Today we’d like to introduce you to Stacey Vaughn.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I’m a Native American model. I’m Tewa/Hopi/Hualapai/Yavapai. Born in Kingman Arizona, daughter of Val Charlie and Samuel Vaughn. I come from the Corn clan family on my mother’s side, my great great great grandmother is the famous Hopi/Tewa potter Nampeyo. On my father’s side, I come from “The Vaughn “ family in Peach Springs Arizona. my Yavapai side I come from the family of Viola Jimuilla “Red Ant” a well-known chief of the Yavapai tribe in the 1940s.
I’m very proud to come from families of well known strong women. The place I call home is on the Hopi reservation “The village of Hano” located on first Mesa in Polacca Arizona. After my mother and father divorced, my mom moved me and my siblings back to Polacca. Most of my childhood memories are on the Hopi reservation.
As a little girl, I remember waiting everyday for my grandfather with lunch, he would come everyday around noon. I loved him so much, he was the best storyteller. He had so much wisdom. Everyday he had a different story to share about our people “The Tewa people.“ I lived in my great great great grandmothers house that was built in the 1800s later on as years passed they replenished the home and added onto it, but you could tell it was an old house, It was made out of stone and clay.
I remember playing on this huge hill behind my house I would climb rocks and pretend I was grinding cornmeal. At age, seven years old is when I did my first photo shoot in my traditional sunflower dress. I modeled for friends of my mother’s who where art buyers, she had met the couple while working at McGee’s art gallery in Keams Canyon Arizona. There was a painting done in my likeness, my photo has been used on the Hopi Tribe website n the early 2000s.
This was around the time I lost my grandfather, and three months later I lost my father to a drunk driver. It was a very hard time for me to experience such a loss at such a young age two very important people in my life. At age fourteen I was apart of a young women’s empowerment workshop on the Hopi reservation. I help run group activities, it felt good to be looked at as a role model. I was also apart of my very first fashion runway show where I walked wearing my traditional regalia.
As I got older, I put my dreams of modeling aside due to hardships my family was facing and focus on school. In school I wasn’t the most popular, the girls in my class would make fun of me and call me ugly or make fun of my height because I was tall. The bullying stopped when I moved out to Riverside California to attend Sherman Indian High School. It was here I began to bloom and experience new things out of the “Rez Life” I felt free, happy and amazed about how many Native American tribes there were. This was how much secluded I was! (Haha).
I did graduate from Sherman and moved back home. I went to dental school assisting in Flagstaff Arizona however a little while after I decided to move to Phoenix Arizona because the opportunity to make a living was much better and to pursue my modeling career. So far I have done several photo shoots, modeled for two local designers and been a part of a music video.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Far from a smooth road more like a gravel pit (haha). When I first moved down here to Phoenix it felt like a curse was unleashed upon me (haha) for the simple fact that I was new to the area, I was living with my younger brother, I struggled to find a job that I didn’t really focus on modeling. I was basically broke! I was so stressed out and with the climate change on top of it affected my skin complexion to the point where my acne was out of control. I began to get depressed.
We’d love to hear more about what you do.
I specialize in Fashion and runway modeling. One of the reasons why I’m so passionate about modeling is because it gives me the opportunity to shed light on my culture as an indigenous woman. I’m proud to represent my Native American Heritage. I’m most proud of the opportunities that I’m starting to have such as this article interview amongst feature photo shoots that are coming up.
What sets me aside from the others?
I think that every model has there own uniqueness to them. I myself am Native American that in its self sets me aside. How many 5’10” Native American models do we know? Not many right? I’m just proud to be indigenous.
What’s your outlook for the industry over the next 5-10 years?
I want to build a legacy, so when I look back, I can be proud of every step I took to get me where I am now.
Contact Info:
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: Indigenousmodel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vaughnstac/
Image Credit:
Kevin Poleyumptewa moonlit dreams photography
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