Source: Laura Lee Creative / Laura Lee Creative
Name: Yaris Mason
IG: @itspariswithay
Agency: Models EMG
Claim To Fame: Mason is one of the new faces of EMG models.
Yaris Mason was so fascinated with modeling as a child that she learned the art of negotiation by begging to watch The next American top model. “I remember going to elementary school, like begging my mom to like to stay up late,” she said. Hello beauty. “It’s one of those things I’ve always wanted to do.”
She would practice the skills necessary to excel in modeling. “I would like to clean the house or vacuum the house and teach myself to walk in heels,” she continued. “I started to understand my shape and my body and the things that look good on me, I like being behind the camera.”
Mason believed she had the abilities, but she was discouraged by Tocarra Jones being the only competitor she was relating to. She didn’t see her place in the commercials and the shows were taking place. “There weren’t many women who looked like me,” she says. “There was no one my size. ”
With the mainstream media obscuring her access to the world of Liris Crosses and Tabria Majors, Mason didn’t see a path to becoming a professional model, so she focused on finishing her studies. She attended West Virginia Marshall University for her undergrad, where her weight fluctuated and made her wonder even more about trying to model. “In college my weight was going up and down, but mostly it was increasing and I got so discouraged,” she said. “I would hardly look at myself as in a mirror. She went on to earn a Masters degree from Kean University before embarking on a career in nonprofit management and talent acquisition. When she realized that she remained creatively dissatisfied, she began to seek advice.
She met a coach who suggested she take steps to create a portfolio and directed her to resources including the photographer who took the photos that would allow her to sign with an agency. The increased visibility of plus size models also allowed her to learn more. Some of the advancing faces even were kind enough to offer him some advice. “I actually contacted someone who I consider to be a mentor, their name is Halle Deneen,” Mason said. “It was such a blessing for me to be able to connect with other models.”
“It was a new world for me. So all the advice I could get I was ready to take into consideration to make the right decision for me, ”she added.
She volunteered at community fashion shows to gain hands-on experience. “Being backstage was like the best feeling ever. I was like, it’s something I want to do, ”she said. “From that point on, I continued to enjoy working my butt.” She built her book by doing some groundwork with a small vintage store that gave her the rights to the images. She also invested in a session with a professional photographer, had her measurements taken, and began researching the agency’s submission process.
“I really just took a chance on myself. This is really how I started, ”she said. To try your luck, you had to put aside any insecurities about your body. “I was very scared, very scared, I had a lot of doubts about myself. Because it’s always been one of those things, like in the back of my head, what if, what if you don’t wasn’t accepted? What if you’re not good enough.
Fear almost prevented Mason from having an agent. She left the images and the research to rest. “I actually had my digital and sat on them for about two, three weeks,” she said. “Something just came over me and I feel like I’m still not good enough. Or I feel like it’s always something that I, uh, maybe I’m not really supposed to do. But one night I was literally up. As if I had had a pretty difficult day. I remember it so clearly. And I’m like, I’m just gonna submit.
He was offered a slot the next day. “I’m grateful and surprised that someone even reached out to me,” she said. “My confidence started to rise because I’m like, ‘Wow, I really can do this. And I do.
Mason hopes her modeling work will set a relevant example for other curvy young girls in the future so that the lack of representation does not prevent them from chasing their dreams.
“I really want young girls to see someone who looks like them.”
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