| The Truth About Modeling: Skinny is NOT the New Black By: Stephanie Jelenic Fancy clothes, bright lights, cameras flashing, and easy money – sometimes it sounds too good to be true. That’s because – sometimes it really is too good to be true, and sometimes that fantasy lifestyle that most girls only dream of, comes along with a price tag bigger then any designer label. I am a journalist, but I am also a freelance model, and last year I was one of the many who bit off more then I could chew in the modeling industry. Granted, I am by no means a supermodel or even a well- known model for that matter, but I am sharing my story with hope that no girl will follow in my footsteps when it comes to being a rookie model. I have a subscription to every fashion magazine out there, and as I once blindly flipped through the pages I thought that being skinny was the only way to really make it out there in the modeling industry – wow was I wrong! Being a model is not about how thin you can be, it’s about the inner beauty that shines out into the camera, it’s about having confidence in yourself and what you are doing, and it’s about being who you need to be in front of the camera, but still maintaining your true identity. I was under the impression that I had to be thinner then anyone I knew, that I had to deprive myself of food, and that I would never make it if I could not fit in a 00 pants size. Maybe it was the magazines, maybe it was television or movies – I am still not exactly sure what it was that had me brainwashed, but that is exactly what I was – brainwashed! My friends would tell me that I didn’t look healthy, my Doctor would tell me that I was extremely under weight, but I would just drown everyone out and pretend that I never heard a sound. It never occurred to me how much danger I was really in and it never even crossed my mind that I could be destroying my body. I lived off Lattes and Vitamin Water, afraid to eat; I was scared I might gain a pound or two. The worst part is, I never even noticed how bad I really looked. It wasn’t until I did a photo shoot and one of my agents told me that they had to airbrush out my ribs in nearly all of my swimsuit photos, that it hit me. I thought to myself “Did my agent really just say that?” I went home and took a long hard look in the mirror, and for the first time I had finally seen what everyone else had seen – tears began to pour down my face. It took me a while, but with the help of some close friends and the fact that my health was on the line, I began to eat on a regular basis. I realized that to be a model, I need to love me - for me before I could let the camera love me. I am finally gaining weight, and guess what? I am still a model! If your one of the many who dream of being a model, take it from me – you don’t need to starve yourself to be a model and you don’t have to compare yourself to those girls in the magazines or television. All you have to do is want it! Each girl holds her own beauty, and it is your job to let it shine through. Don’t get caught up in something that will only make you weak – stay strong. If modeling is your dream – don’t ever give up and don’t believe that you have to be a certain weight for your dream to come true because the truth is – models come in all sizes, as do the clothes we are modeling. |
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