Person To Know: Tiffany Jackson
Occupation: Model
Years Active: 5
Signed to: Page Parkes/Page 713
Why she’s hot:
Houston Fashion Week Runway model, New York Fashion Week Fall 2011 Runway model. Designers; Nieman Marcus, Rolando Tamez, Nha Khanh, Danny Nguyen Couture, Toni Whitaker Designs, Stevie Boy, and Baby Bull Sports Apparel by Boxer Juan Diaz
How did you go from being a serious athlete to a model?
It was a huge transition! I’ve been playing ball since the age of 6. I Played AAU, Division 1 basketball and I even played in Europe. I did one fashion show my sophomore year in college and fell in love with it. After I graduated, I hung up my sneakers for a pair of stilettos and decided to put all of my time and energy into the fashion industry.
Has being an athlete helped you as a model?
When you’re an athlete, you have to learn to take criticism, feedback and disapproval. You use those to your advantage and learn how to build from them. It works the same way being a model, so yes, it has helped me tremendously.
How do you feel about the industry standards for African American models?
African American models are unrecognized and outnumbered. On average, statistically there are only 16 percent black models versus 82 percent of white models that are selected to participate in the highly competitive New York Fashion Week every year. The positive thing is that there is a lot of change starting to happen in this industry where more black models are being recognized, which excites me!
Which models inspire you?
I am a huge fan of Chanel Iman, Sessilee Lopez and Jordan Dunn. The fact that they are all African American and three of the youngest, most successful models in the world is inspiring in itself.
What advice can you give other up-and-coming models?
Modeling is a very difficult industry to get into. I would tell them that if modeling is what they would like to do, then do it! Be prepared for some strict evaluations but take those critiques to better yourself. A lot of people doubted me when I decided to stop playing basketball and become a model, but I persevered and have now made a name for myself.
www.twitter.com/ItzMeTiffany https://www.facebook.com/ModelTiffanyJackson
https://www.modelmayhem.com/788946 Download Tiffany’s app on Android phones/ Market-Tiffany Jackson
