Subscribers to Maxim Magazine in the Comox Valley could soon see a local gal gracing the front page.
Stephanie Mitchell, a 24-year-old model from Courtenay, is currently leading an international contest to appear on the cover of an upcoming edition of the famous men’s magazine.
The 2018 Maxim Cover Girl contest started with 1,440 women. Despite the fierce competition, Mitchell is currently in first place in her group and is the last Vancouver Island-based model still in the contest.
The final round of 24 models will be announced next week. The winner of the contest will be revealed June 28 and will shoot with Maxim in July, as well as receive $10,000.
Mitchell said winning the contest would “open so many doors” for her career as a fashion, commercial, and swimsuit model.
“There are small magazines and then there are big magazines,” she said.
“The big magazines consist of Maxim, Vogue, and Sports Illustrated. If you get featured in any of those, it’s like an explosion for your career.”
Video courtesy Maxim.
Mitchell grew up in Courtenay and graduated from G.P. Vanier Secondary in 2012.
While studying at Vanier, she got involved with the Explore Program and played clarinet in the school’s music program.
She said her upbringing in the Valley and her teachers shaped her into who she is today.
“It was my teachers who kept pushing me to be my better self and taught me that dreams are possible and that anything can be achieved if you’re willing to try really hard,” she said. “Ever since growing up, that was drilled into me as a kid.”
Though she’s been modeling since she was young, it was only in recent years that Mitchell began to consider it as a career. She moved to Victoria in 2014 to pursue a social work degree at the University of Victoria and got picked up by a professional modeling agency.
“I never thought in a million years that I’d be in the fashion industry,” she said. “But all of a sudden, I started liking it more and more and decided, ‘hey why not? I love it this much, I might as well try and make it a career.’ It just went from there.”
Mitchell has since featured in several publications, including U.S.-based Scorpio Jin and Elegant Magazine.
She will also feature on the cover of Victoria-based Yam Magazine’s July issue, and said she will move to Toronto later this month to join Icon Model Management.
She said her love of modeling stems from the creativity and confidence being in front of the camera allows her to express.
“I can be myself, I can be creative, and I can have a lot of fun with it,” she said. “I love to travel and travelling is a big thing in the modeling industry, whether it’s for runway or to shoot in different parts of the world.
“And fashion is kind of my guilty pleasure.”
To vote for Mitchell, visit bit.ly/2HQJtbr (Disclaimer that URL links to a page with partial nudity).
Voters are eligible to vote once per day.
