As the old saying goes, “First impressions mean everything.” So, it only stands to reason that one look at the stunning NPC Bikini competitor Marie Blanchard leaves quite the first impression. If the name of the twenty-eight year old native of Port-au-Prince, Haiti sounds familiar it may be because you’ve seen her appear everywhere from movies and magazine spreads to print ads, commercials, and music videos as she carved out a name for herself as an entrepreneurial force.
Now, the woman dubbed “The Haitian Beauty” by her legions of fans, has decided to add a new category to her resume, budding NPC Bikini Star. I recently had a chance to catch up with the lovely and talented Ms. Blanchard to talk about life, competition, and what the future may hold, and you can read it all here in this RxGirl exclusive interview.
Q.) Before we talk about life onstage I want to dive into life before bikini first. You're originally Haitian born and moved to the United States with your family at 10. What was the reason for the move? What do you remember feeling when you were leaving behind everything familiar and having to start life over in a new country?
A.) I remember feeling overwhelmed with so many different emotions. My father, who was my only family, had just passed and I didn't know what was going to happen to me. A day later, strangers (distant family) came over the house and took me with as little as possible. I later found out that my mother requested to have me removed from the house and had already begun the process to bring me to the U.S. You can say it was a shocking transition.
Q.) As
an adolescent was it difficult for you to assimilate into a new culture during a period of your life that's usually tough for most kids anyway?
A.) One of the craziest shockers (believe it or not) was discovering how cold snow was. I always saw snow in movies but not once did it ever cross my mind that it would be so cold! I just couldn't understand how people could just have snowball fights, make snow angels, etc. and be happy in freezing weather! As far as the difficulty of my adolescent years, let me just state that I hated being a teenager. I was dorky, awkward, super tall and skinny of which I was reminded of all the time in school.
Not being able to adjust socially like I did back home made school difficult. I wanted to speak English fluently, have friends and go to the mall just like the teenagers in movies and TV shows. I wanted to be like an average American girl, and just fit in. Still, I loved every moment of my new life! Electricity was available all the time, the street and roads were just so clean, fast food was available in every corner you turn, completely different from how I grew up.
Q.) What did you find to be the most difficult adjustment to make? How long was it before you finally settled in… became comfortable?
A.) The most difficult adjustment I had to make was learning and understanding the language. The language barrier created a frustrating setback in school both educationally and among my peers (ESL helped quite a bit). I also was a very free spirited, giggly and very happy all the time. I learned too quickly that I was considered a huge dork which made it even more difficult for me to fit in. It seemed as if being cool and popular was more important than just being a happy-go-lucky kid. Then I began to adjust when I became involved in a dance/step team in 11th grade. That allowed me to make friends and not be so socially awkward.
Q.) I want to jump ahead a few years to the start of your modeling career. Your first professional photo shoot came just after high school at age 19. Was modeling something that you'd always wanted to pursue? Or was it something that just happened to fall into place?
A.) Modeling is something I have always wanted to pursue. I just never spoke of it. My mother was never a fan of me even thinking about modeling. She believed if I was given the opportunity to live among Americans, school should not only be a priority but a necessity. So whether I wanted to model or not, I was not allowed to even speak of it. I was lucky enough that my first professional shoot was from a woman photographer (Emily Enderes) who offered to help create my portfolio and help me network, in return she gets to use the images however she pleased. In other words I didn't spend a dime. That is how I began to slowly get involve in the modeling world.
Q.) Before long your modeling career began to take off. This has afforded you with a number or tremendous opportunities since then. Given your well established career and a number of successful business ventures, you decided to add NBC bikini competitor to your list of credentials. How is it that you first became introduced to the world of bikini competition?
A.) Two words: Derek Mrocek! He knew this would be something I would fall
in love with since it involves the gym, work, modeling and glam! Neither one of us knew what we were getting ourselves into.
Q.) What made you decide you wanted to begin competing?
A.) I wanted to compete to challenge myself as an athlete and a model! Now, it's my world. I just never thought that something that requires so much work – with a lot of mood swings – would be so addicting. Insane, I know!
Q.) What aspect of preparing for your first show did you find most difficult?
A.) The single most difficult part of preparing for my first show was the dieting and the cardio. I only had five weeks to prepare and I had to get my butt in gear by doing cardio until I couldn’t walk anymore. Cardio made my lungs feel like they were going to burst in flames and then collapse repetitively, for a long excruciating period of time. I also had to learn how to tolerate tilapia and let go of my Caribbean flavorful Haitian fried plantains, friend chicken, Haitian legumes and rice. LAME awakening indeed!
Q.) Stage presence and having the ability to confidently display your hard work to the judges is something that typically takes time to develop. Do you think your time in front of the camera has given you an added boost of confidence onstage given the fact that you've made a career out of displaying your body?
A.) Yes, It has helped a great deal, although I was shaking and sweating uncontrollably when I made it on stage for the first time! Looking back, I was pleasantly surprised with how well I presented myself with only five weeks of training. I took 1st place in my class, with a lot of hard work and a bit of luck.
Q.) A number of competitors enter the sport with the hope of using their physique career to springboard them into something much greater. However, given the fact that you entered into the sport as an already established brand, what is it that you ultimately hope to accomplish as a bikini competitor?
A.) I hope to accomplish f
ar beyond my dreams, which is to compete at the Olympia. For now, I am training hard but smarter to perhaps generate some amazing sponsors. With a lot a hard work, lots of praying and a bit of luck, I hope to have the opportunity of becoming an IFBB Pro. Above all, my ultimate accomplishment would be to inspire complete strangers throughout my amazing adventure.
Q.) If someone would like to find out more about Marie Blanchard or contact you about possible modeling and sponsorship opportunities, what's the best way for them to reach you?
A.) The best way to reach me is via email to [email protected].
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising to tempt you to believe that your critics are right.”
When she came to the U.S. a scared and lonely twelve-year-old girl that didn’t speak the language or didn’t quite seem to fit it no matter where she landed, it would’ve been easy for Marie to give up. She could’ve proved every doubter, naysayer, and detractor right who thought that she was an awkward girl that didn’t belong. But she didn’t. Instead she chose to fight their ignorance with her success, and I don’t believe this time will be any different. There will be doubters and naysayers who want nothing more than to act as road blocks on her way to the top. And just as she’s done before, Marie will use those road blocks as stepping stones on her way to achieving her destiny, earning her pro card, and cementing herself as a dominant force to be reckoned with on the IFBB stage.
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