Sheralie lives by a specific code. She is not terribly interested in telling you what you want to hear, she is more likely to speak her mind with uncommon bluntness and honesty while keeping a genuine sense of humor. It is this particular quality among others that make her our choice for Beyond Fashion this month.
I sat down with Sheralie to get a sense of what moves and motivates her and to find out how she keeps a sense of self that runs deeper than the industry she belongs to.
Aria can you tell us a bit about what you do?
Well, I do everything. I don’t limit myself to just one area of modeling. I have done fashion, glamour and artistic nudes. I’m going to be heading into commercial in October. I enjoy expressing myself in all these different styles. You are never the same person twice. It’s very enjoyable and it’s a great challenge too.
What moved your or motivated you to get involved in fashion, and what do you think makes you stand out?
I have always loved the stories that photography can share with you so there was that. Then there was the love of clothing and make up, since I was young I had a great interest in fashion television. But I was more interested in what happened behind the camera. I fell into all this unintentionally honestly. I would model for friend’s who needed someone, others would see their work and request my involvement and it took off from there. Modeling turned out to be something I love and I returned to it after I had my children.
I’m a mother of two, that definitely makes me stand out physically. I also don’t look like most the other model’s I have come across. I’m not perfect, but what can be considered flaws makes me unique. I have piercings, I have ink. I have stretch marks and scars. In an industry that seems to demand perfection, I have been accepted with open arms.
I also have great pride in my work; I am very passionate about my art. If the photographer and crew are not pleased, neither am I.
What would you say your goals in this industry are?
I want to show people there is more to what is shown to you. The people in the pictures all are more than just mannequins. We have a name, a life. When the cameras are put down and the makeup is wiped off…there is a real person before you. We work hard to give you what you want, but we are more than just pretty faces. I want people to realise there is more to this then they think. That is the driving force behind the concept for the business I and a few others are working on. Very few models are looked at in the fashion and commercial world when it is revealed that they do not fit the mold. It’s time for that to change.
Besides fashion, what else might you be passionate about that may surprise our readers?
Many people consider it morbid…but murderers…serial killers especially. The idea of someone willingly taking a life interests me. What drives a person to commit those acts and go the lengths most do to conceal what they’ve done? How do you live with yourself everyday knowing you have done this? How do you justify your actions to yourself and others? I have accepted the darker side of human beings, but I still don’t completely understand it. I’m not glorifying what they do in any way; it’s more the psychological side of it that I am interested in.
I also have a great passion for botany and history. I will be going to school for botany, religion and culture and I am currently taking courses to become an herbalist and a certified energy healer.
Being that you are part of the fashion industry how much value do you place on external concepts of beauty? Do you think we may be obsessed with unrealistic standards of beauty?
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Unfortunate most of those beholders don’t care for people who look normal. I remember being younger and looking at magazines and feeling like I would never compare. These women were flawless. Then I learned of the beauty of Photoshop and make up. It’s sad but it is true. We are not ready to accept real. Humans are cruel creatures. We have no problem calling a person ugly because they don’t have perfect skin, perfect teeth, perfect everything. It amazes me and it confuses me. It’s a hard business to get into; it can tear you down if you let it.
To find out more about Sheralie
http://www.modelmayhem.com/ariaselene
www.aria-selene.deviantart.com