Olandria Carthen went from selling elevators to walking Paris couture week in one year
Olandria Carthen is an American reality TV star, model, and brand influencer. Olandria's debut on Love Island USA Season 7 catapulted her to the spotlight, particularly after she partnered with Nicolas Vansteenberghe and finished second.
Source: UGC
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Key takeaways
- Olandria Carthen is an American reality TV star, model, and brand influencer who rose to prominence after finishing second on Love Island USA Season 7, alongside Nicolas Vansteenberghe.
- Olandria Carthen was raised by a single mother after her father was incarcerated.
- She is a first-generation high school and university graduate and an alumna of a top HBCU, Tuskegee University.
- The Love Island USA breakout star has walked runways at New York, Paris, and Milan Fashion Week.
Profile summary
Full name | Olandria Lashae Carthen |
Common name | Olandria Carthen |
Nickname | Olan, Ola, Bama Barbie |
Gender | Female |
Date of birth | 29 May 1998 |
Age | 27 years as of April 2026 |
Zodiac sign | Gemini |
Place of birth | Decatur, Alabama, United States |
Current residence | Houston, Texas, United States |
Nationality | American |
Ethnicity | African-American |
Sexual orientation | Straight |
Height in centimetres | 160 |
Height in feet | 5'3" |
Waist size | '23 |
Eye colour | Brown |
Hair colour | Black |
Mother | Felicia McLaurin |
Father | Undisclosed |
Siblings | 5 |
Relationship status | Dating |
Partner | Nicolas 'Nic' Vansteenberghe |
Early education | Brookhaven Middle School |
High school education | Decatur High School |
Higher education | Tuskegee University |
Profession | Television personality, model, brand influencer, sales specialist |
Social media |
Meet Olandria Carthen, Love Island USA Season 7's breakout star
Olandria Lashae Carthen was born on 29 May 1998 in Decatur, Alabama, United States. She is 27 years old as of April 2026, and her zodiac sign is Gemini.
Carthen, who has taken the internet by storm as one of Love Island's cast members, is the eldest in a family of six. Raised by a single mother, Felicia McLaurin, Olandria credits her success to her mother. In an exclusive report by AfroTech, she said,
I always admired her work ethic as we were growing up. Imagine three kids, a single parent, and one paycheck. We never went without.
Olandria Carthen's parents dropped out of school in the 10th grade. At age 2, her father was convicted of robbing a Decatur bank. He was released from prison when she was 15 years old.
Source: Original
Olandria Carthen's educational background
The Day 1 islander, known for her relationship with Nic Vansteenberghe, attended Brookhaven Middle School and was among its first group of eighth-graders after it was placed on the Alabama failing schools list. Despite this, Olandria was enrolled in the school's Advanced Placement courses and pre-International Baccalaureate program.
Carthen graduated from Decatur High in 2017 with an advanced diploma and a 3.9 grade-point average. She accepted an academic scholarship to Tuskegee University, the first in her family to attend college.
Source: UGC
A report by Decatur Daily revealed that despite facing financial challenges and her father's incarceration, Olandria was an outstanding student. The former principal at Decatur High School, Johnny Berry, described her as a model student. He further told the outlet,
If every student in this school were like Olandria, there would be no discipline problems... the type of kid anyone would want as a daughter.
Olandria Carthen’s mother's determination played a role in her academic excellence. She told the Decatur Daily,
I didn’t want my daughter to make the mistakes I made, so my intentions have always been to put her in a situation so she didn’t have it so hard. You need an education.
At Tuskegee University, Olandria pursued a bachelor's degree in logistics, materials, and supply chain management. She graduated in May 2022 and was listed in the 2018/2019 honour roll.
Source: Twitter
To overcome her financial challenges, she enlisted the help of an old landlord, who gave her work cleaning rentals for about $200 and wrote letters requesting assistance. Speaking on a panel at the Her Conference Butterfly Tour stop at Texas A&M University, she recalled,
Back then, it’s like, ‘How am I supposed to come up with this?’… I would like write letters, I would print out my transcript, I would print out my balance, and I’d write a note like… I kid you not, y’all. I would check my account every single day. Balance is cleared and paid.
She added,
Where there is a will, there is a way. I didn’t come from money. So, it’s like I have to get in how I could get in.
Olandria Carthen's career and rise to fame
Olandria Carthen's professional journey began as a babysitter, a role she admits gave her a sense of responsibility and taught her multitasking and communication skills. Have a look at her career history as per her LinkedIn profile.
Olandria Carthen's early career
Source: UGC
One of her earliest roles after graduating from Tuskegee was at VOLT Power, where she worked as a billing specialist. Between March and June 2020, she worked for GE in her hometown as a machine operator.
She was a seasonal assembly specialist for Sonoco in Hartselle, Alabama, United States, in 2021, where she evaluated and managed the company's packing process. In 2020, she worked for The Clorox Company as a planning intern.
Before featuring on Love Island USA Season 7, Olandria Carthen worked for Otis Elevators Co. as an associate sales specialist.
Entry into the public spotlight
In June 2025, Olandria Carthen entered the Love Island USA villa as an original cast member. She was initially coupled with Taylor Williams, one of the first fan-favourite couples.
However, sharing a passionate kiss with Nic Vansteenberghe in the first challenge marked the start of her journey to fame as one half of Nicolandria. She eventually coupled with Nic Vans in week three during Casa Amor.
During the season's finale, Nic and Olandria made it to the final four couples and finished in second position. At the time of this writing, Nicolas Vansteenberghe and Olandria Carthen are one of the three enduring Love Island USA Season 7 couples.
After leaving the villa, she has made appearances on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen and The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Modelling and runway success
Source: UGC
On 10 September 2025, Olandria Carthen walked during the Raising Cane's Fashion Show, modelling alongside Brooks Nader, Livvy Dunne, Camille Kostek and Ciara Miller.
A couple of days later, she walked the runway at the Sergio Hudson Fashion Show during the New York Fashion Week. She was also one of the newest bombshells at the 2025 Paris and Milan Fashion Week shows.
As a fashion and beauty influencer, Olandria Carthen made appearances at high-profile events in the industry, such as the CFDA Fashion Awards and the Fashion Trust U.S. Awards.
She has been featured on the cover of Harper's BAZAAR Vietnam, Glamour's holiday issue, and EBONY magazine. In 2026, she was listed among Sports Illustrated Swimsuit's 2026 Rookies of the Year.
Brand influencing
Source: Instagram
In late 2025, Olandria Carthen signed with UTA-owned management firm Digital Brand Architects. Being named Cosmopolitan’s Z-Stars Class of 2025 and People’s Choice Award confirmed her influence in the fashion and beauty space.
She has partnered with Mattel, Sweetgreen, Vaseline, Aveeno, and Reebok and has collaborated with brands such as Baby Phat, Victoria's Secret, and Brandon Blackwood. Her collaboration with NYX Cosmetics to create the Nicolandria lip kit sold out in minutes.
At the time of this writing, she is the brand ambassador for Microsoft Copilot and is a featured speaker for Microsoft's 2026 Windows Campus Creator Tour.
FAQs
- Who is Bama Barbie? Love Island breakout star Olandria Carthen is popularly known by her nickname, Bama Barbie.
- What is Olandria's background? She was born and raised in a single-home family in Decatur, Alabama, United States.
- How old is Olandria Carthen? Born on 29 May 1998, Olandria Carthen is 27 years old as of April 2026, and her zodiac sign is Gemini.
- What is Olandria's waist size? Olandria Carthen has a 23-inch waist.
- What is Olandria Carthen's height? As per her IMDb profile, the reality TV star's height is listed at 5 feet 3 (160 centimetres).
- How many siblings does Olandria Carthen have? She has five siblings.
- When did Olandria graduate from Tuskegee University? Olandria Carthen graduated in May 2022.
- What does Olandria do in real life? The former sales specialist now works as a model and a brand ambassador.
- What is Olandria Carthen's Instagram handle? She has amassed more than 2.3 million followers on her Instagram account, @olandria.
- Are Nic and Olandria still together? Olandria Carthen and Nic Vansteenberghe, popularly known as Nicolandria, are still together.
- Why are Nic and Olandria not on Beyond the Villa? The second-place couple has yet to confirm their attendance at the Love Island USA Season 7 reunion.
Olandria Carthen has transitioned from an elevator sales specialist to a runway wonder and a brand ambassador. She holds partnerships with brands such as Microsoft, Mattel, Reebok, and Victoria's Secret.
Legit.ng has recently published an article about Huda Mustapha's ethnicity. The reality TV star, TikToker, social media personality, and fitness trainer was a contestant on Peacock's reality dating show Love Island USA Season 7.
She is best known for partnering with Jeremiah Brown and, later, Chris Seeley, with whom she finished in third place. Read on for more details on Huda Mustafa's roots.
Proofreading by Kola Muhammed, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
