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Martina Boyd of Youngstown is building a career as a model On the PLUS SIDE
By GUY D’ASTOLFO
YOUNGSTOWN
Martina Boyd is a plus-size model with a big heart.
The Youngstown native has been making a mark as a clothing model for print and television advertising throughout the state, and also in bridal and fashion shows.
A full-time worker at Delphi Packard in Vienna, Boyd also devotes time to Hands of Love, a group she founded that helps the homeless in the Mahoning Valley. She also occasionally speaks to women in shelters to boost their self-esteem.
Boyd began modeling 18 months ago and goes to assignments once or twice a month, occasionally traveling to Columbus or other cities.
She said a typical shoot begins with a fitting, followed by hair and makeup. “Then it’s show time,” she said.
Boyd described her mindset when she tackles a job.
“I go in energetic and goofy,” she said with a laugh. “That’s how I get myself going. But you are constantly running through things in your mind. Running through the poses and asking, ‘How can I make it work?’ It’s also important to stand the right way to show the clothing.
“My goal is to have the viewer see the pictures and say ‘This is me.’”
A photo shoot, she said, usually takes three or four hours.
Boyd works with Pure Dymonds and MKB Enterprises of Atlanta and IPayton Management of Dallas for career management and booking.
She already has amassed a long list of credits that includes events for groups such as Beauti Network, Lupus Foundation Awareness, designer Jaki Brown, The Color of Beauty, Taste of the Runway Atlanta, Moetic Magazine and 1Blessed Brand Clothing, as well as at least a half-dozen TV commercials.
The 36-year-old first became interested in the field as a teenager when she modeled in a fashion show her mother presented at Sojourner House, a domestic-violence shelter in Youngstown. Life kept her busy after that short stint, but she got back into it with the help of her husband, Marcus Boyd, who also serves as her brand manager.
“He knew it was a dream of mine and made contacts [in the industry] for me,” she said. Boyd is coached by Tinisha Avary of Youngstown, a former model who runs Angels of Avary modeling. She attended Wilson and Campbell Memorial high schools, where she would be remembered as Martina Knight.
Boyd said she enjoys using her platform as a plus-size model to give back to her hometown. “Many people feel stuck here, but I am not just trying to get out of here,” she said. “I want to shine a light on the people here. There is a talent in Youngstown.”
She also likes to cast a wide net with her work.
“You must have the ambition to be a voice for plus-size women,” she said “That’s why I step out of Youngstown – to reach more people.”
Recently, Boyd went back to Sojourner House to speak to women. “I gave them a message of self-esteem,” she said. “I’m all about that. If you don’t love yourself, how can you expect someone else to?”
Boyd also has done some acting, appearing in the locally made movie “No More Ugly Jessica.” She will also be seen in “Welcome to Youngstown,” which was shot in the city last year and is now in post-production.
Another way Boyd spends her time is helping the homeless through her group, Hands of Love.
“We fill the needs of the homeless,” she said. “We recently gave out chili and blankets. We give out food and love at every event, to let them know they are not alone.”
The group’s next event will take place March 12 in the same place as the first – the parking lot across from the St. Vincent de Paul Society, downtown.
Hands of Love also has made lunches for people living in a tent city near the Mahoning River, downtown. “Some of them don’t feel comfortable at the Rescue Mission,” she said.
The tent-city denizens are being relocated, she said, and her group is looking for another location to help the homeless.
Boyd explained why helping the homeless is important to her.
“You never know who you are standing next to,” she said. “They might be one step away from being homeless. My husband was homeless for a few years. Once I was volunteering at the Rescue Mission and I ran into a former teacher of mine who was staying there with her kids. They had become homeless. That’s when it hit home for me. You never know what people are going through.”