Growing up I remember only seeing two main black models over and over again, Tyra Banks and Naomi Campbell. They were on the covers of magazines and I would see them in the Victoria Secret catalogs. Beautiful black women! But, I had to ask myself why are there only 2 black models that are household names? Well, I had the chance to sit down and talk to Ariona Beninato and get the real scoop as to why there is such a small presence of black models in the entertainment industry.
Many people are unaware that agencies are the connectors between the models and the companies that need the models. After talking to Ariona I have the impression that black models have been intentionally kept out of the model game due to systematic racism. Ariona goes into detail about her experience as a young model just starting out and making her way in New York City. Ariona shared with me that many of the agencies that she met with did not want to even talk to her because she is black!
She was oftentimes met at the door of these agencies by the receptionist and told, “Oh, we don’t need black models,'“ or “We already have a black model that looks just like you.” Ariona was told many times that she should lose weight and straightened her hair if they did give her the time of day! The thing that I respect about Ariona the most is that she is a fighter. She got knocked down, but she got right back up and started her business Collective Casting. We talk about this exact thing in our film, Natural Hair the Movie!
Collective Casting focuses on casting actors and models of color. Ariona is responsible for placing over 400 people with her agency! The cool part is that she makes sure that her people are respected and that they get paid. She has helped to cast for artists such as Joey Badass, Meagan the Stallion. She also helped to cast for the film Judas and the Black Messiah! This woman is definitely a force to be reckoned with! To learn more about Ariona’s agency visit her on the web at
www.collectivecasting.co and follow her on Instagram at www.instagram.com/arionabeninato
You can watch the interview below now! :)
-Ashanti Titus, Executive Producer