Editorial
Featuring Model Jamileigh Nolen
Jamileigh Nolen
Current cast member on Local Ambition 7 (2018).
A brief introduction about yourself.
I am a young mother of a four-year old girl named Sophie. I had her when I was only 17 years
old. I use being a young mom as a source of strength. I don’t let it hold me back from anything.
I’m from the bootheel of Missouri. I love to fish; ride four-wheelers; and go on float trips.
When you first aspired to get into fashion how did you start?
I started with beauty pageants when I was a kid. As an adult, I became a pageant director after
I had my daughter and entered her into some of them. We have a room full of trophies that we
have won. You could say I was a little obsessed with pageant modeling!
So how was it looking at fashion from your perspective growing up? What intrigued you
about the industry so much?
“I loved everything about it. I loved how the models walked and were so confident. I loved what
they wore. I loved that they got to travel all over and how they were comfortable in their own
skin. I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do.”
“After I fell in love with modeling, I found a passion for acting. You could make people feel
different ways through acting. You could be anyone you wanted to be.”
You’ve got such a good platform now (Local Ambition), what’s next?
“I plan on winning this season! After that, I would like to help behind-the-scenes with next year’s
season.”
So what was the first thing you learned as a model?
“I learned how to carry myself. I learned that everything didn’t need a reaction and if I want to
be a model, I had to carry myself like one.”
Have any of your notions of the industry changed since you’ve started out?
“Nope. I was happy that all the good things I thought about modelling turned out to be true!”
When do you feel most glamorous?
“I feel most glamorous when I am dressing up and getting ready for a shoot or when someone is
messaging me telling me that my pictures inspire them.”