Buffie Carruth, born on January 7, 1977, in Athens, Georgia, is an American model, fitness instructor, actress, and writer. Better known by her stage name Buffie the Body, she rose to fame in 2004 as a video vixen in hip-hop music videos and urban magazines.
By 2007, she had pivoted her career toward fitness and entrepreneurship, becoming one of the more recognizable certified personal trainers to emerge from the urban entertainment world.
Who is Buffie Carruth?
Buffie Carruth is an American model, actress, fitness instructor, personal trainer, and writer who built her public profile through urban modeling and hip-hop music videos in the early 2000s. She is also the founder of the Brick Built apparel company, which she runs alongside her husband.
Her stage name, Buffie the Body, became widely recognized after her appearance in Tony Yayo’s music video for “So Seductive” in 2004. Within a year of that video, she appeared in magazines including King, XXL, Black Men Magazine, and The Source.
She later transitioned away from urban modeling and toward the fitness industry, becoming a Certified Personal Trainer through the National Academy of Sports Medicine in 2012.
She founded her Bodynomics fitness website, released a fitness DVD, and has hosted hundreds of events across the United States and internationally.
Buffie has been open about using her platform to encourage women to embrace healthier lifestyles. She does not drink or smoke and has publicly stated that she wanted to inspire real women after leaving the urban modeling world.
Early Life of Buffie Carruth
Buffie Carruth was born and raised in Athens, Georgia. She is the third of seven children and grew up in a family that experienced significant personal loss in later years. Her younger sister died of cancer in November 2005, and her mother passed away from cancer in 2012.
As a teenager, Carruth was very slender, wearing a size 3 in jeans and weighing only 119 pounds. She visited a nutritionist and began drinking supplement shakes to gain weight. By 2001, she had reached 180 pounds, and her weight eventually settled at around 173 pounds.
Carruth graduated from Clarke Central High School in 1996. The pivotal moment that launched her public career came in 2004, when she met a photographer at a club in Baltimore, Maryland.
She hired him to photograph her in swimwear at her hotel, intending the photos as a private gift for her boyfriend. The photographer uploaded them to the internet without her knowledge. Within a week, around 20,000 people had sought out and viewed the images, turning Buffie into an overnight sensation.
Buffie Carruth Age
Buffie Carruth is 49 years old as of 2026, born on January 7, 1977. Her zodiac sign is Capricorn. She launched her fitness website Bodynomics in 2012, the same year she earned her Certified Personal Trainer credential.
Buffie Carruth Ethnicity and Nationality
Buffie Carruth holds American nationality, having been born and raised in Athens, Georgia. She is of African American ethnicity.
Her roots in Athens shaped her upbringing, and she has lived in South Carolina with her husband since her marriage in 2015. That connection to the American South remains part of her public identity and her connection to the communities she addresses through her fitness work.
Buffie Carruth Height and Weight
Buffie Carruth stands at 5 feet 7 inches tall, which is approximately 1.70 meters. Her weight is around 173 pounds, or approximately 78 kilograms.
She has black hair and brown eyes. Her physical transformation from a 119-pound teenager to a fitness trainer with a widely recognized physique became a central part of her public story and her approach to motivating others.
Buffie Carruth Education
Buffie Carruth graduated from Clarke Central High School in Athens, Georgia, in 1996. Her professional training beyond high school has focused on the fitness industry.
In 2012, she completed her Certified Personal Trainer certification through the National Academy of Sports Medicine, one of the most respected certification bodies in the fitness profession. That credential formalized a transition she had already been making for several years through her fitness website and personal training work.
Buffie Carruth Career
Buffie Carruth’s career divides into two distinct phases: an urban modeling career that spanned roughly 2004 to 2007, and a fitness entrepreneurship career that has continued ever since.
Both phases overlapped to a degree, as her modeling fame helped build the audience she later directed toward her fitness work.
Breakthrough: Video Vixen and Urban Modeling
After her swimsuit photos went viral in 2004, rapper Tony Yayo contacted Buffie to appear in his music video for “So Seductive.” That video, released as part of Tony Yayo’s debut alongside 50 Cent’s G-Unit collective, gave Buffie her first major professional platform.
She appeared in Juelz Santana’s video for “Oh Yes” as well. Within a year of that first video, she had appeared in roughly 60 magazines and news articles.
In 2005, XXL Magazine named her Eye Candy of the Year. That same year, she received a nomination for Vibe’s Video Goddess of the Year award for her performance in Tony Yayo’s “So Seductive.” Black Men Magazine listed her in their 101 Sexiest Women ranking as well.
She appeared in magazine spreads for King, XXL, Black Men Magazine, The Source, Smooth, Vibe, and Black Men SSX. She also hosted the DJ Kay Slay Birthday Smash Out event and performed hundreds of club hosting engagements across the United States, Amsterdam, Trinidad, and other international locations.
In 2006, Carruth played the role of Big Booty Judy in the film ATL, a hip-hop drama released by Warner Bros. Pictures. She appeared in 2007 on The Tyra Banks Show to discuss her body’s transformation.
In June 2008, she shot a pilot for a reality show alongside model Vida Guerra. She also worked on a hip-hop talk show based in Atlanta during this period.
Fitness Career and Entrepreneurship
In 2007, at the height of her urban modeling popularity, Buffie Carruth made a deliberate decision to leave the industry. She has said publicly that she felt urban modeling was declining and that she wanted to shift her focus toward inspiring women through fitness.
That year, she launched a health and fitness website. In 2008, she appeared in the independent dramatic-thriller film Subtle Seduction. Also in 2008, she published her debut e-book titled Get Your Mind Right: A Step-By-Step Look at the Modeling Career of Buffie the Body.
On June 1, 2009, Carruth released her full autobiography, Vixen Icon, published through Vickie Stringer Publishing in Columbus, Ohio. The book took readers through her journey from urban model to fitness advocate.
In 2012, she earned her Certified Personal Trainer credential through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. That same year, she launched her fitness website Bodynomics and uploaded a widely viewed YouTube video addressing questions about her body, her departure from urban modeling, and the realities of the industry.
In 2013, she published Why Flat Butts Stay Flat!: A Detailed Guide on Building the Glutes. In August 2013, she released the fitness DVD Grade A Glutes, produced by Amalh Mendelsohn through 718 Productions.
Current Business Ventures
Buffie Carruth owns and operates the Brick Built apparel company, which she runs alongside her husband. The brand began as a fitness clothing line and expanded to include home goods such as comforters and bathroom accessories.
She also runs the Bodynomics fitness platform, where she offers workout programs and nutrition guidance. Her YouTube channel, Brick Built Apparel, launched on December 23, 2009, and has accumulated over 38 million views.
Her most popular video, “Standing AB Workout 2015,” has received over 4.2 million views since its January 2015 upload.
Carruth regularly charges between $2,500 and $3,500 for public appearances and reportedly earns up to $10,000 per night for hosting events. She has hosted between 300 and 400 parties across the United States and internationally.
Buffie Carruth Awards and Recognition
In 2005, XXL Magazine named Buffie Carruth Eye Candy of the Year. She also received a nomination for Vibe’s Video Goddess of the Year award for her appearance in Tony Yayo’s “So Seductive” music video.
Black Men Magazine included her in their 101 Sexiest Women list during her peak modeling period. Those recognitions came during the early years of her career when her visibility in the urban modeling world was at its highest.
Buffie Carruth Husband
Buffie Carruth married John Lewis in 2015, and the couple lives in South Carolina. Before her marriage, she dated DJ Kay Slay from 2005 to 2006.
John Lewis is described in public reports as an engineer, and the couple produces both apparel and home goods together through the Brick Built brand.
She has spoken warmly about their partnership, noting that her husband’s engineering background has contributed to the business side of their ventures.
Buffie Carruth Net Worth
Buffie Carruth’s estimated net worth is $5 million as of 2026. Her income comes from modeling, acting, fitness instruction, book sales, DVD sales, public appearance fees, party hosting, and the Brick Built apparel and home goods business.
Buffie charges between $2,500 and $3,500 per public appearance, and reportedly earns up to $10,000 per night for hosting club events. She has hosted well over 300 events across the United States and internationally in locations including Amsterdam and Trinidad.
Her YouTube channel has accumulated over 38 million total views, adding to her earnings through ad revenue. Brick Built, which expanded from fitness apparel into home goods, represents her primary ongoing business revenue stream alongside her personal training and fitness platforms.
Buffie Carruth Social Media
Buffie Carruth manages her fitness brand through the Brick Built Apparel YouTube channel, which launched on December 23, 2009. The channel features workout videos, fitness tutorials, and lifestyle content.
She is also active on Instagram under @buffiecarruth. Her fitness website Bodynomics remains active as a platform for workout programs and nutrition guidance.
The Bottom Line
Buffie Carruth appeared in Tony Yayo’s “So Seductive” in 2004 and within a year had been featured in around 60 magazines, earning XXL’s Eye Candy of the Year honor in 2005.
She grew up as the third of seven children in Athens, Georgia, and transformed from a 119-pound teenager into a certified personal trainer and apparel entrepreneur who now runs Brick Built with her husband.
As of 2026, she continues to operate Bodynomics and the Brick Built brand, which has expanded from fitness clothing into home goods.
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