| lostnfound117 |
12-24-2004 09:30 AM |
For RBL :)...................
TV Guide Online: What does Yaya mean? Top Model contestants seem to have such unusual names.
Yaya Da Costa Johnson: When I was a baby, I could not pronounce my first name, Camará, which is Brazilian. A lot of spiritually conscious people said I was a wise old spirit, so they called me Yaya, which means "wise old spirit" in Nigerian.
TVGO: Cool. You took some hits for being "too Afrocentric" on the show, though your unique look made you stand out.
Yaya: I'm not Afrocentric, I'm just natural. But in this country, black women who don't straighten their hair with chemical processing are stereotyped and labeled. Not all black women with straight hair need chemical processing, but I would have to to achieve that look. Just because we don't straighten our hair doesn't mean we're trying to be anything else — we're being ourselves. If anything hurts me about that, it's that I wasn't allowed the luxury of being myself like the other girls were. Nobody asks Cassie, Ann or Amanda to be "less white." I'm used to having to defend my very being. That makes me a little sensitive.
TVGO: Understandable. I think your curly hair's cool, and who wants to log all that chemical-soaked salon time?
Yaya: Stylistically, we should be ourselves. When we were cast on Top Model, we were told, "You were cast because your special qualities made you stand out from thousands of others who applied." But when we get on the show, you're told the qualities that they praised you for are what's holding you back. I don't mind blow-drying my hair straight for a photo shoot or wearing whatever they want me to wear. But in my private time, I want to be myself.
TVGO: You also were criticized for emphasizing your dance background.
Yaya: That was contradictory for me, to hear that being a dancer was holding me back. A lot of models are told to take dance classes to become more graceful! However, I did notice that my body was more toned than some others in the competition — even though I don't lift weights — so I was really careful about what exercises I did so that my arms wouldn't bulge. I don't think dance was inhibiting me, though. (Laughs) It sure helped me in Japan with that tea ceremony challenge!
TVGO: You had all those fears about your acne, yet look how far you got. Has that helped your insecurities about your skin?
Yaya: Watching the episode where my skin was focused on was a little bit surprising to me. You don't realize when [producers] ask you something, you answer the question. I don't think I would've talked about it so much if I hadn't been asked so much about it. My skin never kept me from writing a good paper or landing a triple pirouette, so this was the first time it was defined as an insecurity. That was new for me. I don't use chemicals like Accutane. My skin's getting better now that I took a time-out from stress — I did the show right after finishing my last semester at Brown and graduating. And I'm drinking lots of water and cleansing tea from a really good herbalist.
TVGO: Did you get to keep the pictures from the shoots? That would make a helluva of a portfolio.
Yaya: Yes, I did get to keep the photos. At this point, I'm exploring my options for modeling-agency representation. Nobody's eager to take anyone on before the holidays, but I'm sure something will happen in January.
TVGO: I know acting's in your future. You just taped an episode of UPN's Eve.
Yaya: Yeah, it'll come out in February or March. I'm playing Miss Jenkins, the drama teacher. I go to the high school prom and I get to dance and be a li'l dramatic!
TVGO: Finally, you seemed genuinely happy for Eva when she won.
Yaya: I was! There was a tinge of disappointment, because nobody likes to feel like they didn't win. But I was able to overcome any animosity and the pressures of how women are supposed to act toward each other. I really did feel accomplished in the end. I'm taking the momentum they gave me and running forward with it, keeping in mind that I'll be the person that I want myself to be.
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