Model and activist Quannah Chasinghorse is much more than a symbol of evolving beauty standards.

She is describing her approach to making herself feel beautiful while she does just that.

She enjoys both sides of that spectrum.

Portrait of model Quannah Chasinghorse walking confidently along boulders at a beach. She wears a long black dress and black calf-height boots.

I love it, Chasinghorse says of her makeup process.

And I learn new tips and tricks in every shoot that I do.

Its always superfun for me to ask questions.

Model Quannah Chasinghorse on the 2022 Best of Beauty cover of Allure magazine. In the portrait, her tattooed chin is held high and whisps of hair blow in the wind. She’s wearing splashes of orange pigment on her eyelids.

But it goes deeper than that.

She wears a big smile on her face as she says this.

To create a similar makeup look: The Matriarch Palette and Lipstick in Mirabelle by Prados Beauty.

close up portrait of quannah chasinghorse holding her cheek while wearing graphic lime green eyeliner and a large rectangular ring

Photographed by Cass Bird.

Fashion stylist: Heathermary Jackson.

Hair: Naeemah LaFond.

Close-up portrait of model Quannah Chasinghorse looking straight into the camera. She wears sunset-colored eye makeup, coral blush, and matching coral lipstick. Her hair is pulled back into a wispy bun.

Makeup: Romy Soleimani.

She is a land protector, and advocates for climate action and Indigenous rights.

That advocacy began early.

She spoke with much power and bravery, and the board voted to make the change.

Her modeling career has given her a larger platform and a greater opportunity for self-expression.

Still, embracing her looks and feeling pretty has not always come naturally.

Feeling beautiful has been a process of growth and a development of self-love.

I definitely struggled a lot growing up with my looks, Chasinghorse says.

She says Western ideals of beauty dominated the popular imagery she was exposed to.

But now shes at the forefront of a movement that challenges all of that.

She recently appeared in ads for the Canadian outerwear companyMackage.

Tiffany & Co. bracelet.

I just stopped caring [about other beauty ideals], she says.

Theres a big change in my confidence when I am wearing my Indigenous jewelry, Chasinghorse says.

And its because I do feel more seen, I do feel more powerful because these are earth elements.

She also feels a calling to educate others about Native identity, to broaden views.

Its the school system, its society.

We [Native people] are so erased that people dont even know that were still here.

Thats what Im trying to change.

Puppets & Puppets dress.

To create a similar makeup look: Frybread Gloss in Crisco and Native Glare Palette by Blended Girl Cosmetics.

It makes me want to be there.

I think were in such a good place right now, she says.

Chasinghorses path to confidence has gone well-beyond the superficial.

What truly made me feel beautiful was my voice.

When I found my voice, I found confidence, she recalls.

So use it to your best advantage.

Well, our tribes up here dont actually go into the Arctic [Wildlife Refuge], she explains.

Its such sacred land that we just kind of let it be, let it stay with the animals.

Its a caribou calving ground.

Its a core value across mostIndigenous communitiesto think about the next seven generations and beyond.

Were strong in what we believe in and how we see the world.

We know that when we walk our path in a good way, we are honoring our ancestors.

Its very important because we need to belong in those spaces, she says.

It really is kind of breaking the trail for others behind me to have a more clear path.

Its a lot of work, but its very worth it.

Where she is at, needless to say, is only a prelude to where she is going.

And want to uplift me, my work, and what I stand for.

The industry, it is moving, it is growing, and doing better than what it was.

So, Im excited.