SELITA EBANKS

http://www.selitaebanks.net/

I always like a good rags-to-riches story, and Selita Ebanks, having gone from walking barefoot through Georgetown, Cayman Islands, to strutting down the catwalks of Paris and New York, fits the bill. With a grounded outlook as impressive as her physical charms, we think it couldn't have happened to anyone more deserving. Best known for being one of the new faces (and figures) of Victoria's Secret, Selita Ebanks has an impressive modeling portfolio, having posed for everyone from Sports Illustrated to Neiman Marcus. She also had a small part on the new UPN show South Beach. Selita Ebanks may have been born in the Cayman Islands, but her story still reads like the American dream -- especially since the smart and pretty Selita was discovered by chance in New Jersey. Her sensible personality helped her keep her cool as she made steady progress as a model for mags like Glamour, Marie Claire and Vogue, and labels such as Tommy Hilfiger, Ralph Lauren and Levi's. "There is only room for a certain amount of black actresses in this industry, I don't want to fall into the zone of playing the 'ghetto bootalicious baby mama drama,' I want to play something with depth, like a crackhead or something." -Selita Ebanks, on planning her acting career. Selita Ebanks was born in Georgetown, Cayman Islands on February 15, 1983. She was raised in a large family that included seven brothers, and because of that, Selita played many sports growing up, such as basketball, football and tennis. But the family was quite poor, living in what Selita later described as "a little blue, zinc-roof shack on Walkers Road." Oftentimes, Selita didn't even have shoes to wear to Georgetown primary school. Yet Selita's family, and her mother in particular, encouraged her development through exposure to extra-curricular programs.Trivia: Which two universities had accepted Selita Ebanks before she became a model? Becoming a model changed Selita's life. Of course, it only confirmed her beauty and sex appeal, which are obvious, but it also exposed her to fashions of all kinds. But Selita's success and achievements never altered her commitment to helping others, which began long before she ever became famous.Now Selita is really trying to go the distance. While remaining tied to the communities in which she grew up, both in Georgetown, Cayman Islands, and Staten Island, New York, Selita has also made Los Angeles home. It's the natural place to continue her modeling career while exploring her talents as a singer and actress.

Selita Ebanks credits her solid upbringing with forging her generous and level-headed personality. Her family made sure she had the right worldly grounding. She says, "I think it is because of this grounding that I didn't fall into so many problems that many youths fall into." Even though she didn't always have all the comforts herself, Selita has volunteered with the less fortunate since she was young, and is now active in charities and youth projects in the Cayman Islands and the United States. Selita's good sense also helped her as a novice to navigate the pitfalls of the fashion world. She's gotten so good at it that she now teaches aspiring models back home everything from how to strut down the catwalk to dealing with rejection. Whether she has the chops to segue into singing or acting, as she plans, remains to be seen.

Selita Ebanks' smarts and undeniable good looks make her sexy, no matter how you define it. She has the added bonus of being a model for Victoria's Secret; so, if being a model is sexy, being a model for swimsuits and lingerie is super-sexy. Tyra Banks, no slouch in the sexiness department and a former Victoria's Secret model herself, even approves of Selita as one of her successors.There is one hurdle we can think of for any potential Selita-wooers: She has seven brothers. And knowing how protective brothers can be of their sisters, it's a sure thing that anyone going with Selita had better be on his absolute best behavior. Certainly, Selita Ebanks has accomplished much in her short life, when you consider that she came from "almost nothing" in the Cayman Islands to success in America. She had already put herself on the right track as a good student, but her discovery by modeling agents when she was a teen really opened opportunities for her. In the last few years, she's modeled for all the big names, from Ralph Lauren to Vogue, and has even started recording music, and acting on UPN's South Beach.Selita Ebanks hasn't yet become a household name, even though she's well known in the fashion world. But her 2005 debut for Victoria's Secret might be the spark needed to gain recognition outside of designer circles. Her forays into acting and singing couldn't hurt either, especially since the window for a model to become a supermodel is a narrow one indeed. At about 5'8" tall and measuring 34-24-35, Selita Ebanks has the figure of a classic high-fashion model: slim, yet still unmistakably feminine. Her coffee-colored complexion is matched by her wavy brown hair and vibrant brown eyes. Selita's full lips and stunning smile nicely counterbalance her high forehead.Proving that places like Europe and South America don't have a monopoly on supermodel-caliber women, Selita Ebanks has become the premiere beauty from the Cayman Islands. In fact, her cosmopolitan looks can be traced back through not only her Caymanian descent, but also from Jamaican, Irish, African-American, and Native American ancestors. Selita Ebanks knows a thing or two about style on and off the runway. From elegant evening gowns to racy ribbons that barely qualify as clothes, Selita has worn it all. Even in more casual moments, she is all model wearing daring outfits many regular women couldn't pull off. She's even a whiz at makeup, and she has given pointers to young hopefuls at "Model U" workshops in her native Cayman Islands.Being a model has other fashion perks too. For example, Selita is on a first-name basis with Neiman Marcus personnel, which allows her to request dozens of pairs of shoes on a whim. Of course, the shoes were donations for children on the Cayman Islands following Hurricane Ivan. But clout like that is impressive all the same.