14 DAY TRIAL // Back in December 2011, one teen became the unlikely role model for millions of teen girls and women from all corners of the world when her makeup tutorial went viral. Today, Cassandra Bankson is officially a model.
She dreamed of being a model when she was just a little girl, but her serious skin condition made it impossible for her. She was diagnosed with cystic acne when she was just 14.
Moreover, it put her through hell with kids at school, who would humiliate and bully her daily, as if striving to come up with new insults every time they saw her.
Forced to hide her scarred skin, she Cassandra became an expert in applying makeup and, one day, thought of making a YouTube tutorial to show other girls in a similar situation a possible way to cope with their problems.
That video, which you can also find embedded at the end of this article, is now sitting comfortably at over 40 million views. It also landed her a modeling gig, which, in turn, brought her straight to the New York Fashion Week 2012, the NY Daily News writes.
“The pretty 5-foot-11 teenager seems so poised, it’s tough to believe she is making her debut on the runways. Even tougher to believe: Until recently, Bankson, who suffers from severe cystic acne, was so ashamed of her looks, she stopped going to class to avoid the bullies,” says the publication.
When her makeup tutorial went viral, modeling agencies started banging on her door. Cassandra has worked with Range Rover, Bebe, Shekhar Rahate, Hourglass and, right now, is under contract with Boy Meets Girl.
“It feels like a dream to be here during Fashion Week,” Cassandra says.
Not only is she seeing her modeling dreams come true, but she’s also able to report a 70 percent improvement in her skin condition, after finding a new dermatologist and a new treatment.
“I am a different person from who I used to be because I’ve got so much more confidence now. I used to sit back and let acne ruin my life,” she says.
“But it got to the point where I needed to do something to get myself out of the rut,” Cassandra adds.
Right now, Cassandra is hoping to be able to move to NY to pursue her modeling career.
