“What do you want to be when you grow up?”
I was asked on a First grade form. I’m not sure what I answered, maybe veterinarian, but I am sure that I did not write movie star or rock star or President. I did not see myself being the center of attention or preforming in front of a lot of people. I was shy.
It's true that in third grade I did take an afternoon class in cheerleading which is not the activity of a shy person. But third grade cheerleading is hardly real cheerleading and there were only ten girls in the class and they were all my friends. Also, I was the tallest girl so I was always placed on the bottom of the pyramids or in the back of the group. Our only public performance was given on the final day of class when the parents, mostly moms, came. So this did not interfere with my shyness.
When I was in sixth grade, I was asked the question again. I answered "marine biologist." What can I say? I loved animals. In fact, my BFF and I decided that , when we grew up, we would live together and have a house full of dogs. Still no movie star, rock star or President for me. I was not a performer.
When I was thirteen (an official teenager), my shyness got worse and my head filled with a lot of questions about my life: Do people like me? Will they hate me if I do something wrong? My biggest fear was upsetting people around me. I did not enjoy being the center of attention and thought that other people deserved it more. My mind was wrapped up in growing up and not what kind of job I wanted to do
When I was fourteen, I went to a concert with my friends, and I was scouted by a modeling agency. As a good mother would do, my mom checked the website of the agency that scouted me, and made sure that the it was the real deal and not just someone trying to take our money. It turned out to be real. I was a little hesitant about the whole modeling idea because I had no idea what was going to occur. We went to Miami to visit agencies and do test shoots. It was a foreign feeling for me to be in the center of attention and to have people fuss over me. My shyness leaked through and my mind filled with questions, "Did I really deserved this?"
This summer I went to New York to audition with NY Modeling Agencies. New York is the big league. I was immediately offered a contract by a major agency and I signed with them. My manager told me that having a contract in New York shows how much I deserve it as much as the next person. He said, "being crazy is better than being bland, there is nothing that you could do to make them not like you, and be more extroverted and this will help you in the long run." The photographers were very sweet. They taught me about the industry and how to come out of my shell.
It still is weird to be the center of attention, but I enjoy what I’m doing and that is all that matters to me.. The more I model, the less strange being the center of attention feels.
So what does the shy girl, who does not like being the center of attention, want to be when she grows up? What else? A Model, whose job it is to perform in front of a lot of people.
.JPG)
.JPG)