This swimsuit model-slash-security guard could kick your ass
Cincinnati OH Nov 6 2017 Growing up in Cincinnati, Iyonna Fairbanks knew she wanted to pose in front of the camera from a young age. She looked up to ’90s supermodels like Naomi Campbell and Cindy Crawford.
“I love [modeling], and I’m so passionate about it,” Fairbanks, 25, tells The Post.
Now she’s one step closer to her dream, after being named an open-casting-call finalist for the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. But her life hasn’t always been so glamorous — she still has a 9-to-5 job as a security guard at a chemical plant in her hometown.
“It’s so weird because at my job, people aren’t into this type of stuff — they don’t really treat me any different at work,” Fairbanks says.
But now, Fairbanks, who’s also a red belt in tae kwon do, is ready to take on the modeling world on her own terms.
“I’ve submitted a few times for other modeling contests, but it seemed like they’re out of my league,” she says. “With more mainstream modeling — they like petite, tall and skinny with long hair — and that’s not me . . . [Sports Illustrated] is embracing diversity like no other, and I want to be a part of it.”
