Spokane's Top Model is just days away. Like day after tomorrow days away. Last time I looked at my calendar, I had a month left.
Within that month, I went back to school, I increased my hours at work, I started an amazing new job, and I am currently still in the process of moving. I also switched from ice cream to frozen yogurt...
Among the very long days and extremely short nights, I did my best to prepare for STM. Guys, switching over from ice cream to frozen yogurt needs a 12 step program.
The last couple months I've actually done several runway shows and a handful of photoshoots, including the STM model photoshoot held on February 26th...I was able to model and shoot a sample from Ronnie Kimball Ryno's line, Glamarita, and participate in Spokane's Best Boutique's fashion show two weeks ago (Thank you PJ, Julie Farley,Tangerine, and Fringe). There is nothing more I appreciate than the opportunity to put miles on the catwalk, especially before this show.
The main reason why I wanted to write this blog tonight (after a 16 hour day, nonetheless) was because I wanted to comment on some of the press surrounding this event. I have been disappointed in the majority of publications featuring STM, not only as a model, but as a community member of Spokane.
I was almost outraged by the article I read in the "Gonzaga Bulletin" several weeks ago with insensitive descriptions like:
"Who is this off the shoulder wouldn't-pass-the-finger-test dress wearin' foxy Cleopatra workin' this parking lot right now?"
or...
"I enter into a bustling room of burnt hair and … good Christ, is this Northtown Mall's dreadful accessory store, Claire's?"
Obviously this mocking tone seemed to have set the standard for future publications (read the entire article here). Not that I'm not used to the criticism and bashing that comes with the territory of this industry. Thanks for pulling my head out of the clouds when I actually thought this event could be something positive, exciting, and innovative for a city that could use a little more color and style - especially in a way that allows many young women to push themselves, develop confidence, and maybe even experience a little bit of the fashion industry when NYC, LA, Paris, or Milan seems a bit too far fetched. Who knew making dreams come true was something to scoff at? Or maybe you can strut your stuff behind your harsh adjectives, but not when it comes to the catwalk.
Today, I was featured in an article from The Inlander but the article fell short of my expectations. I think that the majority of people have a prejudice against the fashion industry, especially when it comes to modeling, and "The Inlander" missed the mark when it comes to what this event is about (article here). The modeling industry is definitely flawed, but I had hoped Spokane would be able to overcome the stereotypes and prejudices and have an event that brings new opportunity to Spokane. Let's face it, Spokane is definitely not what immediately pops into my head when I think "trendy" and "fashion." Try "mullets" and "sweat pants." If a city could be featured on TLC's "What Not to Wear"...
The thing that makes Spokane great is that we do have an amazing plethora of fashionable boutiques and salons! Spokane's Top Model features 8 top boutiques and 8 top salons from all around the city. This event isn't about the models at all...but featuring what Spokane has to offer and what you are missing out on.
The article, like the majority of fashion publications, features the downsides of the industry. Why group Spokane into a stereotype when it hasn't even become applicable yet? STM features a number of different models - of different ethnicity, builds, and backgrounds - way more than what you would see at a cookie-cutter casting in one of the top fashion capitals of the world. In fact, many of us aren't even built like industry standard models, many of us aren't skinny, but that wasn't the point of this competition.
That leads me to really dissect The Model. I think many people have a false understanding of what makes a good model, what a model does, and how the industry works. First of all, models are not beautiful people. They simply have a bone structure and a body type that has developed as "ideal" in the fashion industry. Many of the world's most successful models and not attractive. But the fashion industry isn't about the model, it's about what the model is modeling - the clothing, the brand, the style, the fashion. A model is simply a canvas for an artist or a medium for an advertiser. While I definitely consider modeling to be an art-form itself, the model is never the focal point of the creation nor is she the focus of what's on the runway - what she's modeling is. The competition is about SO much more than just pretty faces....it was never about pretty faces to begin with, nor should it have been. How many new clients will walk into the doors of the 8 salons and 8 boutiques after the competition? How many people will call up a model and ask for their services? Exactly.
I really do hope that after this competition someone from Spokane will realize they too have a passion for fashion...and we have the potential to have a GREAT city for it. I am more than excited to share my dream, my passion, and my "canvas" with a community that I think can do better. We have 8 salons, 8 boutiques, and 39 other models who are more than ready to do the same.
Oh, and to set the record straight...I did not know what Pabst Blue Ribbon was before I Googled it. PBR has always been Professional Bull Riding to me...
Spokane's Top Model
April 16th, 7PM
The Knitting Factory
Spokane
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
My Sandra Bullock
I wanted to SO blog about this yesterday, but I sat here in front of my computer for 20 minutes thinking of a creative way to break the news...I just couldn't do it. Not break the news, but creatively break the news. Neither happened.
And if I don't break the news anytime soon, this will definitely be passe (which, ohmygosh, is a total no no)...and soon you'll read the breaking news and be like "Yeah, Jenn? I knew that yesterday." Well just know I WANTED TO TELL YOU YESTERDAY.
My blogging style isn't always this way...I like to think of myself as a very versatile writer. Tomorrow I will post in diction inspired by Joseph Conrad (and I'll make sure to have the Cliffnotes version available to you).
Oh, right. News. To break.
GUYS, I MADE THE SPOKANE'S TOP MODEL TOP 40!
Now that I type that, I wonder why I couldn't do it yesterday...
First and foremost, I want to express what an honor it is to be selected for this incredible opportunity - not only as a model, but as a woman, as a person with an insatiable desire to challenge herself. This will definitely be a challenge! Bring it on!
I don't see this as just a competition among competitors. I am using this as an opportunity to compete against myself. I want to embrace a lifestyle full of health, well-being, and fitness. This is the perfect catalyst for that goal. That being said - thanks guys for planning this event for the Spring. I spy bikini body ready for the first day it hits 60!
Physique aside, this is also an opportunity for me to grow within the community - I aspire to be a better role model, a better woman, and a better friend. I am so excited to allow STM to help me become that beautiful woman I strive to be!
Tired of the pep talk? Part of why I blog about this is to help me achieve a P.M.A. (positive mental attitude). I am a very optimistic individual, but if I wrote that I wake up this way every single morning, I'd be lying. Sometimes it takes work. Sometimes it's easier to be the pessimist. Sometimes it's easier to have a negative attitude. That's life...but life is also about the ability to change that.
Life is all about change. Let's do this (okay, this is when you think about Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality).
And if I don't break the news anytime soon, this will definitely be passe (which, ohmygosh, is a total no no)...and soon you'll read the breaking news and be like "Yeah, Jenn? I knew that yesterday." Well just know I WANTED TO TELL YOU YESTERDAY.
My blogging style isn't always this way...I like to think of myself as a very versatile writer. Tomorrow I will post in diction inspired by Joseph Conrad (and I'll make sure to have the Cliffnotes version available to you).
Oh, right. News. To break.
GUYS, I MADE THE SPOKANE'S TOP MODEL TOP 40!
Now that I type that, I wonder why I couldn't do it yesterday...
First and foremost, I want to express what an honor it is to be selected for this incredible opportunity - not only as a model, but as a woman, as a person with an insatiable desire to challenge herself. This will definitely be a challenge! Bring it on!
I don't see this as just a competition among competitors. I am using this as an opportunity to compete against myself. I want to embrace a lifestyle full of health, well-being, and fitness. This is the perfect catalyst for that goal. That being said - thanks guys for planning this event for the Spring. I spy bikini body ready for the first day it hits 60!
Physique aside, this is also an opportunity for me to grow within the community - I aspire to be a better role model, a better woman, and a better friend. I am so excited to allow STM to help me become that beautiful woman I strive to be!
Tired of the pep talk? Part of why I blog about this is to help me achieve a P.M.A. (positive mental attitude). I am a very optimistic individual, but if I wrote that I wake up this way every single morning, I'd be lying. Sometimes it takes work. Sometimes it's easier to be the pessimist. Sometimes it's easier to have a negative attitude. That's life...but life is also about the ability to change that.
Life is all about change. Let's do this (okay, this is when you think about Sandra Bullock in Miss Congeniality).
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Spokane's Top Model - Raising the Bar
It's really kind of sad how I link this blog to my website (http://www.jenniferleewatts.com) and my Facebook and yet I NEVER post (though I have many drafts saved - half credit?). Many of you have asked about my blog and to know that it's actually read, maybe even enjoyed, is very touching. Thank you for bearing with me.
2011 is looking to be a very exciting year for me. I have so many opportunities starting to formulate into actual possibilities and wow, what a scary, intense, overwhelming, exciting, amazing, and incredible thought. To see mere ideas actually start to become reality is an experience everyone needs to create for themselves because you really do start to believe in the person you have the potential to become. I look in the mirror and I see the woman I want to be. She's not quite there yet - she's a little far away, a little blurry, but she's there, looking back at me. She is not perfect, she makes mistakes, there are questions she cannot answer, but she embraces those imperfections, learns from those mistakes, and isn't afraid to ask questions. It's a start...
Saturday was the highly anticipated Spokane's Top Model's auditions. Before anything else, I need to press 'caps lock' and stress how INCREDIBLY AWESOME this event has been and will continue to be for the community. I am bearing witness to so many huge footsteps in Spokane's journey to become an even more trendy and cultured city - it's wonderful to be maturing into a confident, fashionable young woman in a city that seems to be doing the same.
At first I had no interest in auditioning or competing in another modeling competition. I don't have the drive to go out and prove something to myself or anything else for that matter. I then realized that part of my 2011 resolutions was to set the bar higher for myself and to never stop challenging myself and pushing myself to do better - so I signed up. For me, the better I am doing for ME, the better I am doing for others.
'Beauty' competitions are in a class all their own - they are more demanding emotionally and physically and in a different way than any other form of competition. Models are not only being judged on a performance (and personality to an extent) - which has many variables - but they are being judged on appearance and opening themselves up to ridicule and rejection that often can't be reversed. When your appearance is implied as not good enough - sure you can workout, change your hair, change your clothes, but ultimately, you're being judged on a you that cannot be changed. While it is a completely subjective process, it's still a very sensitive one. I admire each and every one of those who auditioned this weekend - for taking a risk, for having the confidence to raise the bar for themselves. There is beauty in that alone.
I was extremely impressed with Spokane's Top Model's audition process. Having auditioned for America's Next Top Model, I can honestly say Spokane proved to be more professional, more beneficial, and a better experience as a whole. While they obviously did not audition the same volume of talent ANTM does, over 200 auditions is definitely something to be commended for. Great judges, crew, location (thanks to Gary Peterson), and photographers - Shane Savage and Jamie Velandra. I know that Red Eye Promotions has invested so much time, effort, and money into this event and I hope they know the opportunity they are creating for young, aspiring women of Spokane is truly appreciated and invaluable.
My audition was comfortable and exciting - that is way better than I expected auditioning with a fever, double ear infection (oh, equilibrium and the catwalk), and strep throat. I also was finishing up a very intense week - stressful deadlines, executing events, and hosting clients which left me with little preparation and little sleep. I consider it a feat that I showed up on the right day! I'm sitting here after midnight Sunday (now Monday) absolutely exhausted, still feeling like I got hit by a truck, but I'm smiling because I did it! I raised the bar for myself and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.
2011 is looking to be a very exciting year for me. I have so many opportunities starting to formulate into actual possibilities and wow, what a scary, intense, overwhelming, exciting, amazing, and incredible thought. To see mere ideas actually start to become reality is an experience everyone needs to create for themselves because you really do start to believe in the person you have the potential to become. I look in the mirror and I see the woman I want to be. She's not quite there yet - she's a little far away, a little blurry, but she's there, looking back at me. She is not perfect, she makes mistakes, there are questions she cannot answer, but she embraces those imperfections, learns from those mistakes, and isn't afraid to ask questions. It's a start...
Saturday was the highly anticipated Spokane's Top Model's auditions. Before anything else, I need to press 'caps lock' and stress how INCREDIBLY AWESOME this event has been and will continue to be for the community. I am bearing witness to so many huge footsteps in Spokane's journey to become an even more trendy and cultured city - it's wonderful to be maturing into a confident, fashionable young woman in a city that seems to be doing the same.
At first I had no interest in auditioning or competing in another modeling competition. I don't have the drive to go out and prove something to myself or anything else for that matter. I then realized that part of my 2011 resolutions was to set the bar higher for myself and to never stop challenging myself and pushing myself to do better - so I signed up. For me, the better I am doing for ME, the better I am doing for others.
'Beauty' competitions are in a class all their own - they are more demanding emotionally and physically and in a different way than any other form of competition. Models are not only being judged on a performance (and personality to an extent) - which has many variables - but they are being judged on appearance and opening themselves up to ridicule and rejection that often can't be reversed. When your appearance is implied as not good enough - sure you can workout, change your hair, change your clothes, but ultimately, you're being judged on a you that cannot be changed. While it is a completely subjective process, it's still a very sensitive one. I admire each and every one of those who auditioned this weekend - for taking a risk, for having the confidence to raise the bar for themselves. There is beauty in that alone.
I was extremely impressed with Spokane's Top Model's audition process. Having auditioned for America's Next Top Model, I can honestly say Spokane proved to be more professional, more beneficial, and a better experience as a whole. While they obviously did not audition the same volume of talent ANTM does, over 200 auditions is definitely something to be commended for. Great judges, crew, location (thanks to Gary Peterson), and photographers - Shane Savage and Jamie Velandra. I know that Red Eye Promotions has invested so much time, effort, and money into this event and I hope they know the opportunity they are creating for young, aspiring women of Spokane is truly appreciated and invaluable.
My audition was comfortable and exciting - that is way better than I expected auditioning with a fever, double ear infection (oh, equilibrium and the catwalk), and strep throat. I also was finishing up a very intense week - stressful deadlines, executing events, and hosting clients which left me with little preparation and little sleep. I consider it a feat that I showed up on the right day! I'm sitting here after midnight Sunday (now Monday) absolutely exhausted, still feeling like I got hit by a truck, but I'm smiling because I did it! I raised the bar for myself and it wasn't as scary as I thought it would be.
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