Natalie Weaver
Name: Natalie Weaver (@natweaves)
Age: 23 Occupation: Recording Artist, Model
Location: LA, CA
Pronouns: She, her
What does beauty mean to you? Confidence, Self-love is simply beautiful & beauty emanates from that.
What makes you feel beautiful? Self-care. I abide by my skin routines in the AM, eating right keeps my energy levels up, and staying active allows me to look in the mirror & say “you dat bitch!” Also, self-expression has a lot to do with beauty. Writing & singing my songs allows me to stay in the now and really embrace my being.
How did you feel on the shoot? I felt like different cultures and body types were finally being represented in a positive light among the community of beauty and fashion.
What did you love about the look? It signified being sexy in your own skin, loving every angle of yourself, and embodied what it means to be a woman.
How does it feel to be ___ (18 year old girl) in LA today? It feels liberating. Being an independent artist is stressful but super gratifying. Not only am I finally finding myself but I’m also seeing my visions come into fruition. Being in LA is super inspiring. Most of the people around me are finally getting the recognition they deserve and it’s all love.
Chyenne Roan-Santini
Name: Chyenne Roan-Santini (@chy_mellow)
Age: 23 Occupation: Model / after school youth leader Location: Los Angeles, CA
Pronouns: She, her
What does beauty mean to you? To me, beauty is what you look like when you make it through trauma or adversity. Beauty means that you still recognize who you are when you overcome that adversity and you get to know yourself even more through it. I think the most beautiful person is a person who has endured a lot of painful moments in life, but who still has the brightest smile in the room. Thats how I view my own beauty. I also feel that theres so much beauty in giving back.
What makes you feel beautiful? What makes me feel beautiful is when I’m able to witness courage in myself that I didn’t know I had. I feel most beautiful when I feel power within. I’ve battled with anxiety since I was in 9th grade, so in the moments where I’m able to overcome my anxiety and execute… I feel beautiful as fuck haha
How did you feel on the shoot? I felt amazing!! I had the opportunity to work with incredible humans whose work I admire so much. I loved the vision they had for the shoot. I had been wanting to work with WTU for a while on a shoot and they exceeded my expectations. I was kind of nervous because normally I wear my hair out in my fro for modeling gigs, and a lot of clients may not be open to something different. My big hair started becoming a safety net for me. So for this shoot it was braided and at first I did feel more vulnerable and I wasn’t sure if they would be open to it to go with the looks for the shoot. But they loved it! And they were so welcoming from the time I stepped in the room to the time we wrapped. It was all love!
What did you love about the look? I loved how the styling, makeup, and the mood came together so seamlessly. I loved how I was styled, there were avant-garde looks which I’ve been wanting to expand more into this year for my portfolio. Every look they incorporated made me feel badass, and made me want to get out of my shell even more.
How does it feel to be ___ (18 year old girl) in LA today? At times I feel lost being a 23 year old girl in LA today. I feel like everyone my age is in this weird space of trying to figure out what their purpose is here, or if what they are doing is what they should be doing in a long-term sense. Could be career-wise or even just in life. Thats exactly where I’m at in my life. I used to dream of being a model, particularly in high school when I began battling anxiety. I just wanted a way to break free from my fears and modeling is something that I found as a way of doing that. I love modeling because I’m able to create art from a vision and express freely. I love working with kids because that’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was a child. I was in foster care as a child and I used to dream of being a mentor to another child that was facing the same challenges as me. So I’m pretty much living out my dreams, and for that a part of me is fulfilled. There have been life-altering moments so far in my 20s, things that have shaped me and given me a different outlook on the world (good and bad). So I’m trying to keep a healthy balance of lessons and experiences to keep my heart open. And ultimately I just want to find my purpose while I’m here.
Mari Avi
Name: Chyenne Roan-Santini (@chy_mellow)
Age: 23 Occupation: Model / after school youth leader Location: Los Angeles, CA
Pronouns: She, her
Name: Mari Avi
Age: 19
Occupation: Model
Location: Los Angeles
Pronouns: She, her
What does beauty mean to you? Beauty is about accepting yourself for who you are. Having the confidence to embrace your imperfections and differences is beauty.
What makes you feel beautiful? Being a plus-size model with vitiligo! Knowing I have a unique look makes me feel bold and beautiful.
How did you feel on the shoot? So grateful for the huge opportunity. Although I have to admit at first I was pretty nervous, but once I got in front of the camera I gained the confidence that I needed.
What did you love about the look? I love everything about the look! The way my features standout is incredible. One of my favorite look had to be the gold eyeliner with gold highlighter around my white patches.
How does it feel to be 19 (year old girl) in LA today? I was born and raised in Los Angeles. From experience the weather is great, fashion is everywhere, and there are great places to visit. It is a city that is full of adventure.
Credits
Producer & Art Director: Jen Sanchez
Creative Director: Rosco Flevo
Photographer: Damian Borja
Cinematographer: Jamie Heinrich
Beauty Director/MUA: Jaime Diaz
Editors: Joe DeSantis & Jen Sanchez
Styling: Chloe and Chenelle
Brands: Red gloves – Amorphose | White sheer top – Tank Air Talent: Chyenne Roan-Santini, Mari Avi, Natalie Weaves