Tell us about yourself.

My name is Sosana Shelah; I am 18 years old and I am from Monterey, California. 

What is your biggest dream?
My biggest dream is to make something of myself. Something huge to the point where people who don’t know me, know what I have accomplished. I want to walk runways and have people know my name. I want to inspire other people who think that they are not capable of becoming a model to chase after what they want. I aspire to inspire. That sounds like a dream to me.

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

Being your own kind of beautiful is to fall in love with the unique parts about yourself that are different from other or to love the things about yourself that are shamed by society. Not being afraid to be different than everyone else and being confident about it.

Tell us about your modeling experience.

Modeling was always a dream to me since a young age but I just started building my platform 2 months ago. I am signed to Asiano Agency and I am a promotional model for ATN Event Staffing. Hannah Noelle is the first big agency that I have been signed to and I am so grateful.

What is your dream brand to model for?

My dream brand to model for is anime. I have danced all throughout my life and I have played soccer so being able to work with such an amazing brand like Nike would be a dream come true.

How would you describe your fashion style?

My fashion style is a bit of everything thrown together. Everyday is different; I am always coordinating my outfits with my mood so if I am feeling happy an energetic I will wear bright clothes and something bold. Every morning when I get ready I think of myself as my own barbie doll that I get to dress up however I want and sometimes that’s a cheetah skirt with platform boots or mom jeans and my air force 1s.

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

Self awareness and confidence is one of the most important things to me. Being able to own what you can bring to the table without comparing yourself to others is a key factor in being confident. If you’re not confident it is really hard to be happy when doing small things like shopping or eating. You have to feel comfortable in your own body. I have definitely struggle with confidence and self awareness but everyday I tell myself that if I let my insecurities hold me back from trying new things or doing the things I love then I will accomplish nothing.

What makes you beautiful? 

Being my own person, not depending on the approval of someone else makes me beautiful. Being able to completely accept all of my flaws and understand my perfections makes me beautiful. Being a confident woman who owns her body makes me beautiful. Being able to say that I love myself makes me beautiful. My face, my body, and my aura are what make me beautiful. Being able to help others around me feel beautiful makes me feel beautiful.

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

The advice I could give to another person my age struggling with confidence is to stop comparing yourself to others. Being able to overcome the things that make you insecure is easier said than done but accepting your body and realizing that you’re beautiful is so important. Sometimes people say you have to look a certain way to be beautiful but that is not true at all. Just because you look different than someone with 5 million instagram followers doesn’t mean you’re not beautiful. Own your body whether you’re a size 2 or a size 22.