“My first attempt to take my life at twelve was significant because not only did it remind me, ‘I don’t want to be here,’ – not in life but like, ‘I don’t want to be in Connecticut’ – but also, now looking back, I realize that that experience is very unique because it sort of established the fact that I will never be the same as anybody else."
Mental health advocate, fashion and lifestyle influencer, and model Tanaye White joined Danny LoPriore on the Off The Cuff with Danny LoPriore mental health podcast to break down her journey to the modeling industry, the realities of model life, diversity and inclusion in the industry, and how she cares for her natural hair in this profession.
Having been featured in L’Oreal, Victoria’s Secret, and Fenty Beauty campaigns as well as a recurring model for Sports Illustrated, Tanaye knows the modeling world well, and after spending her early childhood in Baltimore and then growing up in Connecticut, she’s no stranger to communities with a lack of diversity and inclusion. While her childhood was filled with challenges as a young person of color that struggled with mental health, she unpacks how it influenced her unique identity and informed her path to success as a model.
Tanaye discusses how the modeling world is changing as more models of color are being chosen to shoot worldwide campaigns for a number of famous brands and designers and the role that natural hair plays in the conversation of inclusivity. With natural hair comes more of a demand for quality hair care, and as the discussion widens, Tanaye reveals that a lot of models of color are often their own hair stylists, either because the price for hair care is steep or because they simply cannot get the quality care and attention that their hair needs and deserves. Diversity in the modeling industry is certainly a step in the right direction, but we’ve still got a long way to go, specifically regarding equal wages and resources for models of color and models with disabilities.
Tanaye also touches on common misconceptions about modeling and the reality of model life, her experiences in corporate America, why she loves creating art as part of her profession, traveling the world, and the intense cost of living in New York.
It’s a profession that certainly requires drive and determination, especially given the lack of diversity and inclusion in the modeling industry, and Tanaye’s story displays precisely that.
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