Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashley (Miss Marie) Olson.
Hi Ashley, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I started modeling in high school when a local hairstylist asked me to model for a runway competition. We won second place in the top category, and that’s when I knew I wanted to keep modeling. The pride and beauty I felt when I walked the runway made me feel the most confident I had ever felt. That year, I went to an open-call audion for another runway where the director told me I was too short to be a model and that voice acting would better suit me.
It broke my heart, it felt like a blow right to my self-esteem and body image. I took a break from modeling until the fall of 2020 when a local photographer reached out to me on Instagram and asked to shoot with me. He shared the images with other Minnesota photographers who then also wanted to work with me. I’ve been growing ever since, working with countless photographers, apparel companies, and artists to create art together.
I strive to change the modeling world as we know it. No one is too big, too short, too small, or too tall. Everyone is beautiful and deserves to be shown to the world. I want others to be able to look up to me, to say they want to be like me.
Modeling has become more than a job for me. I’m on a mission to show that beauty comes in infinite forms. As an individual, one’s quirks, traits, and singularity make one beautiful.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It hasn’t been easy to be taken seriously in the industry. I don’t have a “traditional” model body. I’m short and curvy, meaning height, weight, and measurement requirements tend to keep me from being able to apply to gigs in the first place. I believe that if the people behind these gigs were to work with me, they would find that I’m just as perfect for the job as any other model.
Another issue I’ve come across in the industry is an overall lack of respect for models. From being sexualized to being berated for my work, I’ve spent most of my career trying to prove myself. When I first told others about my work, some assumed I was doing explicit work. While I fully support that line of work, it was disheartening to have my art and body sexualized instead of appreciated.
Online is worse, I get many unappealing messages from people who see me as an object for their pleasure. My job as a model creating art is just as respectable as a photographer or painter or sculptor.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I’m a model of three years that specializes in boudoir, lifestyle, and commercial modeling. I’m known for my uniquely curvaceous, hourglass figure.
I’m proud of my ability to portray feelings, emotions, and attitudes in my modeling. I’m also proud of the three magazine covers I was published on this year, it was a HUGE accomplishment and a push to continue doing what I adore.
What are your plans for the future?
I hope to travel to work with more like-minded artists in the future.
I would love to be published in and on more magazines to continue reaching people who need to see bodies like theirs, like mine, being portrayed in the industry, I’m planning to work with more body-positive models and photographers as well as publish a magazine of my own to highlight models that may not be represented as often.
Pricing:
- Lifestyle – $75/hr
- Commercial – $100/hr
- Boudoir – $100/hr
Contact Info:
- Website: www.MissMarieModeling.com
- Instagram: Instagram.com/official_missmarie
Image Credits
Dark Shadow Photography, Katy DeZellar, Frenchie Stills, Muddy Flowers Boudoir, Written in Light Studio, and Frank Ryan Photography
