Bioderma BACKSTAGE

Empowered self-respect and a space to create with Jarry Lee

Empowerment is the source from where self-respect springs! The path to self-respect and self-empowerment is not always easy. But fortunately, we were able to catch up with Jarry Lee, an entrepreneur with a colorful, professional background from editing to modeling. While catching up, we asked Jarry to tell us a little about what personally empowers her and her views on self-respect! Drawing passion from an array of different pursuits in life, she is ultimately driven by the acceptance and love of herself. Throughout her career, Jarry has overcome the adversity of stigmas in the modern beauty industry to create space for her dreams to thrive

"Growing up, I never really saw Asian women in media, commercials, television/film, etc. I would have never imagined my current career path as an option for me, so these days I'm interested in exploring other new passions I wouldn't have anticipated as well! I want to do everything and learn about as many different creative pursuits as possible — I enjoy creating art in any form and collaborating with others whose talents I admire. It's been really illuminating learning more about business and entrepreneurship as well, which I plan to delve deeper into over the next couple of years."

Bioderma Backstage Jarry Lee Empowerment Self Respect

"I really admire Bobbi Brown's approach to makeup that enhances one's natural beauty and skin, rather than covering it up. Imperfections are human and beautiful, so I prefer seeing skin texture over thick foundation. I love accentuating either the eyes or lips and keeping the rest simple."

What would be one message you’d like to share with young aspiring women at the start of their careers?

"We're fortunate to be living in a time where women can more easily create their own career paths. Especially with the networking and self-marketing opportunities that the rise of social media has provided, there's no better time to explore one's passions. So many industries have changed and continue to change, embracing diversity and inclusivity and encouraging women to pursue positions of leadership and entrepreneurship. Don't be afraid to take a risk and make a career choice that is unconventional — it's far riskier to play it safe. If your dream job doesn't exist, there may be space to create it."

You’ve expressed your commitment to the empowerment of women – what makes YOU feel empowered?

"It makes me feel empowered (and fortunate) to be able to be my own boss — I love defining my own schedule and choosing which projects I want to take on, or not. That freedom to pursue only what I'm interested in and passionate about is extremely empowering."

"I didn't have any prior knowledge or experience in the industries I'm in now, which was a challenge at first. But keeping open-minded and adaptable helped me become a quick learner. I believe you can be successful in an industry you know nothing about as long as you are determined and committed to putting in the work. There's also still stigma against models who are average height (or under 5'9") but my work ethic has helped me stand out and surpass competitors."

We believe your choices deserve respect, your skin too! What does respect mean to you?

"Respect comes first within yourself. To me, it means accepting and loving who you are and standing by your own beliefs, decisions, integrity. Only then will others also respect you."

Jarry truly paves her own path, empowering herself with self-respect, while also managing to break the status quo! She takes empowerment from being her own boss and defining what works best for her. Motivated by self-autonomy, she believes any pure form of empowerment must come from within. Keeping these rules in mind, Jarry creates for herself a world that is empowering and scheduled to her own time!

To keep up with Jarry, be sure to visit her website and follow her on social!

Photo Credit : Jessica Osber, Matt Oliver, Devin Cruz, Jim Sewasty