Cleney' Taymil
I beg of anyone with some sense to read this interview. Through all the criticism and nagging that our readers [both on the site and abroad] give me for the women or some of the things that they say, Ms. Cleney’ Taymil is definitely here to set the record straight. The Western Michigan University alum has graced the pages of KING, Smooth and various other prints.
But what I stress most and what is painfully apparent is the intelligence of this 27-year-old dazzling Detroit beauty. The focused young lady has her goals set, her plan mapped out and a drive unlike one that I’ve seen in this section. She is not your traditional model, aspiring for 15-minutes of red carpet shine. Ms. Taymil works with youths in a juvenile facility and strives to teach them the things that she’s learned about herself throughout the years. Beauty & Brains is proud to talk with such a dynamic young lady as she talks about how modeling conflicts with her spirituality, how the game is designed to continually pick at your esteem and continues to promote growth within the black community.
B&B: You seem like a very spiritualistic woman. How does that fair in a business that promotes sexuality?
CT: It’s very difficult to balance. You get persecuted a lot. But the Lord knows my heart. The things that I did at 20 are things that I won’t do at 27. My career has become more important than my hobby. Modeling is my extra, my bonus; it’s not my main focus. I’m not a Holy-roller, either. I have a one-on-one relationship with the Lord. I talk to Him a lot. In this business, a lot of people want you to sleep with them in order to make progress. It’s subtle. They’ll try anyway they can. They don’t bluntly say that, but they insinuate it. I was never interested in them. The whole mood of a photo shoot would change because of that.
B&B: When we spoke you said that your goal is to become a public speaker. Why that particular profession and who would you direct your message to?
CT: To the youth and everyone in the world who deal with something in their lives. I like Joel Osteen and Joyce Myers. I want to be a messenger. I have already done some things. I’ve been working as a HIV counselor. I have to leave a lot of things that other people do alone and train. I’m not going to be certain things that some people are. If I want to give them inspiration, I have to lessen some things.
B&B: How so?
CT: I cut out certain kinds of music and people who waste my time. It’s not all bad, but there are some things you don’t do anymore when you get closer to Christ. But on the flip side, it’s a balancing act because there are some things that you have to do in order to get closer to Him, too.
B&B: If you were to speak to women who want to be models or who are already in the game – what would be your message for them?
CT: Protect your self-esteem and stay true to yourself. I would question their motive. I do it because I love taking pictures, I don’t do it for the fame. Not that it makes mines any better than anyone else’s, I’d just say that you should know, at least, why you’re doing it. Know your limitations and set your standards.
B&B: So, if your motivation wasn’t solely to be the next big model in the urban scene – why even get involved in that profession?
CT: The opportunity came to me a long time ago. I was taking pictures, I put them on Blackplanet.com and someone made it possible for me to do more. It was some extra money to have for school. I wasn’t represented the way that I wanted to be. I did a lot of fashion shows and I have a passion for it. I love modeling, but I don’t like what comes with that entertainment lifestyle. I’m a tomboy. I’m coming to the scene with some boots and a hoodie, and people look at me odd. But when I strip down everyone loves me. I work with photographers who have concepts and a different range of photos. At first, people didn’t want to take pictures of me unless I was in a bikini. The first time I saw myself in a photo, I didn’t even believe that it was me. I was told that I was pretty, but it was also something to say that it wasn’t enough. Once I saw it, I thought that I could do it. But it wasn’t the only thing I was doing. I was working full-time, going to school full-time and doing modeling on the weekends. It was a learning experience, so I could teach others about it. There are a lot of people who do a lot of preaching, but not a lot of teaching.
B&B: You got your degree from Western Michigan University… How hard is it for women to really handle the pressures of being very attractive and coming from high school to the different world that is college?
CT: My experience with that was… I was born and raised in Detroit. I went from an all-black society to an all-white society. All I had to do was to pass my classes. It took a lot of self-discipline to get my degree. But those worlds are totally different. I didn’t want to be the black girl who came to class late. It was a small population there. With not that many blacks, it can turn into a “crabs in the bucket” mentality. A lot of them saw me on the Internet and would have assumptions of me. It’s vicious for anyone in this profession. They talked about Jesus, so they definitely will talk about me. We don’t get the same respect in modeling than what white women have. A white girl can have a great professional career after doing Playboy, but a black woman will be looked at indifferently. When I go through Detroit, I get love from them with the modeling tip. But in the small towns, they look at it like I’m exploiting myself. When I saw myself, it raised my self-esteem. But after going through years of being critiqued and compared to other women, they try to still pick apart your self-esteem. Editors, it’s their job to pick you apart. They use their position to their advantage. I’ve seen a lot of horrible stuff happen. It can happen to anyone in this business. You have so many free modeling agencies online – it’s a very dangerous business. The Internet has opened up people to exposure. I’m 5’3” – who would think that I could be a model? But I have success with it. I never had a dream that I’m going to be a big-time model. I just wanted to use it to have the images of myself. I landed in some magazines and thank God for the opportunity, but I have bigger dreams than that. I want to be in O [Oprah] Magazine. I get the Vogue and Style magazines. I’m not a fan of America’s Next Top Model, but I am a fan of their concepts and colors. You can take someone out the hood and put them in a Cinderella dress and it’s within the element of photography that can change one’s perception. But I don’t think that it should be for the ones with big butts and all that. It’s kind of like self-reflection. I think that we need to diversify the things that are promoted in these magazines. There are beautiful women and people all over the world, but only a certain type gets promoted. Modeling is not just about showing off one’s self, it’s also about promoting a product. I’ve learned a lot about self-esteem while being a model. I get a lot of e-mails, but when KING put out an article about me; I got a lot of feedback from that. They saw that I was more than a model who’s trying to sell sex, but safe sex. A 15-year-old girl wrote me and said, “Thank you because both of my parents died from AIDS.” It makes an impact on me.
B&B: While you’ve manage to work a regular gig and continue to promote your modeling career – how important is education to both endeavors?
CT: Nothing’s more important to me than education and hard work. You can read books all day, but if you don’t apply it to something – then you’re lost. I’m not telling everyone that college is how you should succeed. You should learn and apply it to what you want to do with what your interest is. Whatever your passion is, learn it, live it and work your plan. A lot of people think that they got it made once they’ve received their degree. The degree gives you education and information, but it doesn’t translate into a direct job. They say that a degree gives you a job. Well, in Detroit it gives me great chances. But they’re intimidated with a black girl with a Master’s [in a white society]. It might be 2007, but there are still remnants of institutionalized racism.
B&B: You call yourself a woman of integrity, but how much does popular opinion play a role in the gigs you accept?
CT: Everyone is allowed to make a mistake. You sometimes don’t know that it’s a bad thing, until you learn that it is one. I’m talking about integrity as a person. I may not do a "Tip Drill" video, but I love the video [laughs]. My homegirl is in that video. I just have standards. My integrity stands for what I’m about and who I am. What everyone else will do, I won’t. I get opportunities to do modeling stuff all the time. This is the first time I’ve done an interview in a while. I’m focusing on getting my Master’s. The people who learned about my modeling career tried to persecute me about it. I am a correctional officer in a juvenile facility. My priorities have changed. I would love to do it [modeling], but can I deal with the backlash? I work within the system. When an employer can Google your name and pictures of your booty comes up, I wish that I could’ve kept my alias. But even with that, people would steal my images and put their name up under it. It’s hard to navigate through this thing called life. I love Tyra Banks, but she doesn’t have the girls from Smooth or KING on her shows. In the professional realm, I don’t mind stating who I am and why I did what I did, but they try to condemn me. I’m not apologizing for my modeling career. It was what got me to my Master’s. My parents weren’t putting me through school. I needed it! I definitely don’t regret it because it stands for something. Every interview that I’ve done is more than just, “What’s my favorite sexual position?” There are a lot of assumptions that go on.
B&B: But in a blog post on your MySpace, an unknown author writes, “What will matter is not your competence, but your character.” So, how do you navigate an industry where sex is the ultimate currency and still maintain a reputable name?
CT: I don’t know. I didn’t go that route. I never slept with anyone. Modeling wasn’t the only thing that I wanted to do and when one does, they’ll do anything to have it. I’ve been on modeling jobs and things would be presented to me that were absolutely absurd. I had a job to do. They could keep their offers, their money, I’m good. You have your Superheads and all that, but I don’t know what they do in the bedroom. I can’t assume what anyone else does. What goes on behind closed doors is their business. I can’t judge them, just like they can’t do that with me. But you don’t have to have sex to be in the game. You get more opportunity when you don’t – because you’re now a challenge. Yes, you may be on the cover of KING now, but six months, hell… the next month, there will be a new girl on there too!
B&B: A quote that you have on your page is, “The worst lies are the ones that we tell ourselves.” What did you have to learn about yourself that needed to be changed?
CT: Growing up, I thought the hood was everything. I had a glass ceiling. I didn’t know my worth. I didn’t know my value. So, I did things that weren’t aligned with who I am. Because of the lies that we tell ourselves, some things would look to be everything. Sometimes we don’t face our own fears. We don’t explore our own limitations and boundaries. When we deceive people into believing that we’re something that we’re not. I learned that the way that I was needed to change. I had to get my mind out of the hood. Once I left to another society, my thoughts changed. I wanted my own instead of working for something else. About modeling, I thought that it wasn’t going to change who I was or who I thought I was. You’d think that you would feel good by being in the magazines. I did one and I was happy about it. They airbrushed my face on the cover and it made me feel like I was not myself… again. I hate to admit that, but when you’re compared to other people and you allow it, it is nerve racking. Thinking about it now, you have to have a strong foundation before you get into that business. I was trying to repair some things. But please, don’t think that I’m blaming anyone; I’m not.
B&B: When all your goals are accomplished – what keeps you wanting to challenge yourself to go for more?
CT: The youth keeps me going. Yeah, that’s one of the things… to give back to the youth. I have a passion to work with teenagers. When you’re four and five, you do as you’re told. But by me working in this juvenile home, it’s so important to mentor. I don’t want anyone to get buried towards the BET way of thinking. You don’t want to live for big rims and big booties. Our culture worships the youth, but are we really building them up to be great leaders. I want to let them know that they are somebody and that they can be anything else other than just a statistic. I have 19-year-old brother that’s a high school drop out. I’m the only one who’s went to college and graduated with a degree. Who wants to be a real estate investor, who wants to be a doctor or a lawyer? I think that we get brainwashed sometimes to believe in fleeting success instead of something more tangible.
Intrigued? Want to know more about Cleney’ Taymil and her push for change? Check her out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/cleney
But what I stress most and what is painfully apparent is the intelligence of this 27-year-old dazzling Detroit beauty. The focused young lady has her goals set, her plan mapped out and a drive unlike one that I’ve seen in this section. She is not your traditional model, aspiring for 15-minutes of red carpet shine. Ms. Taymil works with youths in a juvenile facility and strives to teach them the things that she’s learned about herself throughout the years. Beauty & Brains is proud to talk with such a dynamic young lady as she talks about how modeling conflicts with her spirituality, how the game is designed to continually pick at your esteem and continues to promote growth within the black community.
B&B: You seem like a very spiritualistic woman. How does that fair in a business that promotes sexuality?
CT: It’s very difficult to balance. You get persecuted a lot. But the Lord knows my heart. The things that I did at 20 are things that I won’t do at 27. My career has become more important than my hobby. Modeling is my extra, my bonus; it’s not my main focus. I’m not a Holy-roller, either. I have a one-on-one relationship with the Lord. I talk to Him a lot. In this business, a lot of people want you to sleep with them in order to make progress. It’s subtle. They’ll try anyway they can. They don’t bluntly say that, but they insinuate it. I was never interested in them. The whole mood of a photo shoot would change because of that.
B&B: When we spoke you said that your goal is to become a public speaker. Why that particular profession and who would you direct your message to?
CT: To the youth and everyone in the world who deal with something in their lives. I like Joel Osteen and Joyce Myers. I want to be a messenger. I have already done some things. I’ve been working as a HIV counselor. I have to leave a lot of things that other people do alone and train. I’m not going to be certain things that some people are. If I want to give them inspiration, I have to lessen some things.
B&B: How so?
CT: I cut out certain kinds of music and people who waste my time. It’s not all bad, but there are some things you don’t do anymore when you get closer to Christ. But on the flip side, it’s a balancing act because there are some things that you have to do in order to get closer to Him, too.
B&B: If you were to speak to women who want to be models or who are already in the game – what would be your message for them?
CT: Protect your self-esteem and stay true to yourself. I would question their motive. I do it because I love taking pictures, I don’t do it for the fame. Not that it makes mines any better than anyone else’s, I’d just say that you should know, at least, why you’re doing it. Know your limitations and set your standards.
B&B: So, if your motivation wasn’t solely to be the next big model in the urban scene – why even get involved in that profession?
CT: The opportunity came to me a long time ago. I was taking pictures, I put them on Blackplanet.com and someone made it possible for me to do more. It was some extra money to have for school. I wasn’t represented the way that I wanted to be. I did a lot of fashion shows and I have a passion for it. I love modeling, but I don’t like what comes with that entertainment lifestyle. I’m a tomboy. I’m coming to the scene with some boots and a hoodie, and people look at me odd. But when I strip down everyone loves me. I work with photographers who have concepts and a different range of photos. At first, people didn’t want to take pictures of me unless I was in a bikini. The first time I saw myself in a photo, I didn’t even believe that it was me. I was told that I was pretty, but it was also something to say that it wasn’t enough. Once I saw it, I thought that I could do it. But it wasn’t the only thing I was doing. I was working full-time, going to school full-time and doing modeling on the weekends. It was a learning experience, so I could teach others about it. There are a lot of people who do a lot of preaching, but not a lot of teaching.
B&B: You got your degree from Western Michigan University… How hard is it for women to really handle the pressures of being very attractive and coming from high school to the different world that is college?
CT: My experience with that was… I was born and raised in Detroit. I went from an all-black society to an all-white society. All I had to do was to pass my classes. It took a lot of self-discipline to get my degree. But those worlds are totally different. I didn’t want to be the black girl who came to class late. It was a small population there. With not that many blacks, it can turn into a “crabs in the bucket” mentality. A lot of them saw me on the Internet and would have assumptions of me. It’s vicious for anyone in this profession. They talked about Jesus, so they definitely will talk about me. We don’t get the same respect in modeling than what white women have. A white girl can have a great professional career after doing Playboy, but a black woman will be looked at indifferently. When I go through Detroit, I get love from them with the modeling tip. But in the small towns, they look at it like I’m exploiting myself. When I saw myself, it raised my self-esteem. But after going through years of being critiqued and compared to other women, they try to still pick apart your self-esteem. Editors, it’s their job to pick you apart. They use their position to their advantage. I’ve seen a lot of horrible stuff happen. It can happen to anyone in this business. You have so many free modeling agencies online – it’s a very dangerous business. The Internet has opened up people to exposure. I’m 5’3” – who would think that I could be a model? But I have success with it. I never had a dream that I’m going to be a big-time model. I just wanted to use it to have the images of myself. I landed in some magazines and thank God for the opportunity, but I have bigger dreams than that. I want to be in O [Oprah] Magazine. I get the Vogue and Style magazines. I’m not a fan of America’s Next Top Model, but I am a fan of their concepts and colors. You can take someone out the hood and put them in a Cinderella dress and it’s within the element of photography that can change one’s perception. But I don’t think that it should be for the ones with big butts and all that. It’s kind of like self-reflection. I think that we need to diversify the things that are promoted in these magazines. There are beautiful women and people all over the world, but only a certain type gets promoted. Modeling is not just about showing off one’s self, it’s also about promoting a product. I’ve learned a lot about self-esteem while being a model. I get a lot of e-mails, but when KING put out an article about me; I got a lot of feedback from that. They saw that I was more than a model who’s trying to sell sex, but safe sex. A 15-year-old girl wrote me and said, “Thank you because both of my parents died from AIDS.” It makes an impact on me.
B&B: While you’ve manage to work a regular gig and continue to promote your modeling career – how important is education to both endeavors?
CT: Nothing’s more important to me than education and hard work. You can read books all day, but if you don’t apply it to something – then you’re lost. I’m not telling everyone that college is how you should succeed. You should learn and apply it to what you want to do with what your interest is. Whatever your passion is, learn it, live it and work your plan. A lot of people think that they got it made once they’ve received their degree. The degree gives you education and information, but it doesn’t translate into a direct job. They say that a degree gives you a job. Well, in Detroit it gives me great chances. But they’re intimidated with a black girl with a Master’s [in a white society]. It might be 2007, but there are still remnants of institutionalized racism.
B&B: You call yourself a woman of integrity, but how much does popular opinion play a role in the gigs you accept?
CT: Everyone is allowed to make a mistake. You sometimes don’t know that it’s a bad thing, until you learn that it is one. I’m talking about integrity as a person. I may not do a "Tip Drill" video, but I love the video [laughs]. My homegirl is in that video. I just have standards. My integrity stands for what I’m about and who I am. What everyone else will do, I won’t. I get opportunities to do modeling stuff all the time. This is the first time I’ve done an interview in a while. I’m focusing on getting my Master’s. The people who learned about my modeling career tried to persecute me about it. I am a correctional officer in a juvenile facility. My priorities have changed. I would love to do it [modeling], but can I deal with the backlash? I work within the system. When an employer can Google your name and pictures of your booty comes up, I wish that I could’ve kept my alias. But even with that, people would steal my images and put their name up under it. It’s hard to navigate through this thing called life. I love Tyra Banks, but she doesn’t have the girls from Smooth or KING on her shows. In the professional realm, I don’t mind stating who I am and why I did what I did, but they try to condemn me. I’m not apologizing for my modeling career. It was what got me to my Master’s. My parents weren’t putting me through school. I needed it! I definitely don’t regret it because it stands for something. Every interview that I’ve done is more than just, “What’s my favorite sexual position?” There are a lot of assumptions that go on.
B&B: But in a blog post on your MySpace, an unknown author writes, “What will matter is not your competence, but your character.” So, how do you navigate an industry where sex is the ultimate currency and still maintain a reputable name?
CT: I don’t know. I didn’t go that route. I never slept with anyone. Modeling wasn’t the only thing that I wanted to do and when one does, they’ll do anything to have it. I’ve been on modeling jobs and things would be presented to me that were absolutely absurd. I had a job to do. They could keep their offers, their money, I’m good. You have your Superheads and all that, but I don’t know what they do in the bedroom. I can’t assume what anyone else does. What goes on behind closed doors is their business. I can’t judge them, just like they can’t do that with me. But you don’t have to have sex to be in the game. You get more opportunity when you don’t – because you’re now a challenge. Yes, you may be on the cover of KING now, but six months, hell… the next month, there will be a new girl on there too!
B&B: A quote that you have on your page is, “The worst lies are the ones that we tell ourselves.” What did you have to learn about yourself that needed to be changed?
CT: Growing up, I thought the hood was everything. I had a glass ceiling. I didn’t know my worth. I didn’t know my value. So, I did things that weren’t aligned with who I am. Because of the lies that we tell ourselves, some things would look to be everything. Sometimes we don’t face our own fears. We don’t explore our own limitations and boundaries. When we deceive people into believing that we’re something that we’re not. I learned that the way that I was needed to change. I had to get my mind out of the hood. Once I left to another society, my thoughts changed. I wanted my own instead of working for something else. About modeling, I thought that it wasn’t going to change who I was or who I thought I was. You’d think that you would feel good by being in the magazines. I did one and I was happy about it. They airbrushed my face on the cover and it made me feel like I was not myself… again. I hate to admit that, but when you’re compared to other people and you allow it, it is nerve racking. Thinking about it now, you have to have a strong foundation before you get into that business. I was trying to repair some things. But please, don’t think that I’m blaming anyone; I’m not.
B&B: When all your goals are accomplished – what keeps you wanting to challenge yourself to go for more?
CT: The youth keeps me going. Yeah, that’s one of the things… to give back to the youth. I have a passion to work with teenagers. When you’re four and five, you do as you’re told. But by me working in this juvenile home, it’s so important to mentor. I don’t want anyone to get buried towards the BET way of thinking. You don’t want to live for big rims and big booties. Our culture worships the youth, but are we really building them up to be great leaders. I want to let them know that they are somebody and that they can be anything else other than just a statistic. I have 19-year-old brother that’s a high school drop out. I’m the only one who’s went to college and graduated with a degree. Who wants to be a real estate investor, who wants to be a doctor or a lawyer? I think that we get brainwashed sometimes to believe in fleeting success instead of something more tangible.
Intrigued? Want to know more about Cleney’ Taymil and her push for change? Check her out on MySpace at http://www.myspace.com/cleney
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