Meet Trailblazer Sarah Belliveau

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sarah Belliveau.

Sarah, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in New England splitting time between Massachusetts and Virginia. My family moved out to Colorado when I was 11 years old and I have been out here since. I never thought I would be a model. If you talked to me nine years ago, I would have been talking about how I was working towards becoming a D1 gymnast. I did competitive gymnastics for seven years and ended at a pretty high level. When I was 12, I was diagnosed with severe anxiety and then a year later, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called Vitiligo. After my career as a gymnast ended, I went to platform and springboard diving which I enjoyed but wasn’t my future. As I got into high school, I wasn’t really sure what to do with myself because I had been so invested in sports since I was little. I got back into soccer just as something to do and keep myself busy. I was first introduced into the modeling world in my sophomore year when I signed with my current agency and when my cousin dragged me to a casting. At the casting, the people running it told me I should consider modeling. I didn’t really take modeling seriously until a couple of years ago. I’ve walked in Denver Fashion Week multiple seasons, done hair shows for Paul Mitchell, and walked in other shows as well as countless shoots. One of the main reasons modeling is very important to me and my happiness is because even though modeling is a very cut throat industry it gave me confidence. I will never forget one of my first photoshoots the makeup artist was fixing my hair while I was on set and she asked what was on my knees and I told her about my vitiligo and she said it was one of the most beautiful things she had seen. At that moment on, I started to appreciate my vitiligo and decided to stop hiding it under baggy and long clothes. When the modeling industry found me, I didn’t know who I was and I didn’t have self-confidence. If you look at me now, I embrace every inch of my vitiligo and I am the most confident I’ve ever been. And on top of that, when I model, all of my anxiety goes away. Modeling has impacted every part of my life in the best way possible and I couldn’t be more grateful to have found something that makes my heart truly happy.

We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc. – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
The road is never smooth. I’ve been lucky enough to have people supporting me every step of the way. One of the most important things I learned was that you have to surround yourself with supporters and people who are as determined as you. If you spent your time with people who aren’t like minded it will hold you back. One of the bigger struggles I dealt with was mental illness and stigmas that come with it. My immediate family struggled with severe mental illness. While that story doesn’t directly involve me, I’ve learned that my story of being there and helping matters just as much. Some advice I have for some other women would be if you aren’t happy, stop. Doing a job or something that doesn’t make you happy is a waste of time. Life is too short to be doing something you hate. When you start doing the things you love, that’s when the self-confidence and support comes too. And no matter what you do, there will be a rough road. The obstacles are going to be different for everyone but that one similarity is that you have to find the voice inside of you that says keep going. It is quiet and hidden but if you’re determined enough, you will hear and work past everything.

What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others.
I am able to participate in photoshoots and runway shows. I don’t specialize in either but love both equally. I love photoshoots because I just transform into another character depending on the outfit and makeup. I love being able to be this girly girl one day and then the next day be this edgy rocker girl. I get to be so many different things and express every part of myself. Runway is a beast of its own. The chaos that happens behind the scenes never stops but it is so exciting. You get to meet so many different people and make amazing connections and relationships. The actual catwalk part is so exciting because all these hours working up to the actual show. The music just takes over and you walk. There is just something special to it that I can’t quite explain. I am most proud of the passion I have found in this industry. Every day and after every job, my passion grows more and more. My vitiligo definitely sets me apart from others because you can either enhance it for a more high fashion look or easily cover it with makeup for a super commercial look. A good friend of mine, Taylor Kramer, and I created an Instagram page called “Perfvit” which stands for Perfect Vitiligo. Since we both have vitiligo, I want to bring awareness to it with our modeling. I’m not going to go into too much detail because we are still in the process of creating our image and everything but that is another thing I’m proud of. Taking a struggle of mine and turning it into a positive and a way to empower others.

What’s the most important piece of advice you could give to a young woman just starting her career?
You are you. You have to learn to accept yourself and be confident in your own skin before you become truly successful. Otherwise, it will eventually come back to bite you. And I cannot stress how important happiness is. If you are doing what makes you happy, that happiness will infect the rest of your life in a great way. Whatever it is do it. Personally, I would rather fail at trying to do something that makes me happy than succeed at something that I hate because finding true happiness is a success in itself.

Contact Info:

• Address: 7616 Blue Water Drive
• Website: https://www.donnabaldwin.com/Models/Female/307/Sarah-Belliveau
• Phone: 9788444793
• Email: Scbelliveau@gmail.com
• Instagram: scbelli

Image Credit:
Clara Normen, Logan Weaver, Nic Donovan, Kevin Alexander, Alec Tremaine, Ayvin Arthur

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