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Everyone knows that one of the biggest brands out there that is instantly recognized by the public would have to be Victoria’s Secret. Having been around for over two decades now, it is quite clear that this is perhaps one of the most widely recognized brands around, whether in a mall or on its own. In fact, if there is something that is more recognized than the brand itself, it would probably have to be the models representing the brand. However, it still remains dubious as to how many black Victoria’s Secret models there really are out there. This might come as a surprise to many.

First, you should know that there are quite a lot of black models that do work for Victoria’s Secret. Some of these include famous models like Oluchi, Selita Ebanks, Jessica White, Ajuma, Chanel Iman, Tyra Banks as well as Naomi Campbell. Although these do represent the black Victoria’s Secret models at various points in time, they are not necessarily the current models out there. Presently, only Chanel Iman is considered to be an active model. The rest have either retired or are working in some other areas of the industry.

Although there are a few names when one talks about African-American models for Victoria Secrets, it certainly does pale in comparison their white counterparts. Although the reasons are debatable, it is quite clear that there needs to be more women from different areas that are a part of this lineup. Having only a handful of colored models might not really be the best thing. With things changing rapidly, it might not be far away before you do end up seeing models from other parts of the world where the women are not all pale skinned. Until then, Victoria’s Secret models will be more or less dominated by Caucasians.

Photo By http://worldnewsupdate.wordpress.com

Don’t you wish that you can just go out in your pajamas? During those days when you are really lazy, just get up and put on a nice shirt and go out without combing your hair. In the 90s you could! The 90s fashion trends were casual clothing – simple but rock! Just put on a pair of faded jeans and a t-shirt with a famous rock band on it and you are it and ready to go!
Casual is the easiest to find and to wear among all the fashion trends and that is what the 90s fashion trends is all about. From jeans to big shirts to rugged look. Body piercings and ear piercings, tattoos and rock t-shirts. Music was hip and bands were sprouting like beans.  Denim was the fashion rage. The bigger your jeans are and the baggier the more fashionable you are. Big was so in during this decade. Even shoes were big. Platform shoes and big rubber shoes were the sought after kind.

Women during this era flaunted blazers. Almost every woman owns a pair of good one. They were owners of cardigans as well. These sweaters were so hit and women love to wear the longer ones.  Petticoat dresses were also selling like pancakes. Even Chinese inspired dresses were a hit. Cleavage was also needed to be shown partly in the 90s so the wonder bra became the hit to women who does have much on the front side. And of course, like all eras people copied fashion statement of the stars. Hip clothes from the movie Clueless and the hit TV series Beverly Hills 90210 were so of the must-haves then.
Men sported big shoes, baggy jeans and rock t-shirts.  Overalls and jumpers were also a need in every closet at that time. They would wear jumpers with one part of their shirt tucked in and the other showing out. Big shirts were also in. another thing that is considered “in” in the 90s fashion trends, the hyper color. This type of clothing changes color based on your body temperature
Many consider the 90s fashion trends a “fashion faux pas” others considered it a simple way of expressing their selves. When you look back at the trend then, it simply was going to basics. The trend was basic jeans and shirt combination. It is a simple fashion statement for a simple decade in history.

Photo By www.saeheestyle.com

Does it work? So many new trends in diet and exercise and the world keeps getting fatter. TV shows are made of it and so many new experts with so many new theories. How do you keep track? Find the one that works for you, of course. After all, statistics don’t mean anything if they don’t work for you personally. Let’s look at this thing called Bursting. It’s been around for a few years, but is really getting some more attention lately for the results some are getting. First of all, what is it?

The key difference between bursting and other forms of exercise – especially traditional methods including long periods of low intensity, such as walking – is that this is done in ‘bursts’. It teaches your body to become a better fat burner. Burst training is short, but intense periods of an exercise for 30 to 60 seconds. It’s a matter of giving it your all in just a few moments until you feel like you’re going to burst. Your legs are on fire or your lungs are burning. You feel like you can’t go on another second. It’s exhilarating.

Here are some technical facts behind it as shared by J.J. Virgin, a bursting instructor and absolute fitness expert. “When you burst instead of just going at a steady pace, you create lactic acid which in turn triggers the rise of Human Growth Hormone (HGH). This is good stuff! In fact, movie stars pay big money to have HGH injected into them. It helps you hold onto or build more muscle mass, burn off fat weight and keeps your skin supple and younger looking. Your body will also take more time to recover from bursting than traditional aerobic exercise which means a bigger boost to your metabolism post exercise.”

She recommends that you incorporate at least 4 minutes of total burst training every other day. “Burst for 30-60 seconds with an active rest break between sets. Your bursts should be a 9-10 in terms of intensity on a scale of 1 to 10. You truly need to feel like you can’t go another second during your burst. If you can go more than a minute then go harder. The goal isn’t to exceed that one-minute mark, but to incorporate more intensity as you get better. In fact, you will be amazed at how quickly you get better.”

The specifics will be different for everyone, but the main thing is to totally exhaust yourself in just a minute or so. Do the exercise until you feel like you can’t go on another moment.

Here’s a routine she recommends:

Ideally, do a three minute warm-up. Then Burst for 1 minute, recover for 2 minutes and repeat 4 or more times and then Finish with a three-minute cool-down. She points out that the entire session should take just a little bit over half an hour.

Pick your own favorite way to burst. Sprint/walk, Stationary cycle, Stairs, Jump rope, stationary stepping machine – the important thing is bursting and then relaxing, then bursting some more. Why not try it and see if it works for you?

Do you dream of briskly walking down the runway wearing the latest fashions while traveling the world and getting paid for it? You may feel like a human coat hanger, but walking the runway is a great opportunity for future gigs, so, although sometimes the pay is very low and the venue not so glamorous, it can be a springboard to other jobs like magazines and other print media. Not everyone can be a runway model, but you might have a chance if you fit some or all of the following qualifications.

Are you able to look straight ahead and focus without losing your balance and getting blinded by bright lights all around? This happens constantly on the runway, so be ready for it. If you can do this, it is a good start.

Also, oftentimes, when posing for a photographer shooting from above, one can raise one’s head slightly or throw your head back to reveal your beautiful hair. Not so, on the runway. You have to keep your chin down a bit in fact because everyone will be lower than you – including the photographers that can give you great breaks.

Also, you should be able to walk without moving your shoulders and arms too much. It is recommended that you keep your shoulders as erect but natural and still while only the lower arms move naturally without too much of a swing. In addition to paying attention to your lower arms, keep your fingers extended a bit so they appear in the photos.

As you’ve probably heard before, place one foot in front of the other. This isn’t right for the men, only the ladies. It gives your hips a nice rhythm and a gentle sway to the body. Although you may have seen some models slouching or hunching their shoulders while walking down the runway, this is not the way to do it. Hold yourself erect and walk with confidence.

As for physical requirements, the minimum height recommended is 5’9″ with a very slender build. Look at the models on TV doing runway work. Is this your basic body type? This is for sure required; not only for the aesthetics required for the runway venue style, but most clothes will fit you with little alteration. If the clothes require major alterations just for you, don’t expect to be called back for runway work.

Of course you will need a nice complexion and appearance to look good on the runway and last but not least: attitude. Recently, one of America’s top models was called back after losing because of her spirit. She didn’t give up. She refused to accept a failure as meaning anything more than ‘try, try again’. If you meet the basic requirements, it is this ability to take rejection, to keep going to auditions and to keep on trying that will give you success in future endeavor. Self confidence, hard work and persistence have brought more success than all the perfect bodies combined. But it doesn’t help to have a super look as well. Go for it!

Let’s take a quick look at the top models in the world. Ladies first.

It’s a pretty much foregone conclusion that Gisele Bundchen is the world’s top female model. She made 25 million dollars last year and is going strong today.  She was born in 1980 in Horizontina, Brazil. She’s 5’10″ tall and measures 34-24-34. She has brown and blue eyes. She was discovered at age 14 while eating a Big Mac on a school trip. She made $5 million in 1999 and $8 million in 2000. She earns over $50,000-a-time walking up and down the runway. Here is some trivia: she is nicknamed “The Body”. She lives in Los Angeles with Leonardo DiCaprio but also has a loft in Manhattan. She also has a country house in Woodstock, NY. She and Leo have been together for years, but she will not marry him until he stops partying and going to strip clubs.  On the other hand, she is rumored to have breast implants.

The top for the men is considered by many to be Tyson Beckford. He is the child of a Jamaican father and Chinese-American mother. He grew up in Jamaica and Rochester, New York. He is 6’2″, with black hair and brown eyes. He was born in December, 1971 in New York. He was scouted by an editor from a hip-hop magazine named ‘The Source’ in 1991. Soon after that, Ralph Lauren nabbed him for the company’s sport, fragrance and body lines. By 1995, he was on the covers of major magazines, including Paper and Essence and multiple-page spreads in Vogue, GQ, the New York Times and Details.

It is interesting to note that the male models make between 200 and 500 thousand dollars per year compared to 10-25 million for the ladies. We don’t hear anyone complaining, though. Here are some honorable mentions for those that aren’t considered by most to be at the top, but are near the top.

Jaime King She uses her nickname, James. She’s an American. She’s 5’9″ and measures: 35.5-24-34.5. She weighs 120 lbs. Her hair is Blonde and her eyes, Blue. She was born on April 23, 1979, and grew up in Nebraska. She went to modeling school at age twelve and dropped out of school to model at the age of fourteen. At that point, she was turned on to heroin on her first modeling job. Her current agency is New York-Company. She has appeared on major magazine covers and even got some parts in some movies as an actress. Here’s some trivia: She has tattoos of fairies on her back. She calls New York City’s East Village her home.

For the men, Marcus Schenkenberg from Sweden is 6’2″, with Brown hair and eyes. He was discovered in 1989 while rollerblading on California’s Venice Beach. He had been earning money as a dogwalker and a nanny for two young children. He agreed to have his picture taken and within months he was on his way to Paris. His agency is Boss Models if you want to hire him, but you’ll have to get in line. He has worked for Gianni Versace, Donna Karan, Ungaro and Calvin Klein. Some say he was the first well-known male supermodel. He has a home in New York City.

That a wrap for now. There are so many other fantastic and popular models to mention, so stay tuned, we’ll be visiting more in the future.

Jaslene Gonzalez was born on May 28th, 1986 in Puerto Rico, but grew up in the Chicago area. She went to an all-girl high school. Before she did modeling, she was an online college admissions advisor. This is a person that helps you decide which college to attend; from the available programs offered to the requirements that determine if you qualify. This can be complex and challenging which proves there’s brains amidst her beauty. Jaslene also had experience modeling for a local Chicago agency named AGM, or Avante Garde Models. She also had some experience in fashion shows with local designers. You can be sure that she can demand more for her assignments now that she’s gained international notoriety.

In a lesson about giving up or keeping on, Jaslene actually lost in cycle 7 and came back to win in cycle 8 of the Top Model competition in 2007. When she lost cycle 7, she may have concluded she wasn’t meant to be a model. But her perseverance and persistence paid off when she came back and won. In conjunction with her talent, the producers were impressed with her determination. This was significant to her win and a lesson for us all.

What does it mean to Jaslene’s life and career since she won America’s Next Top model? Being represented by Elite Model Management – quite a step up from AGM as you can see from the web site alone. She also was awarded a contract with Cover Girl cosmetics for $100,000. Surely that pays better than her college consulting days. She appeared on the cover of Seventeen Magazine with a 6 page spread inside. Today, several TV talk show appearances later, she can also be seen in numerous Cover Girl commercials. Since then, more representation in Miami, Malaysia and Thailand. She has appeared in a few music videos as well as a few movies in the last few years as well. Right now, she can be seen working in Malaysia, Hong Kong, Singapore and Thailand.

What about the future for Jaslene? Although being accused of being anorexic (she isn’t and needs to maintain a slender look for her profession) she was seen recently at the Operation Smile gala in New York, and she looks fabulous. Our guess is that the future is up to Jaslene. With the success early in her young life brought by persistence and perseverance, the future can hold for her anything she desires. We wish her the best of success!

Photo by: fashionising.com

Valerio Mezzanotti for The New York Times  

Have many peples loved this explosion of Afros, captured during the finale at Louis Vuitton. On the runway have super models walk fashion shows, Designer want models enter affos hair for look like difference and for call attention from visitors.