By Aida Toro
The Roaring 20’s are finally here and what better way to grace New Face’s first cover of the year than by having Sianna Rae Nelson on it - known to the modeling world as Sianna Renee.
Sianna was an athlete prior to being a model and trained about five times a day. “Track and field was my number one love but I realized it was my stress reliever, not my true love,” she said.
Originally from Orange County, California, Sianna moved to Alabama when she was eight years old until her freshman year of college. She then moved to New York on her own at 18. Posing and such began for her when she landed her first shoot through a pageant she did, even though she didn’t continue with pageants because she just kept on modeling.
“When I experienced my first shoot, I knew I had to do this, so I did,” said Sianna. “I had a full ride to the University of Las Vegas (UNLV) on a track scholarship and I did a whole year, then I got an opportunity to really model in New York.”
She took it, gave her scholarship up, and was out there within two weeks. Since she gave up her scholarship to fulfill her modeling dreams, coaches from the track team got mad at her. Not to mention, Sianna had a lot of muscle mass as an athlete and had to lose it in order to be a bit smaller.
“Not unhealthy but smaller,” she said in regards to the weight cut she had to do for modeling. “It’s always a bit of a struggle for me because I’m naturally a size 4-6 but the industry wants me at a 2-4, which I currently am.”
To overcome all of this, Sianna said one needs to have confidence and not allow anyone to tell you what you can and cannot do. Something that really motivated her, even more, was a bracelet her mother presented her with before starting her modeling journey. The bracelet said, “She believed she could, so she did”, and that is what Sianna lives by every single day.
Within the last year, Sianna moved to Miami from New York and then to Los Angeles from Miami. Throughout these moves, she’s had the chance to experience different types of markets, which was always something she wanted to do. Although she was excited to work in different markets, Sianna was socially impacted as she never knew where she was going to live.
“For some, this situation could give them anxiety, however, I had a goal in mind,” she said in regards to her living situation. “I’ve come to the conclusion that New York is where I thrive.”
Sianna said trying different things doesn't always work out, even when you really want them to. Her point was not to quit because now that she did a full circle, she is back and thriving in New York once again.
“When I moved to L.A for a year, I thought it was to become a supermodel and I’ve now realized that God wanted me to meet my soulmate and be mentally healthy before I came back to New York,” expressed Sianna. “I’m just super blessed to be so tuned in to the universe’s way of speaking to me.”
Although she is currently in Manhattan, her experience in Los Angeles was a reality check for her since she had to get a part-time job, which she didn’t have since she was 16 due to her modeling gigs always supporting her financially. Sianna was so against it, however, she knew that if she took that part-time job, that she would do it to the utmost extent.
“I got a job at SBE, which is a huge global lifestyle company that owns clubs, hotels, and restaurants all over the world,” she mentioned. “I was just a Runner at first, which meant I just ran tables and within that year I became a Lead and I dictated where clients and promoters sat in the club, kind of like a head honcho if I want to toot my own horn.”
While she is in New York right now for her modeling duties, she had to quit her job at SBE. She considers the staff at SBE her family, which respects her work ethic as she can come back to work for them whenever she wants. As far as modeling goes, Sianna is trying to get on a billboard as well as land campaigns.
“I believe in myself and I just need the right person at the right place and the right time to like my look,” she said. “Becoming a supermodel is my goal and yes, it’s hard, but I can do it.”
Continued Sianna, “I gave myself an age that I would be ok with not being a supermodel and if it doesn’t happen at age 30 for me, yes, I can continue to model, but supermodeling wouldn’t be possible.”
Sianna used to break down and cry at the thought of not becoming a supermodel. Nowadays, she’s come to peace with it and believes that whatever is meant to happen, will happen.
“I truly believe that because we always plan, plan, and plan for everything, nothing ever goes according to your life plans. LIFE happens. Whatever you do, just be happy”, she advised.
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