Mersadez Hemphill

Shanghai Fashion Week (The black girl)

I was so excited to be going out the country for the first time. I worked so hard for this moment. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I knew it would be challenging because I never left the country for 3 months. The moment I landed in Shanghai I had trouble finding my driver due to the fact everything is in Chinese! I just looked for the guy holding my picture he proceeded to lead me to the car and handed me a sim chip for my phone but unfortunately it didn’t work because my phone was locked to my carriers sim. The language barrier made figuring that out a bit hard but. We arrive to the model apartment which by the way I shared with two guys. Yes they put me in a model apartment with two guys. I was happy they welcomed me with open arms. I couldn’t wait till the morning so I could actually see where I was. It was around 12 at night when I arrived at the apartment. To my surprise the other models knew I was American and since I was knew they were eager to invite me out to party but I was just way to tired from the time difference. Everything seemed to be going great. They paired me with another model that was new but she spoke another language so we couldn’t connect as much as I wanted to. A week into being there I started feeling a little down. The isolation was starting to kick in. My very first casting I was turned away at the door because they didn’t want black models. This was the first time I ever dealt with something like this. I was shocked and my feelings were seriously hurt. I asked my agency about it and they had no clue the client didn’t want black models but promised me that it wouldn’t happen again. I quickly learned that this is the norm. I didn’t like it but I held my head high. I was under a lot of pressure it seemed as if everything was an obstacle. My hair was another problem and don’t get me started on makeup. They had no idea what to do with me. They are used to pale models. I would often have to wear a wig or bring my own foundation and powder because the makeup is too light for my skin. I was extremely stressed and it was starting to disappointment me. But what I didn’t know is that I would dominant fashion week because I had the look they all wanted that exotic who is that girl look. I walked so many shows I couldn’t even keep up I was exhausted! The other models didn’t like the attention I was starting to get and pretty soon that ended up being the downfall of my trip. I was being harassed by some of the models in my agency and nothing was being done. I was extremely lonely and I missed home. It got so bad I ended up flying home earlier then I wanted because my mental health was at risk. I learned so much about myself going to Shanghai and I wouldn’t change it for the world but it really did show me that we need change in the modeling world. This is a problem that has been going on for a very long time. Not enough people talk about it. I’m just so happy I did it and I share my story to encourage other models to keep going no matter what. A small town Midwest girl that moved to Los Angeles with big dreams made it in China Vogue. Never give up on your dreams. Stay consistent and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.