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What was your first reaction when you found out your were the BSO Model of the Year?
Really excited. I knew that this would be a great opportunity for me to gain some excellent exposure and be introduced to a new fan base (which is already similar to mine).
Are you a big sports fan?
I love sports. I am an ex athlete so It’s easy for me to understand and follow the games as well as the players.
What was the motivation behind the sports theme shoot?
Of course with this being BSO I wanted to be able to do a shoot in honor of athleticism. I chose to pay tribute to three women I admire greatly. Layla Ali (boxing), Serena Williams (tennis), and Allyson Felix (track). Each one of these women are champions at their craft and have set stellar examples for young ladies looking to get into sports. I have mentored young female athletes and have come across a common concern for identity, more or less being able to stay “girly” (female athletes tend to have a stereotyped stigma of masculinity). Baring this concern in mind, I admire and appreciate the way these women can kick but at their sport without compromising, but rather celebrating and magnifying their femininity.
Tell us about some of the wonderful people that helped you with the shoot?
Photographer Ivan McCartney – www.Bluprintid.com
Makeup- Shania Cintron [email protected]
Hair- Ebony Gardner [email protected]
Beyond the modeling, tell us a little more about Sabrina the person? Likes, dislikes, hobbies?
As of lately I find myself spending a lot of time having fun with my girlfriends and people I consider family. I think at this point in my life the most important thing is to embrace the moment and live life to the fullest. I look at things this way; I’m a great person, no children, no significant other, and a whole world in front of me. Now is the time to get out there and really live. I love having thought provoking conversation over wine or tea with my girls (depending on the time of day of course). I adore the people I have allowed in my life this year, they truly push me to be a better person and a more driven professional. Life in New York is fast and trust me I am a quality contender in the race.
You are a very beautiful young lady, if a guy was to approach you, what is the best way to get your attention?
I’ll put it to you like this. I know what it is like when a man REALLY wants to get to know what a woman is about. I have seen it time and time again (ironically a lot of my friends are either married, engaged, or completely booed up). I also know when guys are playing games and trying to use a woman, trust and believe me from millionaire to minion men are no different. I have enough experience and a million stories. Be sincere, be yourself, and be open. If I like ya, great. That’s really it.
In the age of social media every female who a camera phone thinks she is a model, in your mind what separates real models from wannabes?
I think most young ladies looking into getting into the modeling industry don’t do their research. I see a lot of poor imitations of past successes but what most don’t do is show us who they are. What do you bring to the game? What sets you apart? Modeling is a JOB. Men take pleasure in looking at models, entertainers take pleasure in them being around so on and so forth. To them and to many we are viewed as pleasure, eye candy, T and A. This is a business. As a professional, whenever you get business confused with pleasure I think you are taken a lot less seriously.
What advice would you give young ladies who aspire to be models?
DO YOUR RESEARCH! Know your assets and accentuate them. Know your flaws and hide them. Be realistic with yourself, if you need to tighten up hit the gym. If you are happy being a lil more to love well hey there is a whole plus industry that would/may love you. Know your audience, as well as the message you convey in your images. You probably won’t book Vogue by submitting booty shots, be appropriate and prepared and you will book the jobs you want. Love what you do for what it is. At the end of the day, you live and die by the decisions you make every day of your life. Go with your intuition and you will never go wrong. Your gut never lies.
What can we look forward from you in 2011?
I am super excited for the new year! I have a MTV.com feature showing 1st quarter (featuring my Tattoo story) and I am going to be featured in Black Mens Magazine 40 on 40 issue. I am always submitting myself for bookings/going to castings (acting/hosting as well as modeling), even considering shopping myself around for representation again come the second or third week of Jan (best time to hit the agencies ladies). Sky is truly the limit for me and I believe the creator is leading me down a path to show me exactly how limitless the sky really is. I just started a blog www.modelbehaviorbysabrina.tumblr.com. It’s basically a place for me to express my opinions, work out new ideas, and release my day to day thoughts and encounters as a model in NYC. My non profit org is in developmental stages as well which is sincerely my dream come true. After I receive my life coaching certification I will be able to officially mentor young girls and make the difference in their lives I have always dreamed of doing. Watch out Oprah 😉
Booking and Model info
Youtube- SabrinaAthena4real
Twitter- @sabrinaathena
Blog- ModelBehaviorbySabrina.tumblr.com