Pringle Mac 21m

Fun fact, Sahara was so much more than a "girl who once dated Justin Bieber", and it's tough to see all of the articles headline with this. Before I go on, I truly hope her family finds peace at this time. I worked with Sahara over 17 years ago, and let me tell you she was absolutely iconic. We worked at Red Bull together when she had just turned 18 and I was 19. I was one of the leads in LA for the red bull girls and she had recently been hired. I'm still in touch with a lot of these girls today which I think speaks to the bond we had with each other. Although I wasn't as close to her as others, I still spent time with her and then watched her grow into a self-made business owner and icon. Remember, this was the time before social media really took off and she was already blowing up on Instagram. She was truly one of the LA "it girls" and was a major role model for girls during the whole tumblr era. She had so many viral photos and got her start as she was dating someone that was a professional photographer at the time. I swear every photo she took was gorgeous and used as photoshoot references for so many girls. Not only was she picked up by many brands as a model, but she was extremely athletic. She took after her professional surfer father and could literally pick up any sport and be amazing. Surf, skate, snowboard...she was every SoCali girl's blueprint whether or not people were self confident enough to admit that. She started a swimwear line, Sahara Ray Swim, and was debuting at Coachella side event parties before brands started realizing that was even a thing to do. Every major event or opening or some important VIP thing to do in Hollywood, you could bet she would be there and would be backstage and right next to the headliner. Everyone wanted Sahara around. She was a huge ball of energy and fun and you could tell the people around her truly loved her. I feel like she carried so much aura before this was even a thing people tried to harness in their life. I didn't know her so well, but I felt compelled to write this because it feels wrong to write off every incredible thing this young woman did in life by saying she was "some male celebrities ex". She was her own person and she, to me, was one of the original iconic female bombshell power houses that became a blueprint for many girls at that time, especially in LA. She was an absolute rock star in her own right. RIP legend 🕊️🤍