The Modeling Industry Destroyed My Soul

I was a high fashion teen model in the 1980's. I worked for Elite in Kansas City, Chicago and Tokyo. My manager in Chicago was the same one who discovered Cindy Crawford. By the time I started working for Elite Chicago, Cindy had gone to NY and other bigger cities to become a giant supermodel.

I can’t remember how I got into modeling. When I was 15 years old, my friends told me that I should be a model so I entered a Teen Magazine modeling competition. I placed in the top 10. From there my mother assisted me in most aspects of my modeling career and would set up appointments on the phone for me. I worked for Halls, The Peruvian Connection and would occasionally appear in the Kansas City Star. Modeling in Kansas City was a low-key operation and I made a load of money on a very sporadic basis. I remember making $500 for a shoot that lasted 3 hours. This was a lot of money for a teenager.

Towards the end of my senior year in high school I learned that Elite Chicago was scouting for models in KC. I thought I should give it a shot. It worked. I was hired immediately and arrangements were made for me to live in Chicago and work for Elite. I was 17 years old.

Once I arrived in Chicago I was told by my manager that I was not skinny enough. I was also told that my ankles were too thick. I was horrified. I played sports in high school…