Modeling for Styles

Four: Measurements

Just yesterday I was standing behind the cash register at a Subway, and today? I'm standing in the middle of a bright room in my undergarments, and under the contract of Victoria Secret and One Direction.

How the hell did I get here?

The door opened slowly and I looked up to see a woman, about late twenties with her blonde hair pulled back into two French braids which reached slightly past her shoulders. Her eyes were a sparkling grey which looked up and down my barely clothed body. Her lips stretched into a smile as she wrapped measuring tape around her neck.

She walked forward, throwing one of her braids over her shoulder as she reached her hand out for me to shake.

"I'm Carla, your stylist," she introduced herself with a shining smile as her teeth were covered by braces. I could tell that she wouldn't have to wear the metal much longer due to the fact that her teeth were practically already straight.

"Hi, I'm-"

"I know who you are, honey. Your appearance is my job, and I want to make sure you're comfortable in everything that you're wearing, okay?" Carla interrupted as sweetly as possible. I nodded my head in agreement and that's when she began to look my body up and down.

"You're definitely curvy in all of the right places," She smiled, lowering herself onto her knees. She wrapped the tape around my waist, writing down my measurements on a scratch pad. Next were my thighs and I giggled when her fingernails brushed a little close to my downtown area. She apologized quickly before continuing to write down the needed information. 

"You have a lot of muscle, especially in your legs," She said as she felt the tightness of my leg. "Did you participate in a sport?" She questioned as she continued onto my other thigh. 

"Yeah, swimming all throughout high school," I said, lifting my hands as she measured around my stomach. She nodded her head in approval and we went back to silence. 

"So, how are you doing with all of this . . . change?" She asked, getting back to her feet. Next, it was my chest that needed to be measured. I happily lifted my arms while she tightened the instrument on my skin.

"It's still surreal, I mean I didn't expect to be even glanced at a second time when I auditioned. This is just a chance to show what true beauty is. Beauty isn't about being a size 00, it's about being confident in your appearance no matter what. That's how I look at things, and I guess that's what I'm going to be doing. And I couldn't be any more happy," I smiled, and looked at Carla only to see a frown etched onto her face. Her eyes brimmed with tears and I reached my hand out to grasp her shoulder and massage comfort onto her skin. 

"It's just that--" Her voice cracked and my heart broke. "My daughter, she is so ashamed of her body, no matter how many times I tell her how beautiful she is, she doesn't believe me. She looks at those tiny models and she completely neglects her body and harms it. It's so wrong. It's so wrong to advertise beauty as looking like a toothpick. And now, you are here and you're going to be able to show her that she's gorgeous no matter what she looks like," A tear rolled down her cheek and I bit my lip as I wiped away the salty liquid.

 I didn't know what to say. But knowing that I could be that much of an impact on people, it was both scary and honoring. When I didn't respond she cleared her throat and fanned her face quickly. She replaced her frown with a smile while she blinked quickly to get rid of her tears. 

"Enough of that," She laughed and ran to a white closet that was securely closed. She pulled it open, only to reveal several different outfits and underwear and bra's. "Now, since your breast and butt size are bigger than the other models, I had to have some undergarments custom made. Of course, these were all made on a hunch, but luckily, I guessed the measurements correctly. Here," She handed me black lace underwear that had a waistband that read 'Pink'. She also help a matching black lace bra which crossed in the back.