When I was younger I secretly wanted to be a model, but I would never admit it to anyone because I didn’t want people to say, “Really? You want to model?” I’m quite shy, and I’ve never been very confident in myself and how I look. I’m also only five-foot-five, so my height has always been an issue. Whenever I thought about trying it, I would think, Nope, they’re going to tear me down.
I live in a borough outside London called Bexley. It’s a nice place, and everyone here is really lovely, but it’s a bit quiet—not too much going on. I don’t think I could stay here. I’m all about exploring. When I was younger I secretly wanted to be a model, but I would never admit it to anyone because I didn’t want people to say, “Really? You want to model?” I’m quite shy, and I’ve never been very confident in myself and how I look. I’m also only five-foot-five, so my height has always been an issue. Whenever I thought about trying it, I would think, Nope, they’re going to tear me down.
I went to university in Brighton, which is by the sea and very quirky—completely different from Bexley. I studied theatrical hair and makeup for film and TV, and after I left uni I was on Instagram, looking for makeup work, and photographers started asking me, “Can you model?” I was like, “Uh, I can try.” And it just kind of happened from there. At the time I wasn’t sure if I liked it, but I gradually realized I was doing more modeling than anything else. Eventually I started to enjoy it and to think of it as a career. I’ve been modeling for about a year now, and it wasn’t until the end of January 2019 that I got signed to an agency. A big part of it was timing: Maybe it could have happened for me a year ago, but I don’t think I was confident enough to sign a contract back then. The more experience I’ve gained, the more confident I’ve become. I’m lucky to have had good opportunities, but I also worked for it. For a while I was researching names and agencies, making connections and messaging people, asking if they’d be up for some shooting.
The biggest challenge is still just believing in myself. Obviously I wouldn’t be doing what I do if I wasn’t comfortable in my body, but we all have our bad days. When it comes to a job, I feel like the key is to move whatever you’re feeling to the side and just get on with it and be grateful that you’ve got the opportunity to be there—and to have fun! Looking back, it was weird how it all came about. But I’m so glad it did, and I can’t wait to see what will happen for me in the future.
