She’s been dubbed The Body, and is known for pushing curvy women into mainstream culture and as a winner of Project Runway. But Liris Crosse, model/actress & pioneer in the fashion industry for full-figured women & Black women, and he daughter of preachers who may have unwittingly set her on her unique path, is focused on showing how using the skills she’s honed as a runway model can help others transform in all aspects of their lives. Liris shares her story with George Manley (CEO & Co-Founder of SOULER) in the MouthMedia Network studios. Presented by SOULER.
In this story:
- Growing up the daughter of preachers in Baltimore, and being encouraged to set out on her own unique path from a young age
- How a family photoshoot for her father’s campaign for Congress planted the seed in Liris’ mind
- Why it’s important to invest everything you can into your passion, and how Liris put everything she had into modeling from the moment she knew this was her calling
- Fighting to fit into what the modeling world told Liris what she should be, and how she decided to fight back and be herself and succeed despite the denial she faced early in her career
- The differences between the runway modeling world, the commercial/ lifestyle world, and freedoms allowed for personal expression and performance in the latter, compared to the unhealthy standards and rigidity of the former
- How Liris took it upon herself to show the powers at be how she can challenge standards of beauty and find success as a curvier woman
- The struggle for plus-size to be accepted as a norm in the fashion world, where many brands will not make and/or advertise plus sizes
- How Liris is using her platform to show that body diversity and racial diversity is the future for the fashion industry
- Liris’ upcoming book, Make The World Your Runway, and how the reaction to her Project Runway appearance and runway modeling bootcamp courses inspired her to write about her experience and how she discovered herself so that more women can be inspired and learn from her story
- Why Liris thinks the skills she’s honed on the runway can be transformative in all facets of someone’s life, from your career to your love life
- Advice for younger men and women who want to get into the modeling industry who may not know just how ruthless and destructive to one’s ego it can truly be
- How vital it is to have a “glass half full” mindset in any pursuit in life, but especially in cutthroat industries
- The importance of surrounding yourself with people who have your best interests in mind, who aren’t afraid to tell you when they think you’re making a mistake and to dish out tough love when it’s necessary
- Staying grounded, reliable, personable and polite, because bad news travels faster than good news in life
- Liris and her brand manager Chris give some tips on how to build your own brand presence, from not buying followers to treating your audience like your closest friends
- The unglamorous leg work it takes sometimes to put together even a 10 second high quality clip
- How Liris and Chris came to work together, and how finding a brand manager who accepts you for who you are is incredibly valuable
- How Chris came to be a brand manager, and how he tried for years to become anything but
