of models out there physically but I know I probably am more focused than many and I have a mom who supports me 100% so that helps!
Often it feels as if the media, by and large, is only focused on the obstacles faced by women, but we feel it’s important to also look for the opportunities. In your view, are there opportunities that you see that women are particularly well positioned for?
Personally, I think that being a woman shouldn’t hold you back from any opportunity. My mom has always taught me to stand up for myself and to work hard for what you want. Obviously, modeling is more of a female dominated field but hair and makeup are equal for both men and women these days.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/morgan_hennum
Image Credit:
Katie Parker Photography, Rangefinder Photography, Laretta Houston Photography
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