Nana Malone turned to modeling out of necessity. “I had never had any intention of really modeling before,” she told HelloBeautiful. A photographer she was working with to complete the cover for her latest romance book suggested it and she was adamant that it was not for her. “I was like, no, that’s not really my deal. I’m the author. I don’t need to be uncovered or do modeling.”
The ultimatum coupled with the realistic view of the book modeling landscape began to gnaw at her and after participating in “further conversations with him about lack of diversity in book cover modeling,” she rethought her stance because if she wanted a certain look she’d have to provide it her self.
“He was like, well, you can complain all day about it, or he can be part of the solution, which of course was the challenge at that point. So I said, yes,” she said.
Malone was not in the same age bracket as her heroines but her well preserved melanin allowed her to slip into their characters.
When she finally stepped in front of the camera she found she had some catching up to do. “You realize that you should have paid much closer attention all those times Tyra banks was explaining how to smize,” she said chuckling.
“Because you don’t know what to do with your face or your body or your hands. The hands are a big thing, and so I had to learn and get adjusted to it.”
