It was one week ago exactly that America’s Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman had her “a star is born” moment. We haven’t seen one of those in years, where someone who is not in the public consciousness whatsoever comes out and delivers something – a performance, a book, a poem, a moment – in front of the world and everyone is like “WOW, who is that?!?” Amanda is only 22 years old and her poem “The Hill We Climb” stole the show at Joe Biden’s inauguration. The poem itself is beautiful and hopeful and I’m still crying whenever I think about the message, delivered two weeks after armed goons tried to overthrow democracy. She wore a pretty yellow Prada coat and jewelry gifted to her by Oprah Winfrey. And now Amanda might be looking to supplement her poetry and public speaking income with some modeling:

Amanda Gorman’s climb continues as the inaugural poet has signed with IMG Models. The 22-year-old Los Angeles native, who recited her original work “The Hill We Climb” on Jan. 20 and instantly became the breakout star of the inauguration ceremony as the world looked on, now has a team of reps that includes Writers House, WME and the law firm Gang, Tyre, Ramer, Brown and Passman. As Gorman’s partner in the fashion and beauty industries, IMG Models will focus on building her profile through brand endorsements and editorial opportunities.

About that profile: Following her turn at the podium, Gorman mingled and took photos with former first couples Barack and Michelle Obama and Bill and Hillary Clinton. She received well wishes online from Oprah Winfrey and Lin-Manuel Miranda and made appearances on Good Morning America and on CNN with Anderson Cooper. Her upcoming books — The Hill We Climb and Other Poems and the children’s book Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem — shot to the top of Amazon’s best-seller charts ahead of September debuts.

It’s safe to say that all eyes are on Gorman to see what she does next. Meanwhile, she’s already got millions following those moves. Following Inauguration Day, her social media footprint skyrocketed and she went from 7,000 Twitter followers to 1.4 million. On Instagram, she racked up north of 3.1 million followers and counting. The fashion industry also took notice thanks to a look by Prada and accessories including a caged bird ring and earrings gifted to her by Winfrey. WWD dubbed Gorman “a new kind of style icon,” while Vogue reported that the red headband she wore is already sold out.

[From THR]

To be clear, I doubt Amanda will, like, walk the runways in Paris. But she’ll definitely be offered some sponsorships and brands will try to get her endorsement, especially on social media. I could definitely see her doing print ads for a jewelry line, something like that. This really will be about building her brand all around – designers will want to dress her for her book tour and media appearances, and she should absolutely find ways to commodify her newfound stardom. Most poets are not making a lot of money, you know? I’m all for the fashion, beauty and jewelry industry helping to supplement her income.

Oh, and this came out earlier today: Amanda will perform a new poem AT THE SUPER BOWL. For real!!!

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