Cassandra Bankson
Cassandra Bankson | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Born | |
Occupation(s) | Model, online personality, esthetician |
Modeling information | |
Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
Hair color | Light brown |
Eye color | Green |
Cassandra Bankson (born November 11, 1992)[1] is an American model, medical aesthetician, and online social media personality from San Francisco, California.[2] She has been featured on Good Morning America,[3] Today,[4] The Doctors, and The Anderson Cooper Show, among other international[5] television shows. She has been featured in magazines[2][6] and websites including Vogue, Seventeen, Glamour, Forbes, People,[7] In Touch Weekly, Us Weekly, Cosmopolitan,[8] POPSUGAR,[9] Healthline,[10] First for Women, and the cover of Reveal Magazine[11][12] and newspapers USA Today,[13] The New York Post, and Pleasanton Weekly.[14][15]
Early life
Bankson was born to Jennifer and Richard Bankson in San Francisco, California. She grew up in the affluent suburbs of the San Francisco bay area and was raised in a predominantly Christian household. At age eight, Bankson developed a rather innocuous strain of Acne vulgaris, which later transformed into an aggressive strain of acne conglobata by the time she was fourteen. Eventually her severe skin condition had progressed to the extent that it engulfed her entire face and most of her body. Bankson's parents tried tirelessly to treat their daughter's acne by taking her to 16 different specialists across the United States and western Europe, which proved unsuccessful. Bankson was bullied relentlessly for her severe acne and eventually pulled out of school as a result. She later studied with a private tutor to complete her education. Along with her skin condition, she also has uterus didelphys, a condition wherein she possesses two vaginas, two wombs, and two cervixes.[16]
Career
Modeling
Bankson had been working with local professional photographers and model coach Charleston Pierce[17] when she decided to submit professional shots to modeling agencies in San Francisco.[citation needed]
Bankson attended auditions for America's Next Top Model in Blackhawk and Los Angeles, but did not make it to the televised stages. Bankson has modeled for companies including Citizens of Humanity,[18] HP, Davidson and Licht, Farouk Hair Systems, "Guess By Marciano" CHI (with Miss America Contestants and Abel Salazar), Biosilk, Prada, Bebe,[19] along with appearing in other catalogs, magazines, local TV programmes, and runway shows. In April and May 2012, Bankson took part in appearances throughout Sephora stores in partnership with Hourglass Cosmetics.[20][21][22]
On September 13, 2012, Bankson walked at the Boy Meets Girl runway show at New York Fashion Week.[23]
YouTube
In 2010, Bankson began making videos on the YouTube channel "Diamondsandheels14" on topics such as makeup, fashion, and lifestyle. She has since re-branded to "Cassandra Bankson" with a focus on skincare that is both Cruelty Free and Vegan.[24]
The channel's most popular video, titled "Foundation Routine For Flawless Skin Acne Coverage", showing Bankson's bare skin and her secrets to cover her severe acne, gained international attention including that of Right This Minute, Good Morning America, "Anderson", The Today Show, The Insider, MSN, Fox News, and the front page of AOL, Yahoo, and MSN. After posting the video, she didn't look at the comments for four months, afraid of being bullied online.[25] She posted the video hoping it would help "just one person".[3][26][27] The video has since gained well over 21 million views.[28] Bankson "made it her mission" to help others with makeup, confidence, acne, and skin conditions online.[27][29] Her daily videos have also received international press and media attention[5][30][31][32] She is a 'vlogger',[33][34] and has also posted videos for men who suffer with acne.[35] As of May, 2021, her YouTube channel has over 1.47 million subscribers and 178 million video views.[36] Along with YouTube, Bankson has a large following on other social media sites such as TikTok,[37] Instagram,[38] Facebook,[39] Twitter,[40] and Pinterest.[41] As of May 2021, she has over 230 thousand followers on Tiktok [37] and 115 thousand followers on Instagram.[38]
Bankson's story and her popular YouTube video were featured in an episode of Investigation Discovery's Karma's A B*tch.[citation needed]
Cassandra Bankson has spent her decade plus career gaining trust through transparency, promoting inclusivity, and empowering individuals to embrace themselves fully.
Bankson has spent her more recent years using her voice and presence as a public figure to engage in various public speaking events around the country. She has spoken up as an Anti-bully advocate as an ambassador for NSCC- National School Climate Center. She has also been involved with different nonprofit groups such as Camp Reel Stories, a youth organization that addresses and tackles gender imbalance in film production when she was a guest speaker for their seminar: Supporting Voices through Media for Girls. In addition, she has been a guest speaker at UC Davis where she tackled Women’s Empowerment and Business and LIM New York where she has discussed Social Media Marketing.
Career Milestones
To date, Cassandra is garnering over 110,000,000 impressions monthly across all social media platforms.
Cassandra is also an Amazon affiliate and hosts weekly livestreams on the platform.[42]
On February 18, 2021, Cassandra was a special guest on the #AskINKEYAskathon, a 4-hour virtual event hosted by skincare brand The Inkey List. This event was dedicated to educating and empowering attendees and answering their skincare questions.[43]
In June 2021, Cassandra served as a brand ambassador for The INKEY List in honor of Acne Awareness Month and led social media discussions about skincare, hosted a Q& A with brand founders, created original video content advising a select group of subscribers on their skincare journeys, and more.
She has been named a “rising woman of power” by Forbes, has had frequent guest appearances on The Today Show and has been featured as a 10-year beauty expert on Good Morning America. She has also been dubbed a top TikTok skincare influencer by Cosmopolitan magazine[37] and appeared on a podcast with Dr. Anthony Yuon discussing TikTok skincare trends.
In 2021, Cassandra sat down with notable women in business including Randi Zuckerberg and Melissa Rivers, where she discussed topics ranging from entrepreneurship to mental health struggles.[38]
Humanitarian Work Or Philanthropy
Bankson has taken her role as an advocate for human rights to the next level as a brand ambassador for Food For Life Global, a charity that provides school children with ethically sourced and nutritionally balanced meals in conjunction with hunger relief programs.[44] She has also partnered with Prabh Aasra (Universal Disabled CareTaker Social Welfare Society), a home in Punjab with a core mission to give unconditional opportunity, treatment/rehabilitation and shelter to those that are struggling with different forms of illness as well as orphaned and abandoned children.
Bankson has been vegan since 2015 and protecting animals is one her deepest core values. She only showcases products that are vegan and cruelty free, as well as offers substitutes for popular products that do not fit within that category.
In addition to normalizing and promoting cruelty-free and vegan beauty products, she has also partnered with Colombian-based Juliana’s Animal Sanctuary, which has rescued and rehabilitated over 700 animals.
Bankson also focuses heavily on global conservation efforts, whether they be in the form of product recommendations that feature recyclable packaging and ethically sourced ingredients or by joining forces with organizations that not only raise awareness, but actively seek to impact the world with positive actions and changes. One such organization that Bankson has teamed up with is The Eden Rainforest Project, which was originally founded in Ethiopia. Their vision is global forest restoration and they do so by employing local villagers and providing fair wages.
The Greenhouse Project, run by a Stanford PhD civil engineer, is located in Nepal and is an organization that Bankson is working alongside that is dedicated to positively impacting the world by doing, and not just talking. They support local farmers in remote high-altitude villages as well as locally build and operate solar greenhouses.
Bankson has also partnered with 5 Gyres, an organization that focuses on helping reduce the micro plastic waste in the oceans by promoting education, activism, and accountability.
Personal life
On April 30, 2018, she came out as a lesbian on her YouTube channel.[46] In her coming out story, she mentions "an obligation to be fully authentic."[47]
References
- ^ "HaveKidsRW". Theladieswho.com. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ a b "Inspiring Confidence - Inspirational Stories About Mothers and Daughters". Good Housekeeping. April 17, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ a b "Cassandra Bankson's Makeup Tips: Tricks to Cover Up Severe Acne Go Viral | Video". ABC News. December 6, 2011. Retrieved January 27, 2015.
- ^ "YouTube makeup guru talks beauty and confidence". Today. April 18, 2012. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved June 23, 2020.
- ^ a b "Teenage role model". Today.ninemsn.com.au. June 23, 2012. Archived from the original on September 6, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ "Good Housekeeping". Good Housekeeping. April 17, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "According to Experts, These Insect Repellents and Bug Bite Soothers Really Work". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ Capon, Laura (June 8, 2021). "A Skinfluencer's Top Tips for Managing Acne". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ Harrington, Jessica (June 22, 2021). "How Cassandra Bankson Became "Your Acne Big Sister" With Over 1.5M YouTube Followers". POPSUGAR Beauty. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ "Is Shaving Your Face Worth It? The Ins and Outs of Dermaplaning". Healthline. July 19, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ "REVEAL Magazine & Summer Evenings OOTD :) (Pre- Recorded Video)". YouTube. June 18, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "REVEAL Magazine & OOTD :) (Pre- Recorded Video)". Gettingridofacnemarks.com. June 18, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ Ryu, Jenna. "Does dairy cause acne? Debunking all the lies we've been told about our skin". USA TODAY. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ "DiamondsAndHeels14 SUBSCRIBE if you like being HAPPY!!!!!". YouTube. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "DiamondsAndHeels14 SUBSCRIBE if you like being HAPPY!!!!!". YouTube. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ "YouTube Star Cassandra Bankson Reveals She Has Two Vaginas : People.com". PEOPLE.com.
- ^ "Fashion Show Producer, Model Coach, Actor, Event Host in San Francisco & Beyond". Charleston Pierce. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ "citizensofhumanity.com". citizensofhumanity.com. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "bebe.com". bebe.com. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ Beth Hamilton says. "San Francisco Beauty Events: Hourglass Cosmetics at Sephora Powell Street May 19th 2012". Beauty Junkie in SF. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ "YouTube Makeup Guru Cassandra Bankson Partners With Hourglass Cosmetics, Sephora To Talk Acne - International Business Times". Ibtimes.com. April 19, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ Rubin, Julia (April 16, 2012). "Cassandra Bankson Interview". Styleite. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ Misener, Jessica (September 13, 2012). "PHOTO: Acne-Plagued YouTube Star Walks The Catwalk". Huffington Post.
- ^ "Cassandra Bankson - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "YouTube makeup guru talks beauty and confidence - Video on TODAY.com". Video.today.msnbc.msn.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ "Teen's Anti- Acne Makeup Routine Goes Viral | Video - ABC News". Abcnews.go.com. December 6, 2011. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ a b "Flawless Foundation Routine". Americanhomesandgardens.com. May 20, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ "Acne Foundation Routine! Pimples, Scars, Cystic Acne, Blackheads & Oil! | Cassandra Bankson". YouTube. December 15, 2010. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ "Une Youtubeuse beauté passe sur m6 ! - DiamondsAndHeels14". YouTube. June 25, 2012. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
- ^ "Secret Diet Busters! Foods That Are Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Diamondsandheels14 Cassandra Bankson". YouTube. July 7, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "SALE HAUL!!! Express Summer Fashion Haul!!! Shop On A Budget & Save!". YouTube. June 30, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "Summer Clothing Haul!! Forever 21, Bebe, Nordstrom & More! Cassandra Bankson Diamondsandheels14". YouTube. June 17, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "Beauty On A Budget! 7 Drugstore Makeup Products To Love! Diamondsandheels14". YouTube. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ "Shaving Over Acne WIthout Making It Worse! Does Shaving Cause Acne? Cassandra Bankson". YouTube. July 13, 2012. Retrieved September 15, 2012.
- ^ Bankson, Cassandra. "Cassandra Bankson". YouTube. Retrieved October 15, 2015.
- ^ a b c "Cassandra Bankson (@cassandrabankson) TikTok | Watch Cassandra Bankson's Newest TikTok Videos". TikTok. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ a b c "Login • Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
{{cite web}}
: Cite uses generic title (help) - ^ "Cassandra Bankson". www.facebook.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Cassandra Bankson (@Cassbankson) op Twitter". Twitter.com. Retrieved August 12, 2012.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Cassandra Bankson (CassandraBankson) - Profile". Pinterest. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Cassandra Bankson - Skincare Expert's Amazon Page". www.amazon.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "askATHON". The Inkey List USA. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
- ^ "Executive Committee and Governing Board". Food for Life Global. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
- ^ Shammas, John (April 30, 2015). "YouTube star Cassandra Bankson reveals she has TWO vaginas but insists: 'I don't let it bother me'". mirror.co.uk. Mirror. Retrieved May 6, 2017.
- ^ "SURPRISE!! I'm GAY! (Coming Out)". youtube.com. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
- ^ Castañon, Kelsey. "Cassandra Bankson Shares Why She Came Out To Her 800K YouTube Followers". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved May 21, 2021.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website on YouTube
- General Information about Staphylococcus aureus from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention