The Modeling Life of an American Teenager
Her walk is poised, her eyes are stunning and her cheekbones are fierce. These are just three reasons everyone thinks Cheyenne Jennings is older and more experienced than she is. This 14-year-old model from western North Carolina is fairly new to the fashion scene, but owns the runway like a veteran.
When she was 12 years old, a photographer discovered her at a beauty pageant he was judging and asked her to model for him. From there, Cheyenne left beauty pageants behind to focus on modeling. She bypassed the juniors and teen market, making a quick stride into women’s wear.
“I pretty much went right into women’s wear,” said Cheyenne. “My first couple of shoots were some cutesy teenager stuff and then they saw my look and they were like you would fit better with women.”
Being on the younger end of the modeling spectrum sounds intimidating, but Cheyenne insists there are more advantages than disadvantages. “I’m there for my job and everybody treats me as equal,” she said. “I tell them I’m 14 and then they’re like wow that’s amazing.”
“A lot of young girls try to be someone else because everyone loves them. There’s always something unique about every person.”
Of course, she’s been rejected at plenty of castings. “I’ll feel down about it but then I’ve come to realize that…when I don’t get something then there’s something greater coming next time,” she said.
Cheyenne wants to go to college, perhaps to study law and criminal justice, but she sees modeling as a long-term career. “[Fashion] is very accepting of what people put into it and that’s what I love about it,” she said. “So many people come together to make their dreams come true and everything’s very artistic.”
Even though Cheyenne is signed with Directions USA management, her unofficial manager and proud mom Melanie Jennings is always by her side. Melanie can be spotted front row at any of her daughter’s runway gigs taking photos on her cell phone which she later posts on her personal Instagram account.
“She used to be my mom-ager,” said Cheyenne, “but she is still kind of on top of everything. She’s amazing.”
Back in North Carolina, Melanie ensures her daughter’s career doesn’t get in the way of her education and social life. “When I’m not modeling I get to see my friends, so I think it’s a really good balance,” said Cheyenne. “I really appreciate that my mom wants me to have a pretty normal teenager life.”
When she first started modeling, Cheyenne’s public school didn’t support her career and trips to New York City for fashion week. “They’d be like, ‘this is awful’ even though it was an amazing experience,” she said. Now she attends a more accepting private school where everyone eagerly awaits her stories when she comes home.
Cheyenne already has a mature grip on her identity and hopes to be a positive role-model to girls her age. “Definitely just be yourself. Don’t try to be someone else and if you see someone else who people love and they compliment them, that doesn’t mean they don’t like you,” she said.
“I feel like most people don’t realize that and a lot of young girls try to be someone else because everyone loves them. There’s always something unique about every person.”
