BLNDN Babe Spotlight - Model & Entreprenuer Roxanne Gould

Not only was Roxanne Gould the star of our 2016-17 winter photo shoot, but she's also an entrepreneur, a philanthropist, and hands down one of the sweetest and most humble woman that we've ever met. She's been a model & actress since she was 3 years old, she founded a natural makeup line and she even owns a spiritual retreat center in South Africa! Talk about #girlboss.

Roxanne, tell us a little about your life in front of the camera? 

My first modeling job was the year that Bayer launched Bayer Aspirin for Children.  My mother was hired to act in the television commercial to promote the new product and they needed at child in the commercial so I got the job.  I was about three years old and it was my earliest childhood memory.  I remember I was in a big dark studio in a bed on my back looking up at the director.  He was leaning over me explaining what was going to happen.  He was so kind.  I knew my mother was there so I felt safe. Because he was go gentle, the big dark studio never felt ominous, only cozy.  I think because of this, since a very young age and throughout my career, I have always felt comfortable and at home in studios.

That must have had a huge impact on your perception of beauty and society. When did you decide to go gray? 

By the time I was 40 I’d been coloring my hair for ten years. I was tired of being a slave to the salon. I was ready to give up my modeling career because I didn’t want to falsify myself, but it surprisingly catapulted me into a whole new niche. The curious thing is that although many strangers applaud me, some women are afraid to embrace their grey hair, in spite of liking mine and wanting it for themselves. They should go for it. It’s so liberating. Nature knows the best color for you. It’s the most flattering color you can wear around your face. Our wrinkles look less strong. It softens the texture of your skin. Just because you’ve got grey hair doesn’t mean you’ve got ten grandchildren and spend your life in a rocking chair. People are waking up to the fact that 50-somethings still have verve and youth and are still very active.

Fashion and beauty are shifting to be more diverse. What are your thought and do you agree?

The fashion and beauty industry is most definitely shifting to a more accurate representation of the diversity around us and reflects what society values. For example, one very successful campaign I’m recently in didn’t photoshop my wrinkles and they put my picture on the side a of 50 foot building in downtown Manhattan, on the sides of buses and in their store windows blown up larger than life. I’ve had no botox, no lifts, nor collagen injections and these photos of me, looking like the true me, are used coast to coast on a very large scale. This is definitely a change in the industry toward realism and showing that women, like men, age and still can be relevant.

Since the beginning of my modeling career I have seen the fashion and beauty industry grow into a very powerful and artistic outlet for positive social change. It’s developed into a platform for communal discussion about pertinent topics effecting our society as a whole. Some such topics are: helping to combat anorexia in teenage models worldwide, recognizing gender and size diversity, changing child labor laws overseas, raising awareness about reusing-recycling clothing, addressing ageism and acknowledging older populations and fashion trends are increasingly reflecting our lifestyles more and more, too, such as the creation of athleisure, which is one of my personal favorites.

What one thing would I tell my 25 year old self? 

This might sound like three things, but they all go hand in hand. I’d tell my 25 year old self don’t stress, have more fun and know that everything’s going to be just fine.

What does confidence mean to you?

To me confidence means trusting in yourself and having a belief in your own abilities along with a strong reliance on your own powers—mental, physical and emotional.