One Model's Story

[The_Ida]

I think all this getting lost in Paris is kinda funny I was lost the first week too, but I do think that the metro is very easy to use as soon as you get how it works. And the traffic really is crazy, I've seen people do the wackiest things in their cars while they should be driving

 

[baddabling]

This is so interesting to read, model_mom
thank you so much for sharing your's and Ali's story

it reminds me a bit of the book, Model Summer by Paulina Porizkova

 

[Susanna-Cole]

No this is Ali's story taken from her journal when she first started modeling...the mom in the story is me.

(Keep in mind that this is Ali Turner) We have so many models named Ali that are in the news now that I don't want anyone to be confused.

Thank you for clarifying. Because for some reason I had it stuck in my head that you were Ali Michael's mom! I don't know who Ali Turner is actually... I'll have to go look up her thread now.

 

[model_mom]

One of the reason that I ask my Ali if I could post her journal is because of all that is going on with Ali Michael....not so much the weight issue but the fact that you are just a $ sign to most agencies. Just like a lot of people we always assumed that if you signed with an agency they were suppose to be there for you. I can't speak for all agencies but I can assure you that when we went to Paris,we were on our own. Until the time Ali was very close to being 16 and got an option for French Vogue, any interest in her welfare was handled by me. This may sound like a pity party but I wish when ali was asked to go to Paris that someone had said that the chances of a 15 year old working during show season is very rare....this all changed later,I know of several 15 year olds that walked shows the season after we left. I'm not sure how it happened whether birth certificate were altered or they were just told to lie about their age.


I have more from Ali's journal later....

 

[model_mom]

I live for phonecards,they're not cheap but they are my only connection to my friends and family back home. I miss everyone so much. I have made a few friends at the agency and I am starting to go on castings with them. At first my mom freaked out but one of the girls talked her into it by saying she would watch out for me. I was so embarrassed.

We have to use them to stay in touch with the agency too. We check in at noon and at the end of the day when I pick up my castings for the next day. Mom and I sit down at night and try to map out our travel plan. Just like Tatiania said it would,my mom almost had her wallet stolen today. We were looking at a Metro map and another family walked up too. My mom pulled her map out to look at it and a little boy darted under it and reached into her purse. All at once a lady ran up yelling "Attention !! Madame Attention!!. The family took off and the lady looked at us like we were stupid and walked off. My mom tried to thank her but she was long gone. I can't even imagine what would have happened if they had taken the wallet.

We were lost again today...who would imagine that there are two streets with the same name,well almost, the one were suppose to be on was Rue Victor Hugo instead we were on Blvd. Victor Hugo? We called the agency but it was too late for the casting. I have another test tomorrow. My mom does the 24 question thing every time I have a shoot. We discussed what I would do if I ran into a situation I was not comfortable with but so far so good!

 

[model_mom]

I went for the dreaded Doctor's appointment today to get a health certificate. I was so relieved to see that she was a woman. She was very nice and the exam wasn't so bad. She took me into her office afterwards to have a lttle talk about how I was handling all the stress of modeling but I knew better than to let on how I was really feeling. Happy and healthy that's me...

We rode the RER To St. Denis today to see a photographer. His assistant met us at the station. I was so glad and I could see how relieved my mom was to see him. Parts of Paris are not the best place to be on your own and this must be one of them by the look of things. We walked to the studio which wasn't a studio after all. The photographer lived in one large room with his wife and family. The loft upstairs was where the test would take place. My mom visited with the family while I tried on clothes that were thrown around on the floor. A mattress leaning against the wall was my backdrop. I just went with it and it was over in no time and the assistant walked us back to the station.


* Sidenote The name of the photographer was Sebran and the pictures he took that day were some of the best in Ali's book when she went to NY. They were amazing.

 

[model_mom]

We watch a little old lady on the same corner every day. She chases people and begs for cigarettes and money for wine or beer. She sits in front of this cafe and when she's had to much to drink she kicks people in their backside and pulls ladies hair. We notice that she is partial to blondes. She lets lose with what I think is a string of profanites and I am scared to death of her but my mom seems to sympathize with her. She gives her some change on our way to the metro every morning. Maybe it's a bribe so that she will leave us alone. Ha ha. The owner of the cafe keeps chasing her off but she keeps coming back. He must sympathize with her too because late one night we saw him put a jacket around her as she was sleeping on the ground outside.

 

[model_mom]

Castings today for OUI magazine and a Bali Baret advertising campaign,back to Madame Figaro and the final one was for Nikon advertising (?) I think several of them liked me but who knows,with no feedback from the agency,it's hard to tell. My mom walks all over the city she went to Jardin des Tueleries today but it was chilly and cold so she didn't stay long. We are not far from the the beautiful white church on the hill (Sacre Coure?). My mom is always trying to get me to go with her but I would rather stay here at the apartment, so she went by herself. She came back and told me she had found a restaurant called the "Buffalo Grill",sounds like my kind of place! They had American food. On the video screens hanging around they were showing rodeo shows with real cowboys. Yee Haw! My mom was so glad to see my eating that we even had a banana split for dessert. I have been living on cereal,scrambled eggs and spaghetti because those are the foods that remind me of home. I know I am driving her crazy with my moping around but this routine is starting to get a little old.

 

[model_mom]

There is a nightclub across the street from where we live and a group of young people hang out there. I watch them at night and wonder how long it will be before I will have a chance to hang out with my friends again.
I have two more tests tomorrow,the photgraphers names are Pierre Satin and Wayne Plant, I also have a casting for a runway show for Louis Rouchard. My friend Karlin was in the agency today and she was so upset. She was crying and my mom sat down to talk with her. She finally told us about a photoshoot she had with a photographer today that didn't go so well. I guess my mom was right about certain "situations".

We have a washing machine in the apartment that we use to wash our clothes. We have to hang them on drying racks because there isn't a dryer. It's driving my mom crazy, because she insists on ironing everything after it's dry. I tried to help her but after a few items were scorched she took over again.

 

[Mr-Dale]

Yeah times certainly changed for 15 year olds in a few years time...there's no shame in putting 12/14/15/16 yearolds on the runway and in mags nowadays. Everybody knows their ages and it's simply ok. This is 2002 right? Sorta post-heroin chic where there was a mixture of heroin chic and mature sexy models to sorta grab back to the supermodel era that preceeded the heroin chic era that people had gotten tired of around 2001-ish...It's just a few years too early for a 15 year old to get her break. 3 years later and the awkward, intellectual beauty of innocence (one of those three looks is fine as well) took over.

But it's really interesting to learn how agencies leave their girls up tp their own. And perhaps a lesson to always take your father to strange cities because they know the way j/k When I was in Paris I really enjoyed the metro system. I had no trouble at all navigating through the city tbh....but then again, I was a happy tourist and was not stressed out about booking jobs, arriving on time, looking good, making money, paying the bills etc.

Thank mm!

 

[BelleModèle]

I'm 18 and although i know i could never model, it's really a great insight into the effort and difficulty about the industry for a young person at the beginning.

I know a lot of people who don't have a clue and seem to think it's all about the glamour, being signed to an agency and automatically being booked.

I'm really glad you're posting this and it's a great read. Let Ali know I [we?] said thank you. :]

 

[model_mom]

*Sidenote by me.. At about this time I talked to Ali's Dad and he told me that Ali's horse Cheyenne had West Nile Virus and there was a good chance she was going to die. It was one of the hardest things I have ever done but I decided not to tell Ali. She was already not in the best shape and I knew this would be the final straw. I know how wrong it was now.... because that horse meant the world to her....but all I did about it at the time was pray that Cheyenne would recover.

 

[Rochas]

^Just wondering, did Cheyenne recover??

 

[model_mom]

Today was a bad day. I have had it up to here with going to castings,getting lost,missing my boyfriend and I want to go home to see my horse and my friends. SCREW PARIS! It's raining and cold and miserable. I went to three castings today. Can anyone tell me why the clients are so positive to me? They act like I have the job and then I hear nothing from the agency. Am I just imagining it all? My Mom thinks that I have been offered jobs by some clients but the agency doesn't seem to think they are the right type of work for my image. All my pictures should be back soon maybe when I have them all in my book I can go home! My mom took off this afternoon to see the Eiffel Tower. It's getting late and she's not back yet. She is always worried about me, I can't even begin to think what I would do if something happened to her.

 

[model_mom]

^Just wondering, did Cheyenne recover??

It's all in the journal on a later page....You can't imagine what it was like for me, knowing Cheyene was sick and hiding it from Ali...bad doesn't even begin to cover it.

 

[model_mom]

My mom showed up late last night...you guessed it,she lost her way,but she did get to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. I'm glad, that was the one thing she wanted to do while we were here.

I had a job today!!! It was a photoshoot in a hotel on the Champs Elyse. I wore hot pink tennis shoes,balloon pants and a pink and purple top. Hey a jobs a job!

I had several castings today one was with a Japanese client,they took pictures and I tried on clothes. Karlie told me that was a good sign. The other was for Christian LaCroix. I'm not too positive about that one. I saw a lot of famous models getting out of their chauffer driven cars. They just breezed past the line and went right in. I can't believe I'm even being considered after seeing them.

 

[model_mom]

We saw something really weird today,a thousand people on rollerblades/skates and they were doing some kind of promotion for a car company,I think. They were rollerblading around the streets to make the shape of a car. I saw the ad in the Metro but it was so strange to see it in person. You never know what you will see over here.

My agent called to today to tell us that I have a job for a lookbook for Thierry Mugler. It pays really well. I am so excited,maybe it will help pay for all the expenses we have racked up while we were here.

The agency called again,I booked a show called Agnes B and the fitting is tomorrow!!!
Maybe things are looking up??

 

[model_mom]

I did the job for Thierry Mugler today. I wore 20 different outfits and they brought in a big lunch for all the models. Each of us recieved a gift set of Angel Innocent perfume and lotion. I think this is one of the best days I've had in Paris. I'm finally doing what I came here to do. The photographer wants to talk to my agent and he said he would see me later this week??

I went to the fitting for Agnes B this evening. We waited forever, i should have known something was wrong. I'm not sure how they found out, the dresser came over and told me the designer had decided not to use me because of my age. I guess I spoke to soon when I thought things were looking up.

 

[Patches]

I love this.
Thank You model_mom and Ali!

Too often are the lives and routines of the people who are in fashion -especially models- are contemplated, imagined, and talked about. You hear the good, the bad, and sometimes things in between but I think you sharing something like this with us sort of puts a real concrete and valid spin on what it IS like, rather then what it is THOUGHT its like.

 

[model_mom]

We went into the agency this morning to tell them we would like to go home. All the agents came into the conference room and tried to talk me into staying till I'm 16. I think losing the only show I booked was the final straw. I woke my mom up last night and we had a long talk. She knows how sad I have been and I know she is worried about me. She said to decide and whatever my decision was she would stand behind it. My booker said that she would talk to Emanuelle about us going home and get back in touch with us.

When we got back to the apartment, a model that had just arrived for the show castings was staying there. She had been in a campaign for Ralph Lauren and she told us her name was Vanessa D'assisi (?sp). She spent the night and my mom cooked pizzas for us. She told us about how she was discovered by Ford in Brasil and that she was worried because she hadn't booked very many shows.She hated the place where we were staying and by the next morning she woke us up to tell us she was moving to a hotel near the Ford agency. Must be nice....