I've always seen modeling as a stepping stone.

Girls of all kinds can be beautiful.

Smiles come naturally to me, but I started thinking of them as an art form at my command. I studied all the time. I looked at magazines, I'd practice in front of the mirror and I'd ask photographers about the best angles. I can now pull out a smile at will.

Black women have always been these vixens, these animalistic erotic women. Why can't we just be the sexy American girl next door?

My aunt used to call me light bulb head because my head is small at the bottom and bigger at the top. But it was a term of endearment.

People always ask me if I'm going to stop modeling because I have started an acting career. I hope to continue to model for years to come.

I was always a good student. I wasn't the A-plus student, but I studied really hard, and I probably had a 3.2. I always wished that I had the capacity to get straight A's, but I didn't. I didn't beat myself up about it, but I really studied hard for my grades.