My Modelling Career Was Very Short

Like most little girls, if they are completely honest, I wanted to be a model.  When I was 15, I begged my mum to take me to a modelling agency. With that typical teenager's vanity, I just knew they would be falling all over themselves to sign me up.  I found an agency.  I think it was called 'Cute Kids' and being the gorgeous mother that my mother is, she took me.  There are some benefits to being an only child.

The waiting room was full of photographs of familiar faces from television, so this must be the genuine article I thought. I went in, met the agent and her husband photographer.  They said they loved my look, praised me lots and told me I'd get loads of work.  They took my mum's money, for the photography apparently.  They did a photo shoot, mum paid them $175 I think, which seemed lots back then.  The photos were terrible.  I went home and sat by the phone and waited for it to ring, which it never did.  Suffice to say, that was the extent of my brilliant modelling career and it ended with a thud.  I never followed up with them.  I just let it go and went to university instead.

All we really got for our $175 was hope and few good life lessons.  The hope of an 'exciting' career in K Mart and Target catalogues and the odd walk through in a commercial.  We also got some shocking photos and the most worthwhile part of it all, several fantastic lessons, about how people are prepared to promise you the world, take your money and do nothing more than that.  The other lesson was that being completely up yourself, is totes uncool and doesn't get you far in life.  Glad I learned that at 15 and not 35.  So all in all, it was probably money well spent.

So that was really the end of my modelling career.  Or was it? Roll forward 20 years and I made a come back. I was reminded of it the other day, when I found this magazine stuffed into the back of a cupboard at mum's. My friend was mates with an editor of a new magazine.  They were doing a feature called "Dressed for Success" which was basically about updating your working wardrobe.  They wanted to use real people and they needed a teacher, as it was one of the professions they wanted to make over.  Cue Carolyn, I happened to be a teacher at that time and I was a size 12, which was the other pre requisite, I think.

We were asked to turn up in what we would normally wear to work, they were going to deconstruct that and dress us in what they thought was a better look.  OK why not I thought.  I drove to Surrey Hills, which was near where I lived in those days, to a really hip studio.  They did my make up, the hair was my creation.   I was going for the straight look, although I have very wavy hair.  Have a go at the little sticky uppy bits at the bottom.  What was I thinking?

Anyway the black dress is the kind of thing I would wear to work.  I loved those shoes, They were clear with a black raffia flower on top.  I don't know what they did to my bum in the before shot.  I was leaning on one leg and so it must of stuck out to the side.  They  were very cruel to slice it in, as my bum in those days was never that big, but I guess it was the before shot.  These days I would probs be happy to have a bum  that size.

So you can read what they said I should wear.  I really liked what they dressed me in too.  I ended up buying a shirt just like it.  I would have had the gorgeous Trent Nathan herringbone pants as well, but they were not within my teacher's budget.

So I wasn't paid for the gig nor did I get to keep the clothes, but I had achieved one of my life's dreams, lol.  Modelling in the pages of a magazine.  Alas this was the last issue of the new publication.  It was canned the next month. It's a tough business, but my previous experience with the industry taught me well Ha Ha.  Heck they didn't even spell my name right!!!!!!

Looking at the cover of the mag, I distinctly remember my friend's sister got the $5500 bathroom makeover, which looked great.  She was a fun friend/sister to have.

Looking back at this time in my life, I was very happy.  I had met Mr Beach House earlier in the year and I moved in with him the month after this was shot.  I had also just come off the back of a volunteering gig at the Sydney 2000 Olympics, which was fabulous. Or maybe I was smiling because I ticked off another dream from the bucket list.  What ever the reason this was a great time in my life.  Roll forward a decade or so and I am still pretty happy most days.  Two years after this I had a bouncing baby and hey that was a whole other dream achieved.  If  only I knew then when I know now!!!!!!!

Today I am linked up here
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