GT top model helping others jumpstart their careers

Her name is Juanita Bledman, but her friends call her Bella.

At 25, the Guyanese model and social activist has established herself as a premier face for many top brands internationally.

Her stunning image has appeared on the cover for several international magazines and featured in editorials for Elle, Essence, Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan.

Bledman grew up in Bent Street, Wortmanville in Georgetown and migrated when she was 18-years-old; since then she has skillfully applied herself in every new environment.

The nurturing but firm guidance from her loving parents served to propel her forward and helped her to adapt.

“My versatility and expertise have allowed me to collaborate in campaigns with some of the greatest fashion and commercial influential brands such as Pepsi, Savage Fenty, Dark and Lovely, MAC cosmetics, Maybelline, and many more,” Bledman told the News Room on a visit back home.

“What motivated me to become a model was finding a place and a few people that celebrated things I didn’t,” she said.

Bledman explained that the physical attributes and the values she often overlooked ultimately contributed to her success once she began to embrace them.

She has always been an activist targeting youth and their life skill development, seeking to promote the holistic and genuine beauty that her homeland offers to the competitive world of modeling.

“My Guyanese upbringing has served to keep me grounded knowing that at any moment things can change,” she said, in a sentiment that speaks to her humility.  

She serves as a co-founder and co-host of “Supermodel me,” a model workshop she developed along with her team of industry professionals to help educate and train young aspiring models about the fashion industry. It’s a platform she plans to use to convert talented local and international potential into success. (Nigel Collymore)