Lights. Camera. ALISHA!

It's Alisha's world and we're all just living in it.

the Prelude

At face value, Alisha is a model and lifestyle content creator who craves adventure; but there are so many more layers of her to unearth. I got the privilege of having a chat with her and it was truly a refreshing and inspiring conversation - even more so because she’s merely 18 years old yet speaks with the confidence and eloquence of a much older woman! So, in the spirit of Women’s History Month, meet a burgeoning trailblazer, and fellow Sagittarius, Alisha Thorpe.

Act I: Who is Alisha?

There are many moments in your life that, at the time, seem like just that - a passing moment. But then as you grow and begin to learn things about yourself, you realise how pivotal those seemingly fleeting moments have been in creating the person you are today. For Alisha, her curated collection of moments began at 5 years old when she was first put in front of a camera and the star within her exploded and shone completely through her. Word on the street is, it never stopped shining since then.

Fast-forward to over a decade later and she’s still tight with the camera as an 18-year old Jamaican model and she’s pretty darn good at it! There is an ethereal quality to her and you can't help but be enthralled by her presence even through the lens. She dubs herself a “lifestyle content creator for young people who desire to create their own reality.” and I think this is such a simplified, yet true representation of Alisha because she started off her modelling career posting amateur selfies on Instagram, which eventually blossomed into the bomb photo-ops we know and love all too well today. She started putting out content as a young person, and it has carved out her current reality as a model; so it's fair to say that she is who she says she is.

But she doesn’t stop at just modelling. Her first long term project of passion was actually YouTube. There you get to see her in all her glory - her adventurous side, love for her country and overall personality are explored and documented through her series of video diaries. On top of all her content creation and creative expression, Alisha is also a full time student pursuing her Associate’s degree in Tourism. She said, “business is my baby”, so in about 5 years, she’ll be taking all these parts of herself to create and own a business that’s even more successful than the gummy candy and sticker enterprise she had in primary school (we love an enterprising Queen!).

As far as celebrities go, she loves her some Emma Roberts, Anne Hathaway and your Jamaican girl - Terri-Karrelle Reid. She also finds inspiration in the likes of models Bella Hadid and Jamaica’s very own, Miqueal-Symone Williams. Although she absolutely adores these models and can’t get enough of their fierce strut, that’s not where she sees herself - she is working on launching herself into commercial modelling and I can’t wait to see her face everywhere!

Act II: How did Alisha?

As you may have inferred already, Alisha’s a star. So the question isn’t much of “how did she become a model?” but more “how long did it take her to realise she belongs in front of the camera?”. As fate would have it, her father is a veteran photographer and videographer, so all signs were pointing towards modelling. Despite this, she had her mind set on being a nurse just like her aunt, but that ambition changed just as she changed and grew. Eventually, she got into the digital creator space which was a great segue for her to penetrate the modelling industry.

Earlier, I mentioned that her father lives behind the camera, but don’t take that as an indicator of her not working to get where she is. She puts in time and planning into her craft - it’s not a matter of playing favourites or happenstance -. But within that planning, she had to battle shyness, self doubt and the fact that she doesn't fit the traditional mould for the fashion industry. In the end though, she just did it. That’s it. No flairs, no frills - just sheer stick-to-itiveness and insistence on being a success married with the tremendous support of her family.

Act III: Why does Alisha?

I won’t even beat around the bush with this one. In a nutshell, Alisha models because she loves it. But if I were to break open that shell a bit and get to the kernel, you’ll find out that she loves modeling because of how much she can inspire others to be fearless in all their pursuits. She models because she wants to be a point of reference for other dark skinned girls who may think they’re not good enough for this industry. She does it because she wants girls and women to undeniably love themselves. She does it because all different kinds of women deserve and have all the right to take up space in any field they choose.

The Story Continues...

This is the final act of Alisha’s story in this article, but it’s by no means the final act of her career. You can expect to see more local adventures from her through her YouTube channels, the launch of her website portfolio and more business partnerships like her recent collaboration with Stay Golden Cosmetics. After all, she said, “Business is my baby. I love business.” so there is much to anticipate from our golden girl.

Her creativity and talent knows no bounds and that’s the true essence of Women’s History Month to me. It’s about women being themselves with unwavering confidence and will to not allow the world to pigeonhole them as any one thing. It’s about women in history who are continuously shattering glass ceilings until eventually, there will be no ceiling and no building left - just women being. One thing Alisha said that really hit home is that when you want to pursue a goal, but you’re feeling inadequate or you don’t have the support you hoped for from your loved ones, DO IT ANYWAY. Don’t let your own fear of failing or not being good at it stop you from going after your dreams, because everyone starts out as a novice until they’re not - you just have to be resolute in doing the work. In the end, you’re here to experience life in the happiest way that you can, so don’t stand in your own way nor let something as nugatory as someone's projection of their own insecurities and inadequacies deter you from reaching towards your greatness. Do what you love and allow everyone to play catch up later.

She dropped some pretty good nuggets during our chat, but the one I’ll end with is that when you find yourself being doubtful and feeding yourself negative thoughts that aren’t even true, think about what your future self would do and show up as her. What kind of woman do you see yourself as in ten, maybe five years from now? Start preparing yourself to meet her from this moment and just fake it till you make it, girl!

To dive deeper into Alisha’s world, follow her on Instagram @alishathorpee and subscribe to her YouTube channels “Alisha Thorpe” and “Alisha Twooooo”.

Happy Women's History Month :)