Cassandra Bankson
{{Short description|American model and online personality}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}}
{{Infobox model
| name = Cassandra Bankson
| image = Cassandra Bankson, US model (cropped).jpg
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1992|11|11}}
| birth_place = San Francisco, California, U.S.
| other_names =
| occupation = Model, online personality, esthetician
| website =
}}
Cassandra Bankson (born November 11, 1992) is an American model, medical aesthetician, and online social media personality from San Francisco, California.{{cite web|url=http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/inspirational-people/mother-daughter-confidence-inspiration |title=Inspiring Confidence - Inspirational Stories About Mothers and Daughters |publisher=Good Housekeeping |date= April 17, 2012|access-date=August 12, 2012}} She has been featured on Good Morning America,{{cite web |url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/cassandra-banksons-makeup-tips-tricks-cover-severe-acne-15094910 |title=Cassandra Bankson's Makeup Tips: Tricks to Cover Up Severe Acne Go Viral | Video |work=ABC News |date=December 6, 2011 |access-date=January 27, 2015}} Today,{{cite web|url=https://www.today.com/video/youtube-makeup-guru-talks-beauty-and-confidence-44510787742 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422053758/http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/47099293 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 22, 2012 |title=YouTube makeup guru talks beauty and confidence|publisher=Today |access-date=June 23, 2020|date=April 18, 2012}} The Doctors, and The Anderson Cooper Show, among other international{{cite web |url=http://today.ninemsn.com.au/videoindex.aspx?uuid=BE4E5480-E7C7-4BC3-B7A9-8E9D5914E296 |title=Teenage role model |publisher=Today.ninemsn.com.au |date=June 23, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130906063716/http://today.ninemsn.com.au/videoindex.aspx?uuid=BE4E5480-E7C7-4BC3-B7A9-8E9D5914E296 |archive-date=September 6, 2013 |url-status=dead }} television shows. She has been featured in magazines{{cite web|url=http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/inspirational-people/mother-daughter-confidence-inspiration |title=Good Housekeeping |publisher=Good Housekeeping |date= April 17, 2012|access-date=September 15, 2012}} and websites including Vogue, Seventeen, Glamour, Forbes, People,{{Cite web|title=According to Experts, These Insect Repellents and Bug Bite Soothers Really Work|url=https://people.com/lifestyle/summer-bug-bites-best-insect-repellents/|access-date=2021-07-29|website=PEOPLE.com|language=en}} In Touch Weekly, Us Weekly, Cosmopolitan,{{Cite web|last=Capon|first=Laura|date=2021-06-08|title=A Skinfluencer's Top Tips for Managing Acne|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/style-beauty/beauty/a36617170/cassandra-bankson-skincare-acne-tips/|access-date=2021-07-29|website=Cosmopolitan|language=en-US}} POPSUGAR,{{Cite web|last=Harrington|first=Jessica|date=2021-06-22|title=How Cassandra Bankson Became "Your Acne Big Sister" With Over 1.5M YouTube Followers|url=https://www.popsugar.com/node/48387430|access-date=2021-07-29|website=POPSUGAR Beauty|language=en-US}} First for Women, and the cover of Reveal Magazine{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J5KTCeU4N4 |title=REVEAL Magazine & Summer Evenings OOTD :) (Pre- Recorded Video) |publisher=YouTube |date=June 18, 2012 |access-date=September 15, 2012}}{{cite web |url=http://gettingridofacnemarks.com/reveal-magazine-ootd-pre-recorded-video/ |title=REVEAL Magazine & OOTD :) (Pre- Recorded Video) |publisher=Gettingridofacnemarks.com |date=June 18, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2012 |archive-date=October 17, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017132121/http://gettingridofacnemarks.com/reveal-magazine-ootd-pre-recorded-video/ |url-status=dead }} and newspapers USA Today,{{Cite web|last=Ryu|first=Jenna|title=Does dairy cause acne? Debunking all the lies we've been told about our skin|url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/health-wellness/2021/06/11/acne-awareness-month-skincare-experts-debunk-acne-myths/7604785002/|access-date=2021-07-29|website=USA TODAY|language=en-US}} The New York Post, and Pleasanton Weekly.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/Diamondsandheels14 |title=DiamondsAndHeels14 SUBSCRIBE if you like being HAPPY!!!!! |publisher=YouTube |date= |access-date=September 15, 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/diamondsandheels14 |title=DiamondsAndHeels14 SUBSCRIBE if you like being HAPPY!!!!! |publisher=YouTube |date= |access-date=August 12, 2012}}
Early life
Bankson was born to Jennifer and Richard Bankson in San Francisco.{{Citation needed|date=April 2024}} She grew up in the affluent suburbs of the San Francisco bay area and was raised in a predominantly Christian household. At age eight, Bankson developed a rather innocuous strain of Acne vulgaris, which later transformed into an aggressive strain of acne conglobata by the time she was fourteen. Eventually her severe skin condition had progressed to the extent that it engulfed her entire face and most of her body. Bankson's parents tried tirelessly to treat their daughter's acne by taking her to 16 different specialists across the United States and western Europe, which proved unsuccessful{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}. Bankson was bullied relentlessly for her severe acne and eventually pulled out of school as a result{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}. She later studied with a private tutor to complete her education. Along with her skin condition, she also has uterus didelphys, a condition wherein she possesses two vaginas, two uteruses, and two cervixes.{{cite web|url=http://www.people.com/article/youtube-star-cassandra-bankson-reveals-two-vaginas|title=YouTube Star Cassandra Bankson Reveals She Has Two Vaginas|work=People.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160526223904/http://www.people.com/article/youtube-star-cassandra-bankson-reveals-two-vaginas|archive-date=May 26, 2016|url-status=dead|date=April 30, 2015}}
Career
=Modeling=
Bankson had been working with local professional photographers and model coach Charleston Pierce{{cite web|url=http://charlestonpierce.com/ |title=Fashion Show Producer, Model Coach, Actor, Event Host in San Francisco & Beyond |publisher=Charleston Pierce |date= |access-date=August 12, 2012}} when she decided to submit professional shots to modeling agencies in San Francisco.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}
Bankson attended auditions for America's Next Top Model in Blackhawk and Los Angeles, but did not make it to the televised stages. Bankson has modeled for companies including Citizens of Humanity,{{cite web|url=http://www.citizensofhumanity.com |title=citizensofhumanity.com |publisher=citizensofhumanity.com |date= |access-date=September 15, 2012}} HP, Davidson and Licht, Farouk Hair Systems, "Guess By Marciano" CHI (with Miss America Contestants and Abel Salazar), Biosilk, Prada, Bebe,{{cite web|url=http://www.bebe.com |title=bebe.com |publisher=bebe.com |date= |access-date=September 15, 2012}} along with appearing in other catalogs, magazines, local TV programmes, and runway shows.
In April and May 2012, Bankson took part in appearances throughout Sephora stores in partnership with Hourglass Cosmetics.{{cite web|author=Beth Hamilton says |url=http://www.beautyjunkieinsf.com/2012/04/san-francisco-beauty-events-hourglass-cosmetics-at-sephora-powell-street-may-19th/ |title=San Francisco Beauty Events: Hourglass Cosmetics at Sephora Powell Street May 19th 2012 |publisher=Beauty Junkie in SF |date= |access-date=August 12, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/330434/20120419/cassandra-bankson-youtube-acne-videos-hourglass-cosmetics.htm |title=YouTube Makeup Guru Cassandra Bankson Partners With Hourglass Cosmetics, Sephora To Talk Acne - International Business Times |publisher=Ibtimes.com |date=April 19, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2012}}{{cite web |last=Rubin |first=Julia |url=http://www.styleite.com/beauty/cassandra-bankson/ |title=Cassandra Bankson Interview |publisher=Styleite |date=April 16, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2012 |archive-date=August 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120818131830/http://www.styleite.com/beauty/cassandra-bankson/ |url-status=dead }}
On September 13, 2012, Bankson walked at the Boy Meets Girl runway show at New York Fashion Week.{{cite news| url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/13/cassandra-bankson-acne-model-fashion-week_n_1881623.html | work=Huffington Post | first=Jessica | last=Misener | title=PHOTO: Acne-Plagued YouTube Star Walks The Catwalk | date=September 13, 2012}}
=YouTube=
In 2010, Bankson began making videos on the YouTube channel "Diamondsandheels14" on topics such as makeup, fashion, and lifestyle. She has since re-branded to "Cassandra Bankson" with a focus on skincare that is both Cruelty Free and Vegan.{{Cite web|title=Cassandra Bankson - YouTube|url=https://www.youtube.com/cassandrabankson|access-date=2021-05-21|website=www.youtube.com}}
The channel's most popular video, titled "Foundation Routine For Flawless Skin Acne Coverage", showing Bankson's bare skin and her secrets to cover her severe acne, gained international attention including that of Right This Minute, Good Morning America, "Anderson", The Today Show, The Insider, MSN, Fox News, and the front page of AOL, Yahoo, and MSN. After posting the video, she didn't look at the comments for four months, afraid of being bullied online.{{cite web|url=http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/47099293#47099293 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120422053758/http://video.today.msnbc.msn.com/today/47099293#47099293 |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 22, 2012 |title=YouTube makeup guru talks beauty and confidence - Video on TODAY.com |publisher=MSNBC |date= |access-date=August 12, 2012}} She posted the video hoping it would help "just one person".{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/amazing-makeup-makeover-15094875 |title=Teen's Anti- Acne Makeup Routine Goes Viral | Video - ABC News |publisher=Abcnews.go.com |date=December 6, 2011 |access-date=August 12, 2012}}{{cite web|url=http://americanhomesandgardens.com/Fashion%20Foundation%20Routine%20Flawless%20Skin.html |title=Flawless Foundation Routine |publisher=Americanhomesandgardens.com |date=May 20, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2012}}
The video has since gained well over 21 million views.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ex33wtqnNz8 |title=Acne Foundation Routine! Pimples, Scars, Cystic Acne, Blackheads & Oil! | Cassandra Bankson |publisher=YouTube |date=December 15, 2010 |access-date=October 15, 2015}}
Bankson "made it her mission" to help others with makeup, confidence, acne, and skin conditions online.{{cite web |author=Style It Social |url=http://styleitsocial.com/stylists/celebrity/cassandra-bankson/ |title=Cassandra Bankson |publisher=Style It Social |access-date=August 12, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120628234732/http://styleitsocial.com/stylists/celebrity/cassandra-bankson/ |archive-date=June 28, 2012 |url-status=dead }} Her daily videos have also received international press and media attention{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-21OZIykqbo |title=Une Youtubeuse beauté passe sur m6 ! - DiamondsAndHeels14 |publisher=YouTube |date=June 25, 2012 |access-date=August 12, 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUR5_8fPLRE&list=UUHj2_6e0Y2YdzHZDkkLa53Q&index=0&feature=plcp |title=Secret Diet Busters! Foods That Are Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Diamondsandheels14 Cassandra Bankson |publisher=YouTube |date=July 7, 2012 |access-date=September 15, 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KN67xkJBJAw&list=UUHj2_6e0Y2YdzHZDkkLa53Q&index=1&feature=plcp |title=SALE HAUL!!! Express Summer Fashion Haul!!! Shop On A Budget & Save! |publisher=YouTube |date=June 30, 2012 |access-date=September 15, 2012}} She is a 'vlogger',{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v79VrCfaocE&list=UUHj2_6e0Y2YdzHZDkkLa53Q&index=4&feature=plcp |title=Summer Clothing Haul!! Forever 21, Bebe, Nordstrom & More! Cassandra Bankson Diamondsandheels14 |publisher=YouTube |date=June 17, 2012 |access-date=September 15, 2012}}{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tGy6nHCD3c&list=UUHj2_6e0Y2YdzHZDkkLa53Q&index=8&feature=plcp |title=Beauty On A Budget! 7 Drugstore Makeup Products To Love! Diamondsandheels14 |publisher=YouTube |date= June 23, 2012|access-date=September 15, 2012}} and has also posted videos for men who suffer with acne.{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zws_-S2nT0k&list=UUHj2_6e0Y2YdzHZDkkLa53Q&index=7&feature=plcp |title=Shaving Over Acne WIthout Making It Worse! Does Shaving Cause Acne? Cassandra Bankson |publisher=YouTube |date=July 13, 2012 |access-date=September 15, 2012}}
As of May, 2021, her YouTube channel has over 1.47 million subscribers and 178 million video views.{{cite web|last=Bankson |first=Cassandra |url=https://www.youtube.com/user/CassandraBankson |title=Cassandra Bankson |publisher=YouTube |date= |access-date=October 15, 2015}} Along with YouTube, Bankson has a large following on other social media sites such as TikTok,{{Cite web|title=Cassandra Bankson (@cassandrabankson) TikTok {{!}} Watch Cassandra Bankson's Newest TikTok Videos|url=https://www.tiktok.com/@cassandrabankson|access-date=2021-05-21|website=TikTok|language=en}} Instagram,{{Cite web|title=Login • Instagram|url=https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/|access-date=2021-05-25|website=www.instagram.com}} Facebook,{{Cite web|title=Cassandra Bankson|url=https://www.facebook.com/sincerelycass11|access-date=2021-05-21|website=www.facebook.com|language=en}} Twitter,{{cite web|date=|title=Cassandra Bankson (@Cassbankson) op Twitter|url=https://www.twitter.com/cassbankson|url-status=live|access-date=August 12, 2012|publisher=Twitter.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521222954/https://twitter.com/cassbankson |archive-date=May 21, 2021 }} and Pinterest.{{Cite web|title=Cassandra Bankson (CassandraBankson) - Profile|url=https://www.pinterest.com/CassandraBankson/|access-date=2021-05-21|website=Pinterest|language=en}} As of May 2021, she has over 230 thousand followers on Tiktok and 115 thousand followers on Instagram.
Bankson's story and her popular YouTube video were featured in an episode of Investigation Discovery's Karma's A B*tch.{{citation needed|date=October 2016}}
= Career milestones =
Bankson is an Amazon affiliate and hosts weekly livestreams on the platform.{{Cite web|title=Cassandra Bankson - Skincare Expert's Amazon Page|url=https://www.amazon.com/shop/cassandrabankson|access-date=2021-05-21|website=www.amazon.com|language=en-us}}
On February 18, 2021, Cassandra was a special guest on the #AskINKEYAskathon, a 4-hour virtual event hosted by skincare brand The Inkey List. This event was dedicated to educating and empowering attendees and answering their skincare questions.{{Cite web|title=askATHON|url=https://www.theinkeylist.com/pages/askathon%20|access-date=2021-05-21|website=The Inkey List USA|archive-date=May 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210521235301/https://www.theinkeylist.com/pages/askathon%20|url-status=dead}}
In June 2021, Cassandra served as a brand ambassador for The INKEY List in honor of Acne Awareness Month and led social media discussions about skincare, hosted a Q& A with brand founders, created original video content advising a select group of subscribers on their skincare journeys, and more.
She has been named a “rising woman of power” by Forbes{{cite web | last=Humphrey | first=Michael | title=Cassandra Bankson: 5 Questions For YouTube's Rising Women Of Power | website=Forbes | date=11 October 2012 | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelhumphrey/2012/10/11/cassandra-bankson-5-questions-for-youtubes-rising-women-of-power/ | access-date=16 July 2024}} has had frequent guest appearances on The Today Show and has been featured as a 10-year beauty expert on Good Morning America{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}. She has also been dubbed a top TikTok skincare influencer by Cosmopolitan magazine and appeared on a podcast with Dr. Anthony Yuon discussing TikTok skincare trends.
In 2021, Cassandra sat down with notable women in business including Randi Zuckerberg and Melissa Rivers, where she discussed topics ranging from entrepreneurship to mental health struggles.
= Humanitarian work =
Bankson has taken her role as an advocate for human rights to the next level as a brand ambassador for Food For Life Global, a charity that provides school children with ethically sourced and nutritionally balanced meals in conjunction with hunger relief programs.{{Cite web|title=Executive Committee and Governing Board|url=https://ffl.org/about-us/executive-committee-and-governing-board/|access-date=2021-07-29|website=Food for Life Global|language=en|archive-date=February 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226015827/https://ffl.org/about-us/executive-committee-and-governing-board/|url-status=dead}} She has also partnered with Prabh Aasra (Universal Disabled CareTaker Social Welfare Society){{citation needed|date=January 2022}}, a home in Punjab with a core mission to give unconditional opportunity, treatment/rehabilitation and shelter to those that are struggling with different forms of illness as well as orphaned and abandoned children.
Personal life
Bankson is a vegan.{{cite web|last1=Shammas|first1=John|title=YouTube star Cassandra Bankson reveals she has TWO vaginas but insists: 'I don't let it bother me'|url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/youtube-star-cassandra-bankson-reveals-5607317|website=mirror.co.uk|publisher=Mirror|access-date=May 6, 2017|date=April 30, 2015}}
On April 30, 2018, she came out as a lesbian on her YouTube channel.{{cite web|title=SURPRISE!! I'm GAY! (Coming Out)|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXHLPCkS2hE&t=1s&list=WL&index=8|website=youtube.com|access-date=May 8, 2017}} In her coming out story, she mentions "an obligation to be fully authentic."{{Cite web|last=Castañon|first=Kelsey|title=Cassandra Bankson Shares Why She Came Out To Her 800K YouTube Followers|url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/04/197508/cassandra-bankson-coming-out-story|access-date=2021-05-21|website=www.refinery29.com|language=en}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category}}
- {{Official website|https://www.youtube.com/diamondsandheels14/ }} on YouTube
- [https://www.cdc.gov/hai/organisms/staph.html General Information about Staphylococcus aureus] from US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bankson, Cassandra}}
Category:Female models from California
Category:American women video bloggers
Category:American make-up artists
Category:American LGBTQ models
Category:American lesbian writers
Category:American video bloggers
Category:YouTubers from California
Category:People with supernumerary body parts
Category:LGBTQ people from San Francisco