ANTM Interview: ShaRaun Brown

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to sit in on a conference call with the first girl eliminated from America’s Next Top Model, 18-year-old (Brittany) ShaRaun Brown from Chicago! She chatted about her time on the show, what you didn’t see about her, and what’s next for the super-confident gal.

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Full interview is below the jump!

Where did your confidence come from? Why were you so confident on the show?

Everything you saw was 100 percent me. They portrayed me as very confident, which I a, but you didn’t get the full story about to my background and why I became I such a confident person. All my life I was teased and had such low self-esteem. People picked on me and made fun of me and I had no confidence whatsoever. Then I decided that I didn’t want to be that person anymore and I became a confident person. I decided that in order for people to love me, I had to love myself. I didn’t want to be the person with low self-esteem anymore.

Why did you change your name to ShaRaun?

There are tons and tons of Brittanys out there in the world. Not only are there tons of Brittanys on ANTM, there are tons in entertainment industry. ShaRaun is my middle name, so when Tyra asked to of us to change our names, I snatched it as my name and ran with it. Now I kinda of like it. It’s unique.

What about yourself could make you a top model?

You only saw a very, very small portion of me and who I am on the show. You couldn’t see every detail. You saw my confidence, but that’s it. You didn’t see how I spent my spring break in new Orleans and helped Katrina victims and building homes, or how I’m a virgin and practice abstinence. This is a very big part of my life, and as I practice this and go around and speak about this all over the country, trying to teach young girls about this choice. I’m a determined person and a driven person. I missed my prom and my graduation for all this show. I’m hungry and I’m young and I’m ready to break into the industry. I could have represented ANTM very, very, very well. Not only do I model, I dance. Tap, jazz, ballet, I do it all. I act, I’ve acted in numerous plays and small films. I’m a journalism major and was the host of our high school TV in Chicago. I would have represented Chicago and ANTM as well. I’m really a sweet person. I’m confident, but I’m humble as well. I’m so humbled and grateful for how far I made it on the show. I beat thousands and thousands of girls to make it this far and it was an invaluable experience I learned so much from.

Were you proud of your picture?

Yeah, I was proud of it. What did you don’t know is that ShaRaun has no prior modeling experience at all. My first photo shoot was with ANTM and my first walk was with Miss J. Other than in my living room or in front of my mirror or with friends, that’s it. I had no experience whatsoever, so coming from that and having made it this far is huge. If I had stayed in the competition a little longer, I could have become a better model and learn more about my face. I still have time, I’m still young. For my first picture, it wasn’t that bad.

Based on the photos, who do you think should have gone home?

This was the first photo shoot and everybody was very, very, very nervous. For this to have been pour first photo shoot, I think everyone did well and they really had a hard decision.

One of the judges commented on how you seemed a bit pageant-y. Do you have any pageant experience?

When I was young, I entered a Pretty Little Princess pageant. I was 11 and I got second place. After that, I didn’t get into the pageant experience. My mom told me I could only focusing on one thing, so I focused on my dancing and modeling and not pageantry. I didn’t pull from my pageantry to talk to the judges, it was so long ago and such a little part of my life!

What did you do to prepare for the interviews with the judges?

While waiting to talk to the judges, we had lots of time to wait, and I wanted to make sure I included everything I needed to do. I kept rehearsing in my head because I wanted to be thorough. I knew what I wanted to say and how I wanted to represent myself and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t forget anything!

Tyra Banks is a very confident person. Did you take cues from Tyra to build your confidence?

If anyone has ever seen Tyra on the runway, wow. She owns the runway, it’s hers. This is what separates her from all the other Victoria’s Secret models. While I don’t necessarily want to be Tyra or model myself after her, I did grow up looking up to her. Growing up, I had no confidence at all. I told myself to love myself no matter what. Looking at Tyra and mimicking Tyra was my motivation. I wasn’t trying to be like her, but my confidence is similar to hers. Her confidence got her to where she is today. She believed in herself and worked for what she wanted, and knows she belongs there. I feel like I had to own what I wanted too.

Were you surprised that you went home because of your confidence?

I was very, very, very surprised. I was raised to believe that that you have to go after what you want. If you don’t believe in yourself, no one else will believe in you. I beat myself so much when I was younger. Don’t let anyone walk over you. If you aren’t a confident and strong person, you aren’t going to make it far in life. When I saw I was eliminated for that reason, it sucked. I felt that if I came in shy, it would have been like yeah, eh oh well. It wouldn’t have impressed the judges and I wouldn’t have gone far. I just felt that my confidence was misinterpreted.

Do you regret your comments about Isis?

You know what? Everyone said things about her. They just didn’t show everyone’s comments. We were all asked questions about it, and I just said what I felt. Everyone has the right to their own opinion and I don regret it. But they didn’t show everything. They didn’t show me and Isis being cool or being friends. She was my girl, and we were very close in the house. They didn’t show the whole picture, just me making the drag queen comment.

Who do you want to see win ANTM?

That’s a very, very, very hard decision. I’m going to say Samantha. We became very close in the house as well. She has a very similar background to me. She’s a senior in high school like me and no modeling experience. We both really wanted to win this and we bonded over the fact we both missed our graduations and proms to be here. She’s so fresh and cool and would represent ANTM very well. But all the girls would, really. If any of them win, I would be happy.

What was your favorite part of the house?

Oh my god, you guys didn’t get to see it, but the closet was huge. It was a giant walk-in closet that was the size of a master bedroom. I was walked in it every day and pointed to what I wanted to wear, it was so cool.

What did you learn by being on the show?

I learned so, so much. I think that since the show, the best thing you can learn in life, is rejection. Rejection makes you stronger and it makes you a better person. I’ve taken so much from this show and learned so much. I don’t like the term rejection, eliminated is the right term. Now that I’ve been eliminated, I feel like I can conquer the world, that the sky is the limit. I learned so much about myself and about modeling and I’m ready to face it.

What’s next for you?

I’m not going to stop here. I’ve been so close and this is just a stepping stone. Everything happens for a reason. I’m going to keep pursing my dreams, it doesn’t matter. I’m so determined and so driven and because I was eliminated first, I can start my career right now, right this minute. I plan to do modeling and also explore my other talents like dancing and acting. I’m taking a year off school to focus on my career and pursue my dreams. It’s still my dream and I’m going to succeed in life and be a model. Yeah, modeling. By the fall of 2009, I want to be in New York. It depends on what agency I get signed with, but that’s where I want to be, getting my career going.

Thank you for speaking with us today, ShaRaun, it was a pleasure!

Thank you!