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Glenda Robinson

Source: Photographer: Yonata Solomon / Photographer: Yonata Solomon (IG: @weupnexxt) Makeup: Amber Corley Artistry (IG: @ayobaps) Butterfly Locs: Quality Cologne (IG: @stylesbycologne_)

Name: Glenda Robinson

IG: @Glenda_Robinson

Agency: Contract Pending 

Claim to fame: Robinson has walked the runway for London Couture. The brand has dressed Kash Doll, Teyana Taylor, Normani, and the City Girls.

Glenda Robinson developed an interest in modeling after she left the pageant circuit. “After I aged out of that I fell in love with photography,” she told HelloBeautiful. 

Competing to become Miss South Carolina she picked up lessons that would help her become a professional model. She learned “to always be yourself.” Pageants rewarded individuality in contestants. Modeling represented homogeny to Robinson and she wasn’t sure she could fall in line with the acceptable status quo. 

“I kind of hesitated to get started because I only knew one way,” she admitted. “I’m still learning to get out of my pageant ways.” 

Pageantry also prepared her to face rejection. “You’re always going to have people that are gonna say no. You’re not going to be everybody’s cup of tea but there are so many opportunities, they’re endless ” she said. She also benefits from remembering to “not compare yourself to others.” 

“It’s really what makes you different that sticks out,” she said. 

She spoke with HelloBeautiful backstage at Fashion Bomb Daily’s New York Fashion Week presentation perched between previous Model Monday subjects Stewellea Daville and Jessica Zyrie

Independent shows have become an avenue for models  and designers to seek out a path to display their talents without the blessing of those from the traditional bastions of the fashion elite. 

Robinson was one of the models walking for London Couture. The brand has dressed Kash Doll, Teyana Taylor, Normani, the City Girls and many more celebrities. They, like Robinson, found their own way into the spotlight. 

“This is my first time at New York Fashion Week so this is huge for me,” she said. “The designer is actually from down south as well so that’s a connection that I made not even knowing that I would come this far.” 

“I want to be able to experience so much that I can share that with others. I want to be able to travel and help others. I actually just got signed and I get so many messages asking can you help me get signed and I’m like man if only you knew it’s an investment,” she said. 

The first time she had the chance to make that investment she actually turned it down. “You have to stay motivated, you have to stay elevated, you have to have positive people around you,” she continued. “Because when you get told no it makes you want to quit over time.” 

She nearly let discouragement stand in her way once before. 

The formerly unsigned model actually has a deal pending with a major agency that she opted not to commit to previously. “I actually had an offer with them about seven years ago and during that time before I even gave it any thought I said I can’t go to New York, how am I gonna go that far?” Her doubts ultimately stripped the opportunity away from here so she couldn’t chase it if she wanted to. “I played with the time, didn’t respond to them and I could have been upfront with them and said you know give me some time to get there but I didn’t do that and I lost the offer.” 

She held on to the contact and continued to resubmit …and resubmit… and resubmit and eventually heard back. 

This time she was ready. 

“It was something that I knew I wanted to do.”

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MODEL MONDAY: Glenda Robinson Got A Second Chance At The Runway  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com