“I am my own validation. I am my only validation,” Taylor Tookes tweets just a few short weeks before New York Fashion Week. During her interview with UPROXX, she tells me she has plans for this years NYFW, but they’re under wraps at the moment. “I don’t know if I’m allowed, but I do have some things going on,” she laughs. “I don’t know if I can say with who.”
The 5’1” model and accidental manifestation coach (more on that later) has garnered an online following by showing people in real time how she’s created the reality of her dreams. She’s walked in a fashion show for Vans, graced the cover of Grazia, and is the first petite Black model to walk in NYFW history. These are massive feats for anyone but are made even more spectacular when you think of Tookes — a pint-sized Black woman taking up a space that once was saved for the Kate Spades of the world.
Tookes started modeling in 2020 and was quickly signed with an agency. However, not long after they stopped submitting her for jobs, citing her petite stature would only land her print and commercial campaigns. That’s when she decided to book her own work, applying to modeling jobs without help from the agency and ignoring naysayers who tried to keep her boxed in based on her height.
Not only has Tookes used her strategic positive thinking to create her own success, she’s now been passing it on through Height Revolution, an organization meant to advocate for the overdue inclusion of petite women in the fashion industry.
Tookes has also gathered a party of 35k followers on Twitter who read her tweets on the Law of Assumption — a manifestation-based belief system that your thoughts, what you believe and admit, manifest into reality. Unlike the countless TikTok and Twitter accounts pushing magical techniques (i.e. writing something down multiple times, drinking energetic water, etc.) to manifest, Tookes simply teaches that if “you think as if you already have what you want and don’t think against it,” it will become part of your reality.
Below, Tookes talk to UPROXX about creating the life of her dreams, breaking the glass ceiling as a petite Black model, and her plans for Height Revolution.
I started following you online for your manifestation content but then saw that you’d started an organization for petite models and I thought that was incredible. I’d love to touch on both aspects, but first, I want to discuss how your journey led you to becoming an entrepreneur.
I don’t know if I should call myself an entrepreneur. People do call me that, and I did create Height Revolution. It’s an Instagram community and organization for short women in fashion. It was basically a shower thought. I was so fed up. I saw some posts, the usual from an agency or casting call, that was like, “We’re scouting new faces, women 5’9” and up.” And I just got so fed up with that. I was like, absolutely not! No one’s using their voice continuously to speak out for shorter women. So if no one’s going to do it, then I’ll do it. I knew I wasn’t the only person who felt that way. I reached out to other models and said, “Hey, I’m doing Heart Revolution if you wanna join me.” Two voices are more powerful than one, three are more powerful than two. Two girls reached out and became co-founders. My current co-founder is Marissa Rose she’s 4’11” and the other one’s name is Faith Chan — she was a founder but she had to step away because she got very busy. It was the three of us. And it’s for women in the fashion industry. We’re advocating for them to have their rightful place in the industry because it’s 2024, and I feel like it’s time.
I know you were modeling and had a contract before Height Revolution. What was that experience like? And what was it about it that made you want to solve for the problem you were experiencing as a petite model?
I was modeling since I was 16, but I wasn’t taking it seriously because to be very real with you, I just didn’t care about anything at that age. I just wanted to be on my phone. Then when I was 20 or 21, during Covid, I started putting myself out there and started taking portfolio pictures and posting them on Instagram. I started getting noticed by big agencies, like Elite Modeling Agency commented on my picture and was like, “Wow, amazing. DM us to be scouted.” Then there was Wilhelmina … there were all of these huge agencies [reaching out] so I was like, I can totally do this. Then in 2022, there was an opportunity to walk in New York Fashion Week. It just fell into my lap. I didn’t know that I would ever walk in New York Fashion Week, but it was presented to me and I was like, sure. Mind you, I had no idea at the time until I finished that I would be the first Black short model to walk New York Fashion Week for the first petite brand to showcase ever in New York Fashion Week history. So, that aligned with what I wanted for myself.
How did it feel to know that you were the first Black petite model to walk in fashion week?
It’s a lot to carry, but it’s an achievement.
What were some of the biggest moments you’ve had so far. Moments when you realized that you were creating what you wanted in your career?
Probably when I first saw myself on Elle, Marie Claire, and Harper’s Bizarre. It wasn’t on the cover, but it was like on the website, and it was just of me walking, and I was like, Wait, I’ve never done this before. I’ve walked many shows before, but I was never published in something like that. So I was like, Oh my God, this is actually real life. And It gave me a lot of credibility. The same people who wanted nothing to do with me before because I was 5”1’ model, suddenly were all over me on my Instagram page and my DMs like, “Oh my goodness, I didn’t know that you were on Harper’s Bizarre. I didn’t know that you were in Elle didn’t know you walked New York Fashion Week.” And they were just like, “Do you wanna work together now?” I was still going to castings after that, like Miami Swim Week castings and New York Fashion Week. And I got recognized and people knew me and it was shocking because I’m not this big-time celebrity yet. They’re like, yeah, I love Height Revolution. I love what you’re doing.
I saw on your feed that people have questioned your success and questioned how it came about. Some people doubt your cover stories. How did you deal with those accusations?
It’s annoying. I just feel like it’s disrespectful because I’ve put a lot of work even aside from creating my reality and creating these opportunities. I was absolutely working toward becoming a known short model and putting short models into the spotlight. That’s all I’ve wanted to do. It just so happened that this is how it’s going down. I think InStyle was my first ever cover for a high fashion magazine and I do remember when Pop Crave tweeted that about me. People were like, “Oh, well she bought the cover or she just knows people!” And it’s like, well, no, that’s not how that works. That’s not how I work. It’s very annoying because they did reach out to me, and I think it was New York Fashion Week that put me on their radar, put me on Harper’s Bazaar radar, put me on Grazia’s Radar and they were like, “Hey, we love what you’re doing. Would you like to be on the cover of this magazine?” I’m not gonna say no.
Before we get into your beliefs on mindset, I’d love to talk about how you ignore the outer voices. It can’t be easy to go first or to go into rooms where they’ve said you’re not tall enough but you still do. How do you do that so confidently?
To be very real with you I think not caring is a superpower. I have absolutely never cared what anyone had to say about me. I think it comes from being raised by two very strong parents. I walk into a room where they’ve said you have to be 5’9” and up to be cast. And I’d go anyway because I don’t care. And I end up getting casted. You just gotta not care. Really standing firm on what you want and really not letting anyone else outside of you tell you you can’t do this or, it’s not your time yet or this isn’t for you. It’s like, Well, you don’t know me and you’re not the creator here. You don’t run my reality. I just put myself in that position knowing this is mine. I know I want this, and I know it’s meant for me. I know I’m gonna get this. And I just go in with that confident mindset, and it works for me every time.
What advice would you give to others who want to manifest the life of their dreams?
You can’t really serve two masters. You can’t be like, “Oh I’m, I’m the most famous supermodel in the world. Everyone loves me, I have millions of fans!” And then the very next minute you’re like, “Where are my fans? Why isn’t it picking up?” That’s just one major common theme. The second one is that they just don’t believe in themselves. I feel like they don’t actually think that they are a creator of their reality, or they can create this, or good things can happen to them, or they think it’s too good to be true. So getting past all of that … I’ve been there too, but getting past all of that, you’ll become unstoppable.
People overcomplicate it. Literally, if you want to speak in simple terms and just tell someone like they’re five years old, the only thing I would say is to think as if you already have what you want and don’t think against it. That’s literally it.
And what about more practical, day-to-day advice? On going into those rooms without worrying about rejection — what’s your advice for pushing towards what you want?
If you really feel pulled toward a job or if you really feel pulled toward an aspiration, then I think that you are absolutely meant to do that and that’s absolutely meant to be your calling. You should take that in and really tell yourself that because that changes everything when you tell yourself, I’m meant to be this, I’m meant to be here. It’ll automatically just dissolve all of the [feelings of]l I don’t belong here or am I really fit to be here or everyone elset. It doesn’t matter anymore because you know that this is meant for you and this is what you’re supposed to be doing. So when you really know that about yourself, and even if you don’t truly know it, you just keep telling yourself that anyway. You’ll feel this random surge of confidence such as, “Well I don’t care if I’m Black and everyone else is white, or I don’t care if I’m 5’1” and everyone else in the room is 5’ 11” and up. It doesn’t matter because I know I’m meant to be here, and I’m meant to create the space for other people as well. It’s also knowing that this world is so diverse. To tell someone that they’re not meant to be a room just makes someone sound insane.
What are your next goals for Height Revolution?
We want to make it into an agency specifically for short women, but also specifically for people of color who are short. In the past there were a few short models who were assigned to major agencies like IMG,Wilhelmina, but they all had one thing in common and they were all white, and they were all blonde with blue eyes. There have been times where there were petite models but they weren’t diverse. I want to spread the word that yes, petite models are a thing, but we’re not only white. We’re also Black, we’re also Indian, we’re also Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Hispanic, we’re everything. There’s short girls everywhere. The average height in the entire world of women is 5’3”. So, just to represent the small, very tiny portion of women who are white, blonde hair, blue eyes is ridiculous. I am definitely speaking out more for people of color who are short and creating that space for them and creating opportunities for them. I’m also working on collaborating with a few agencies and designer brands who don’t have this prejudice against short models and creating something special with them as well.