America's Next Natural Model

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Going-Natural.com celebrates America's Next Natural Model, the online pageant that embodies Black Beauty, Brains & Empowerment

The online pageant can best be described as America's Next Top Model meets American idol but it takes place online at going-natural.com, one of the fastest growing social networks that has been instrumental in the development of natural hair care.

America's Next Natural Model is the brainchild of Mireille Liong-A-Kong, a Black woman who holds a Master's Degree in IT and wears her hair natural. The Social Entrepreneur who personally suffered from relaxer induced alopecia, a hair loss disorder that affects 73% of African American women, started the pageant to promote the beauty of natural hair with the goal to spread awareness and help improve the health of Black women's hair.

Although the avant-garde competition is rooted in social media, it already has sprouted its marks into the real world. Tiana Tamara Townsel, the first ever winner of the competition became Miss Black Washington in 2008. This year's winner Chassity Beynum was featured on NBC, in a fashion photo and video shoot for New York haute couture designer Adrian Alicea. Both were sponsored by Iman Cosmetics and Sula NYC.

The competition that promotes the beauty of natural hair may be Liong's most successful project yet. America's Next Natural Model is the perfect match between upcoming models who need more experience and businesses looking for social media exposure.

While the beauty contestants get free products, endorsement opportunities, a chance to win a photo shoot in New York and $1,000 cash, sponsoring companies can be "facebook liked" by the tens of thousands of potential buyers who make up the growing social network. Interested bloggers can also join to get early access to exclusive resources and photos to use for their blogs.

The competition starts this month and lasts for eight weeks.

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