Salem Mitchell


Salem Mitchell is an American model. She is known for her numerous facial freckles. Mitchell was discovered through Instagram and is currently signed to LA Ford Models.

Early life and education

Mitchell was born and raised in San Diego, California and is African American. Her grandmother is Filipino. She graduated from San Diego School of Creative and Performing Arts, where she studied dance, in 2016. She enrolled at San Diego State University to study business marketing.

Career

Mitchell amassed a large following through Instagram. One day Mitchell posted a photo of herself on Twitter next to a bruised banana after trolls compared her freckles to the overripe fruit. After the photo went viral, a Paper Magazine writer, Maiya Toledano, invited Mitchell to do a feature shoot through Instagram. Mitchell later signed to Ford Models.
Mitchell has appeared in music videos for artists such as SZA and Cardi B. She has worked with retailers including GAP, Converse, and SavagexFenty. Her first cover was for Numéro Berlin. She was asked by Beyonce to model apparel related to Lemonade.
Mitchell has been the target of cyberbullying for her freckles and was once called "ghetto" by internet commenters. She wrote a response on Instagram Stories that discussed cultural appropriation and the devaluation of African American female beauty when those features are on Black women.
In 2019 Mitchell collaborated with Known Supply to develop eco-friendly apparel. The limited edition collection was called Only Human. She is an advocate for making the fashion industry more sustainable.

Accolades

She is a nominee for Best of Social Media in the Fashion category at the 11th annual Shorty Awards.