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See How This Victoria's Secret Model Was Discovered at the Mall

Zuri Tibby talks modeling and Black girl magic.

Zuri Tibby is not just a regular model. As the face of Victoria's Secret (VS) Pink, there's frequent travel (she's in Cancun as we speak), national recognition and the opportunity to walk down VS's famed runway.

The 21-year-old Florida native was discovered at the mall after she got off of work. "A modeling agent came up to me and gave me a card. I was really shy. I was like, 'Maybe.'" And then I went to meet up with them and everything happened from there." Four months later, she was a signed model. 

Beginning her career at just 16 years old, her first job was with Teen Vogue. Not too shabby for a first gig, right? But even though she was on her way to being a big-time model, she still valued her mother's support. "I was super nervous. I remember my mom came with me because I didn’t want to fly by myself," she says of her first job. 

Tibby's biggest surprise as she transitioned into modeling? The downtime. "I thought it was going to be glamorous photoshoots, my hair blowing in the wind, but it was not like that at all. I had so much downtime, a lot of a castings in the beginning, which can be boring sometimes. I was 16 and did not have the attention span for that at the time."

Being involved in a creative industry comes naturally to Tibby, who attended an arts high school. There, her main interests lied in "communication arts" — creative writing, speech and debate, TV production and film. This influence has not faded away. Tibby has a YouTube channel with 10,000 followers where she doles out beauty advice, citing beauty as a prominent interest of hers. 

As a spokesmodel for VS's Pink line, Tibby wears numerous hats. She shares these responsibilities with her fellow Pink spokesmodel, Grace Elizabeth. Such responsibilities run the gamut from spring break events (she's in Cancun hosting a party), college football games, campus visits (where the duo are involved with all Pink campus reps), the Pink bus tour, launching new bras, and photoshoots.

According to Tibby, she wouldn't want it any other way. "I love being with the brand. It totally suits me because, right now, I’m 21 and I would definitely be in college. VS Pink is about the collegiate woman, so there’s always cheeky and fun things. And I think its just a younger brand." 

She first got involved with VS by simply attending a casting. From there, she says things materialized. Tibby has been with the brand for about a year and a half now, and she's been the face of Pink for eight months. 

The highlight of Tibby's career came last December when she strutted her stuff down the VS runway for its annual fashion show. The "best show of the year" in her opinion. She says she's still "buzzing" from the experience. 

And can you blame her? The annual spectacle has drawn the biggest talent for years now —assembling the industry's best from Naomi Campbell in the midst of her '90s heyday to Maria Borges, who just inked a major L'Oreal contract.

We have a feeling that while she's young yet accomplished, Tibby's star is only rising. We can't wait to see what the future holds for her. 

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