DALEY, MIKENNA ISOLDE

kenna giggled, shaking her head, both hands up as if she was surrendering, silently saying it's okay, it wasn't a big deal. she made her way into the room, sitting down on the chair across from the woman, back straight, ankles crossed and hands resting on her knees. she smiled warmly at the interviewer, "well my name is mikenna isolde daley (pronounced daily), but i prefer to go by kenna." there had been instances where people called her mickey or izzy, which she honestly didn't mind, but if she had it her way, she would rather people call her kenna, just because she thought it sounded like a nicer name. plus, there were less syllables involved. "i turned twenty two on july nineteenth and as of september, i am a university junior. i am doing my major in journalism and a minor in tourism mainly because i am currently a blogger. i mostly blog about fashion, but sometimes i like to change it up for my readers." it hadn't started out that way. it hadn't always been about fashion. it was about things she cared about. like, for example, mental illnesses or bringing awareness to the third world countries. things that mattered, but then she got discovered by a modelling agency and she just never had the time to write about the global issues because she was too busy promoting brands that sponsored her and paid her tuition fees. "i am also a model; i have done catwalks for marc jacobs, sherri hill, tommy hilfiger, etc. nothing too fancy" she said, a blush forming on her cheeks as she ducks her head, hiding her face behind her red hair. 

she bit down on her lip. had she said too much? was that considered a lot? she hadn't thought she mentioned too much information, but maybe the woman thought kenna was bragging? she tilted her head up hesitantly, straightening her posture again, "i was born in belfast, ireland, thus the red hair." people were often surprised to find that she was a natural redhead. she didn't have the stereotypical freckles, fiery temper, or wild at heart soul (or lack thereof according to some). she also didn't follow the irish stereotypes of being a big drinker, their cynicism, ending every disagreement with a brawl or cussed like sailors. "but, i moved to toronto when i was eight. since then i've been going back and forth between new york, los angeles, toronto, and belfast a lot." 

"a couple of my brothers are around here somewhere, and a few of my friends from the modelling agency also live in los angeles. but my blogging crew are my family. they live here as well, but they pretty much go wherever i go unless they have other side jobs they have to do."

kenna hesitated for a moment, shrugging a little as she chuckled nervously, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "there's not much to hear. i'm one of eight daley children." she pauses, and chuckles at the woman's drop of the jaw, "yes, eight. i'm the third youngest. i've got four brothers and three sisters. i have a big family, i know. you should see how many relatives i have." she joked, a small laugh escaping her lips. "my parents split up when i was eight, which is why i moved to toronto. it was a pretty clean divorce except for the fact that my siblings and i were split half and half." now that kenna thought about it, it was kind of awful the way they split the family up. it was like gym class where the team captains chose their favourites. despite her father's protest, her mother got custody of her younger sister and herself, and two of her older brothers. her father, needless to say, got her two older sister, one of her older brothers and her younger brother. "i had a relatively normal childhood. i mean, other than the part where my mother put my little sister and i through talent agencies to model in ads, tv commercials, the whole nine yard. it wasn't that bad, i suppose. i was too young to really put up a fight with my mother." it hadn't been until her early preteen years that she had wanted to stop and actually spend her life not behind cameras. an idea her mother wasn't very fond of. her little sister enjoyed the life of a model, thrived on the attention. kenna, on the other hand, would rather focus on her studies and write. she only wanted to write. there were so many things she was passionate about writing. something that mattered so much more than standing behind a lens and looking pretty. and anyway, she had never quite fit in like her sister. she didn't attract people like her little sister. she was often just…. there. she'd do her shoot, and between takes, she'd just be sitting at her own little make up table and write. after some persuading from her older brothers, her mother caved and started letting her go to school. however, she often flunked her classes due to the demands of her job, always having to leave class for her go-sees, photo shoots, commercial shoots, etc. still, she worked hard to keep up with her school work and did make up tests as much as she could. "around the time i was set to start high school, my mom decided to move to los angeles for a bigger chance of getting even better gigs for my sister and i. my brothers, who were old enough to move out on their own at the time, stayed in toronto for a few more years before moving to los angeles." it was tough for her to be separated from her brothers, mostly because they were always the ones who had her back when she fought with her mother. they were the only people she actually liked in her family. by family, she meant the siblings that left with her mother. she was still relatively close to her father and other siblings. they kept in touch often and would alternate spending christmas at the other's household. "after a year, i was discovered first by premiere model management as their future faces division when was at the beach with a group of my friends from high school. i was seventeen at the time." the only reason kenna mentioned it was because it was that moment in time that put a wedge between her sister and herself. alannah, despite her beauty, never got picked up by a modelling agency. she was often jealous of kenna, and the more go-sees she got, the more envious her sister became, and soon, the two just stopped talking or acknowledging each other's existence. "it was around the same time that i started my blog. at first i wrote about things like the water crisis in india and third world countries, but then i started to blog about fashion. the format of my blog was more like a journal of my daily life that revolved around the latest fashion and where i was headed off to next." her rise in followers were not overnight, although it sure felt that way. there had not been many who read her blog, just her family back in ireland and friends who were close to her. it wasn't until she moved to new york and got signed by next model management that really started getting her social media accounts booming. suddenly she was showing up in magazines and newspaper articles as "ireland's hottest export." and through word of mouth, she took the blogging world by storm, much like many of the other models. "i moved to new york for better job opportunities when i was eighteen, and eventually signed with next model management." she shrugged, not really sure what else she had to say, "but now i'm moving back in l.a to be closer to my family and see if i could get some work done on the side at the same time." she flashed a well practiced smile at the interviewer, " and anyway, the rest is pretty much history." she laughed softly, shrugging again, "like i said, i had a relatively normal childhood. i went to school, modelled, and now i'm getting my university degree on the side. it's hectic, trying to juggle my blog, my schooling, and my modelling career, but i'm doing my best, and that's all i can do."

kenna pursed her lips, pondering the question, smiling for a moment, "well i'm not sure what people say about me, but i know my brothers would describe me as guileless. they keep telling me that there's something about me that just sets me from everyone else. i can assure you they don't mean it in a positive way though." she told the woman with a laugh. her brothers often teased her about how innocent she could be. and it wasn't her innocence that annoyed them. it was her naivety that killed them. she was the kind of person who believed in the greater good of everyone. she was "pure of heart" according to her friends. "my brothers think that i'm gonna get eaten up by the big bad wolf that is life because i'm so willing to help anyone." they were worried she was going to be taken advantage of. "they said i should get a backbone and stop being so nice to people. i don't see what's wrong with being nice, but they said that i was too nice. whatever that means." she laughed, shrugging. sometimes she thought that her brothers thought she lacked common sense. she knew what too nice was. too nice was letting people take advantage of her. too nice was bending over backwards to do something for someone. sure, she did that sometimes, but that really depended on what kind of person you were in her life. she pursed her lips, "my little sister, alannah, on the other hand, would probably have no good things to say about me. we're not exactly getting along. she'd probably use a few colorful words that i will not repeat. let's just say that she thinks i stole her life from her." which wasn't true. if she could trade places with her sister, she would. it wasn't like she asked for this life. she never wanted the modelling career. their mother did. it was their mother's dream. kenna only continued it because she was making best of what she had. "my blogging family would say i'm childlike, and curious, and loving. they always say that my eyes sparkle or smile when i get excited about something." she thought maybe it was just because her eyes were especially wide and doe-eyed. it also helped that her eye color was this sometimes green sometimes blue cool grey. "and that i'm the least fiery redhead they have ever met. i take that as a good thing. from what i gather, i think they just mean that i'm not the type of person to get mad easily. i don't have a temper, and i certainly don't yell." she just wasn't the angry, temperamental type. she didn't like arguments considering they don't go anywhere. she'd rather you just get what you have to say off your chest, she'll take it into account, say what she has to say, and if there's still disagreements then they would just have to agree to disagree.

"hmmm" she trailed off, thinking about it. "to a certain degree, yes, i suppose. people see my genuinity, sincerity and kindness as this bad trait. they think it makes me naive and innocent. i mean, maybe it does, but the way i see it, i'm just trying to balance out the bad. it's not that i don't know there are evil people out there, it's just that i'd rather focus on giving out positivity than constantly spreading negativity, you know what i mean?" she laughed, ducking her head as her cheeks tainted red again, feeling embarrassed. it was weird talking about herself. about what she thought of herself. she never really thought of her own personality. never analyzed it the way her interviewer was asking her. "i don't want to be those models and celebrities that changes herself to fit the expectations of the media. i'm not going to pretend to be someone i'm not. people are going to judge me regardless, so i'm just going to do what i do best- being myself." as cheesy as it sounded. she didn't care if the media said she was fat because she knew that the next time they wrote about her, they'd say she was too skinny. "if being able to smile and laugh at everything that brings joy makes me childlike, then yeah, i am. if i like learning new things and exploring make me curious with childlike wonder then i am that too. if i'm being an anomaly because i'm too nice makes me guileless and naive then i say that's sad because i can't be the only person in the world that's nice. and if i am, then that's even more sad because the world needs more positivity and less narcissistic people." she bit her lip, glancing at the interviewer to make sure that she wasn't rambling before continuing. "i am just being me. i am guileless, naive, genuine, childlike, curious, trusting, and sincere. i am all those things, but i am also protective, nurturing, adventurous, playful, stubborn, friendly, distractible, forgetful, silly, cautious, vulnerable, sarcastic and blunt. i am many things, but so is everyone else."

kenna laughs, cheeks flushing a crimson red again, "oh no, i'm off the market. well, i mean, i'm not really off the market considering i'm completely single. but i feel like i'm the type to be forever alone. i've never really caught anyone's eyes in the romantic sense. that's okay, though. i'm sure my prince charming is just lost on a mule somewhere. he'll find his way eventually. in the meantime, i'm enjoying my single life." she wasn't about to flat out tell the interviewer that she had, in fact, never been in a relationship. the one guy she sort of dated, if you could count it, was completely over his head because she had only known him for a month and been on three dates with him when he told her he loved her. needless to say, she freaked out and never talked to the poor guy ever again. she felt guilty, of course, but she had tried to persuade him out of his proclamation and he refused to change his mind, so there had been nothing she could have done.

she smiled at the woman again, "not a problem! and the pleasure is all mine. i look forward to hearing from you"