Interview with Akesha Murray

You may have heard the phrase; “nobody roots for you more than a random stranger on the internet”. I know this to be true because I’ve had a couple of internet supporters and they hold a special place in my heart. They’ve never met me, have no ties to me, or obligation to show support, but they do! I do not know what causes this random phenomenon, but I do know that I’ve been one too. I am a random internet supporter of model Akesha Murray. During the time that I’ve followed her on social media, I’ve been overjoyed to see the modeling campaigns she’s been in. I’m definitely team ‘Rooting for everybody Black’, but on top of that- the positive energy and happiness she has for her work is infectious. I am grateful that she took time out of her schedule to be interviewed by me, an internet stranger.

G: First, thank you so much for your willingness to do this. I just want to say how much I love seeing people accomplish their goals and go for the life they want. Following you, it seems that you are enjoying your journey so much. It’s really great to see. How did you get your start in modeling?

A: I got started in modeling in 2019. I liked the idea of being able to capture moments in time. I remember starting out on Model Mayhem, the sketchiest site on the planet. Luckily, I was able to filter through and find a nice photographer. I took pictures with another photographer after that and soon, I found my agency on Instagram. I fell in love with them and applied with the photos I had and here I am! Best decision I’ve made.

G: Is modeling something that you’ve always wanted to do?

A: It was not something I always wanted to do because I didn’t even think it was possible for me. I rarely saw anyone who looked like me. I also wasn’t told I was beautiful or should be a model until I hit my twenties, so it wasn’t even a thought in my mind. I thought it was an amazing career but just not possible for someone like me. Spoiler alert- I was wrong!

I was disheartened to hear that this was Akesha’s experience. How did a beautiful young lady who also happened to be tall, not get told that she should model by every person she met? I realize we live in a society that has a specific and pervasive idea of beauty, the complexities of which I won’t attempt to unpack here. My hope is that because others see her, they will know modeling is an option for them.

There are certainly more curve/plus models now than when I was a yougin. Over the years, I’ve watched models and bloggers rise up from the online plus size community. The most well-known are white or light skinned. Every time I see Akesha modeling for a different brand, I think, “This is great”. She is one of the few dark-skinned plus models that I’ve seen. Being mainstream does not validate a person’s talent. I celebrate her being in these campaigns because she deserves the same kinds of opportunities. As do others, in my opinion, who are underrepresented in the plus model world.

G: Your project with Ivy Park- BEYONCÉ- hello!!! -So major! Congratulations again. I see you everywhere nowadays, in fact, I was on Poshmark and someone used your picture from Torrid for their listing. Are there other designers, companies, or individuals that you can’t wait to work with?

A: Thank you so much! I am forever grateful for my agency having me work for Beyoncé and all the amazing campaigns I’ve gotten to be a part of. They truly work endlessly to provide me with these opportunities. There is so much more I want to do! I would love to work with Vogue, Versace, Calvin Klein, Zara, Glossier, Savage X Fenty, the list is endless. I am so excited to continue to grow and see who I end up with next.

The day after Akesha agreed to do the interview, I saw a clip from 10 years ago of Beyoncé discussing everything she wanted to do before turning 40 (She did it ALL of course). I’d been toying with the idea of interviewing people for a while. I thought Ms. Murray would be a good person to ask for my first interview because she has always been interactive with followers and I was curious to know more about her life and modeling. I was in a bad head space when I reached out. I wasn’t accepted into a program that I thought would help my career. A few hours into my pity party for one, I took an Instagram break. An inspirational thought pushed through; “Eff it. You should ask for the interview. You already sad. If the answer is ‘no’ that’ll just be one more thing that hasn’t worked out”. See, there’s always room for more pity at a pity party. So, I asked. I admitted, “I’ve never interviewed anyone, I have a readership of 1.5 people, and doing this will not benefit you in ANY way”. She still agreed. Immediately, my mood lifted. Had no idea what to really do next, but I was happy.

Watching that clip of Beyoncé the next day, it dawned on me that when someone else does the thing that brings them joy, when they go after their ambitions- they create a path for you to do it too. It is because Beyoncé tried a clothing line that Akesha could be thrilled to model in it. It is because Akesha tried modeling that I can try this interviewing stuff and that’s a major reason why I’m not still crying about that program I didn’t get into.

G: I saw the skit that you did on your Instagram and I see your stories. You have presence and you’re funny. Is acting, writing, or anything in the entertainment industry something that you have a desire to pursue or would you consider it?

A: You have no idea how much it means to me that you think I’m funny! I genuinely would absolutely love to take my modeling career into acting and be able to do both. I have always had such a fascination with acting, movies, and TV. That is definitely a huge, huge goal of mine. I’ve heard of models doing that for big TV shows and that would be a dream!

G: Very cool. I’m excited to see you make all your aspirations a reality. Well, is there anything else you’d like to say to me and the other person who reads my blog?

A: Thank you for being kind and being on this journey with me. You interview well. I can’t wait to see what big things you will do in the future!

That was so nice of her to say. This short interview taught me something about life and it brought me a bit of confidence too. When I think about it, being a random internet supporter is not that odd. In speaking with Akesha, she is the gracious and positive person I perceived her to be. The world certainly needs more of that. As a whole, I think we just want to see those kinds of people win.