Jessica White (1984- ) is an American fashion and print model. Tyra Banks has called her “the model of her generation”. Although best known as a swimsuit model in Sports Illustrated, where she has appeared for each of the past five years (2003-2008 – a record for a black model), she is also a serious fashion model, having appeared on the runway for top New York designers like Ralph Lauren, Oscar de la Renta and Tommy Hilfiger.
She is that black girl in the Robin Thicke music video “The Sweetest Love” (2008).
She is the first – and so far only – black model to land not one but two make-up contracts: first CoverGirl at age 16 and then Maybelline in 2007.
She has also modelled for RocaWear, Sean John, Baby Phat and Victoria’s Secret, among others, and appeared in Harper’s Bazaar (twice), Teen Vogue and King and on the covers of Surface and Trace.
She is 176.5 cm tall (five foot nine and a half). Her measurments are 34-24-34 (86.5-61-86.5 cm), giving her a waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) of 0.71. She is thin with large breasts and long legs.
She grew up in in a rough part of Buffalo, New York. When she was seven her father got very sick and died. By 12 she was drinking and getting into fights; at 13 she began to smoke pot and at 14 she was raped by someone she knew. But that same year she went to modelling school and was discovered two years later. She went to Paris to become a model. Within six months she was modelling for CoverGirl, Chloe (Spring 2001) and the Gap.
In 2002 she moved to New York and modelled for the top fashion designers there. A year later she was in Sports Illustrated. That made her name.
Even though she was making unimaginable amounts of money, she was spending it even faster and went broke. She did not even have proper shoes for the snow in New York. She became a drunk and got hooked on cocaine too. She was growing up lost:
I felt like it was more important to them for me to make the money and become famous instead of concentrating on the person who had a soul who was lost and needed some help and foundation, and I wasn’t getting it.
In 2008 she moved back to Buffalo. “I never thought I would be back in Buffalo,” she said. “I had decided I was moving to London, marry some English guy and have some cute little biracial babies. It has to be God that I’m back here.”
She still models, but she is proudest of her work with troubled girls, girls who are like how she used to be. She wants to open a halfway house for them.
It was turning to God that got her off of drink and drugs. Now she has a different view of life:
The biggest part is realizing I’m not just here to take pictures – God makes all of that happen – but because I am a Christian, it is to shine and make a statement just for God.
See also:
Wow, did not know all this about her. The bit about moving to London and having ‘cute little biracial babies’ was kinda unnerving…
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Agree with Olivia about the biracial baby part
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Same here.
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Tyra has really tried to look out for her so she could help her avoid all of the pitfalls of modeling.
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after all the things in the interview you stupid girls choose the one thing in the interview thats really doesnt matter to talk about this girl has been through alot and cleaned up her life in a great way i wish her all the best.
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and another thing how do you know tyra has tried to help her sweetie just because its on tv doesnt mean that its real… i know jessicas family and they’re a strong group of women no body helped jessica but god and her will power to change. AND THATS FACT
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This comment was in respone to “Alissa”‘s in the post ‘Who Famous Black Men Date’ but it was repeatedly discarded:
It was my mistake to go back and forth with a previous commentator on this thread a while back. I’m sorry for that. I notice that this is a hot topic for many anonymous posters on the internet who claim to be black women.
For all the talk on this blog and several others about the lack of appreciation for black female beauty, I’ll say this again: in my lifetime, most of the black females I’ve ever met strutted around as if they were just the shit, for lack of the better word. I can’t say that they were hurting for self esteem! At least, they didn’t act like it.
All the stuff that the posters and other type on the ‘net just seems so foreign. Perhaps, black women, surpass the racist idea that being black makes them “less than”. While the people who complain about on the ‘net are the ones who have not.
Let me flip the question and ask this because I notice that alleged “black male taste in women” is always scruntized but what shade of brown do black women prefer? And why? Is “light always right” when it comes to judging a black male’s attractiveness? I want someone to answer those questions.
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Some people put up a strong front to hide their own profound insecurity.
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That’s true. Of course, many will put on a front. To some extent, we all do. But, with black women generally, there IS a certain confidence they exude. One that is usually absent in non-black women.
That’s what makes this conversations about the lack of appreciation of black female beauty potent but somewhat out of touch with reality.
Also, like I stated before, the issue of colorism in a black American context is something that is far bigger hangup for black women. The posts on the internet illustrate that. They get worked up about it far more than black men. I also argue that in reality most of the commentary about the shade of one’s skin seems to come from black women than black men. But again, everyone’s experiences are different. I will admit that it is a subject that your blog has really opened my mind too.
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^
So many typos in the above post.
‘I will admit that it is a subject that your blog has opened my mind to.’
‘In reality, most of the commentary about the shade of one’s skin seems to be spoken more by black women than black men.’
Hopefully, those clear up the grammatical mistakes from before!
Also, can anyone answer the questions I posted above about perceived black female “preferences”. And how and why they constrast from supposed black male “ones”?
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It seems like they do make a bigger deal.
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i love jessica white. she is beautiful.
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Oh My Gosh! I absolutely adore Jessica White! I live on the east coast too and know how hard things can be. I was astonished however to learn that she went through so much hardship in her life, like you would never know. She is beyond gorgeous and is completely captivating! Among all the famous black women I have to say Halle Berry and Jessica white takes the cake 😀 She’s my idol 🙂 and I love her & wish her the best in her career, life & love life because I’ve learned the once you’ve taken cocaine it is very difficult to live a healthy life 😦 but I hope she stays clean inside & out :))
& the part about “moving to London, marry some English guy and have some cute little biracial babies” just melted my heart :’D I feel the same way too! & it’s people like (Olivia) that makes it hard to express my feelings >:0 Those people need God in there life because attraction nor love has no color 😛 & I’m only 17yrs and i know that peshh.
But thats besides the point… I lovee lovee loveee Jessica! and wish to be a Model just like her one day! ^.^ & hopefully I’ll have the honor of meeting her too 😀 Oh how lucky would i be xD
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