Tell us about yourself (where are you from, age, whatever you want to add):

My name is Lexi M, and I am 14 years old.  I am in 8th grade, and I’m an honors student.  I live in the Philadelphia suburbs in Pennsylvania. I play tennis several times a week, and am training to be selected to join my high school varsity tennis team.  I also take fitness kickboxing lessons three times a week, and my father is my kickboxing partner!  I am very passionate about art.  Particularly, I love to draw realistic sketches and paint abstract art.  I also enjoy acting, and have been taking weekly one-on-one acting lessons with an acting coach for the last two years, studying character development, monologue analysis and improv training.

What is your biggest dream?

My short term goals are to model and act, and it is such an amazing feeling to be on the road to accomplishing those dreams.  I have wanted to model and act for as long as I can remember, and began these pursuits a little over two and a half years ago.  I’m so grateful to have a supportive family, and to be able to get the opportunities that I do.  One of my longer term dreams is to attend Princeton University after I graduate from high school, which is why I am so focused on my academic studies.  My overall biggest dream, however, is to live a happy, full life, with no regrets.  And, so far, I’m doing just that.

What does it mean to be your own kind of beautiful?

To me, being your own kind of beautiful means to be yourself, regardless of what other people may think.  There will be many people that will try to define you and/or bring you down. To rise above the hate and continue to be you is beautiful.  Nowadays, society pressures women and girls to feel like they need to look a certain way and have a certain body type to be beautiful, which is horrible.  Everyone is beautiful no matter their differences. We should celebrate our differences recognizing that we are all our own kind of beautiful!

Tell us about your modeling experience. 

I was featured in K’NEX® toys I Am A Mighty Maker Brave & Beautiful video and print marketing campaign, as well as several product instructional videos and print ads for K’NEX Education® building sets.  I appear as a fashion model in the 2018 and 2019 print and digital catalogues and on the website of a leading national dance costume company.  This past summer, I was hired to model the official clothing line for a Las Vegas clothing designer, and currently appear in its social media advertising.  I walked in several runway shows for local Philadelphia designers and, most, recently, walked for Lord & Taylor during the AIMS2K18 Lord & Taylor Fashion Show, which was a charity event.  I also appear in several model magazines, including issues of Big City Kids and Snap Model Magazines.  Most recently, I had a supporting acting role in a Pennsylvania funded Public Service Announcement aimed at preventing opiate misuse among Pennsylvania youth.

What is your dream brand to model for?

I would like to model for Nike, because I love the brand and what it stands for --  inspiring and empowering others to be strong and confident.       

How would you describe your fashion style?

I like to wear trendy, but elegant clothing, that is not mass produced.  Most importantly, the clothing I wear has to be comfortable!  That is a must.

How important is self-awareness and confidence to you in your everyday life?

Confidence and self-awareness are extremely important, because people are naturally attracted to confident individuals.  Whether I am feeling confident or not, I always try to put on a brave face, and appear confident in any given situation.  

What makes you beautiful?

In all honesty, I do not think that I am physically beautiful, but recognize that I am my own worst critic.  My true beauty lies in my compassion for others, my intelligence and my strong will and determination.

What would you say to another girl your age who is struggling with their confidence?

I would look her directly in the eye and tell her that she was enough; that she was perfect as-is; and that beauty lies within everyone, and it is not solely defined by someone’s outer appearance.  If you act confident, people will believe it, and soon you will believe it too.