Salem Mitchell (born 1998) is an American model. She is known for her numerous facial freckles. Mitchell was discovered through

Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...

and is currently signed to Freedom Models LA.

Early life and education

Mitchell was born and raised in

San Diego, California San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

and is African American. Her grandmother is Filipino. She studied dance at

San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts The San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts (SDSCPA) is an audition-only public arts magnet school in southeastern San Diego, California. It is a non-tuition school in San Diego Unified School District. It provides pre-professional ...

and graduated in 2016. After high school she enrolled at

San Diego State University San Diego State University (SDSU) is a Public university, public research university in San Diego, California, United States. Founded in 1897, it is the third-oldest university and southernmost in the 23-member California State University (CS ...

to study business marketing.

Career

Modeling

Mitchell amassed a large following through

. One day Mitchell posted a photo of herself on

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

next to a bruised banana in response to

trolls A troll is a being in Nordic folklore, including Norse mythology. In Old Norse sources, beings described as trolls dwell in isolated areas of rocks, mountains, or caves, live together in small family units, and are rarely helpful to human be ...

who had compared her freckles to the overripe fruit. After the photo went viral, ''

Paper Magazine ''Paper'' (also known as ''Paper Mag'') is a New York City-based independent magazine focusing on fashion, popular culture, nightlife, music, art, and film. Initially produced monthly, the magazine eventually became a quarterly publication, and ...

'' writer Maiya Toledano contacted Mitchell through Instagram and invited her to do a feature shoot. Mitchell later signed to

Ford Models Ford Models, originally the Ford Modeling Agency, is an American international modeling agency based in New York City. It was established in 1946 by Eileen Ford and her husband Gerard W. Ford. History 20th century Eileen and Jerry began the bu ...

. Mitchell has appeared in music videos for artists such as

SZA Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA ( ), is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her diaristic lyrics and genre explorations, she has been credited as a prominent figure in influencing contemporary R& ...

and

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female rappers. From 2015 to early 2017, she ga ...

. She has worked with retailers including GAP, Converse, and Savagex Fenty. Her first cover was for ''Numéro Berlin''. She was asked by

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

to model official apparel related to ''

Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...

''. Mitchell is now represented by Freedom Models LA.

Other work

Mitchell has been the target of

cyberbullying Cyberbullying (cyberharassment or online bullying) is a form of bullying or harassment using electronic means. Since the 2000s, it has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers and adolescents, due to young people's increased u ...

for her freckles and was once called "ghetto" by internet commenters. A response she wrote on Instagram Stories that discussed

cultural appropriation Cultural appropriation is the adoption of an element or elements of one culture or cultural identity, identity by members of another culture or identity in a manner perceived as inappropriate or unacknowledged. Such a controversy typically ari ...

and the devaluation of Black features on African American women was covered by ''

Teen Vogue ''Teen Vogue'' is an American progressive online publication, formerly in print, launched in January 2003, as a sister publication to '' Vogue'', targeted at teenage girls and young women. Like ''Vogue'', it included stories about fashion and ...

''. In 2019 Mitchell collaborated with Known Supply to develop an eco-friendly limited edition collection of apparel called Only Human. She is an advocate for making the fashion industry more sustainable.

Accolades

* 2019 - Nominee, Best of Social Media, Fashion,

11th Shorty Awards The 11th Shorty Awards were held on May 5, 2019, in New York City at the PlayStation Theater. The ceremony was hosted by American actress and comedian Kathy Griffin, along with a music performance by Tank and the Bangas. The event was live stream ...

References

External links

Official InstagramPortfolio at Freedom Models LA
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mitchell, Salem 1998 births Living people Female models from California African-American female models Models from San Diego 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women