Cassandra Bankson has conquered the runway!
The 19-year-old teen, who became a YouTube star after she posted her makeup tips for covering severe acne in December 2010, walked the catwalk at Stacy Igel's "Boy Meets Girls" New York Fashion Week STYLE360 show on Sept. 12.
After being bullied for acne, Bankson told Us Weekly that walking in the show was "unbelievable."
"I feel inspired," the teen, who had only modeled for print before, said. "I didn't think I could feel any more confident than when I was modeling with acne . . . but now I'm ready for anything, bring it!"
"This was something that I never thought I would've been involved in," she added. "First off, in modeling you've always heard you're too ugly or you have acne or you can't. Then all of a sudden being able to model on New York Fashion Week runway, it was like, 'Is this really happening?' "
But Bankson, a native of Danville, Calif., admitted that recent online comments proved they can still hurt.
"I called my boyfriend and said I can't do this anymore. People hate me and I don't feel loved or accepted," she recalled to Us. "He came over and for the second time he sat me down and he said, 'What the heck are you thinking? What is wrong with you? Stop trying to please everyone. You have helped this person do whatever.' And that was really the first time I was able to face the bully head strong," she shared. "I took that point and I said you know what I'm going to continue with this even if they don't like it . . . because someone does."
Bankson's boyfriend was the one who initially encouraged Bankson to post her first YouTube video and share her makeup skills for covering acne with the world. She added, "I know that I've helped someone and that's all that matters to me."
Bankson is now pursuing modeling and taking college courses with dreams of becoming a dermatologist, according to TODAY.
