Meet Suzette Banzo

If you are an aspiring model or thinking about becoming a model then this interview is for you. Meet Monica, a model who took her time at researching the industry, finished getting her degree in order to have something to fall back on and followed her dreams and is now a signed and working model.  

Suzette:  Hi Monica!  While snooping around your Myspace page, and your Model Mayhem I noticed a new exciting addition.... A COMP CARD from FLAUNT MODELS!
 
 Monica: Yes I know, I'm really excited about being a model who "Flaunt's" it!  It took a LOT of hard work to get there.

Suzette:  LOL --  too cute! Let's talk about how you achieved your aspirations since your last Plus Model Magazine interview a year ago.  In the last interview you were determined to finish college and get signed with a NY based agency.  Did you finish school?

Monica: That's exactly what I did! I graduated from St. John's University with a B.S in Computer Science - Media Graphics in May. I then took time to shoot, travel, build myself up with confidence (and not to mention a good portfolio) and then began contacting over 25 agencies in NYC.

Suzette:  WOW!  You have been busy young lady!  Let's talk about some of those things and how they helped get you to "Flaunt" it.  First, as a refresher take us back to how you started modeling and your influences along the way.

Monica: I started modeling at the age of 15, pretty much on my own. My mother was a model back in the 1960's and 1970's in Poland, so she offered her love and support, but told me I had to do my homework before I jumped into an industry that can emotionally rip you apart if you're not strong enough.

I was a straight sized model until I was about 18 years old, but I was always the "big straight sized" model. I was a size 8/10 at 18 years old and still growing,  I soon realized there was no way I could do straight sized modeling anymore, so I started looking into commercial print work. While in college, I stumbled upon a few sites that talked about plus-size modeling, and was immediately intrigued. I had finally found my niche and wanted to learn all I could about it.


Photo: Inez Lewis