Jade
Being a model can be difficult, often requiring people to make tough sacrifices. However, it can also prove to be a highly rewarding experience. For Stephanie Hunt, modeling has allowed her to travel around the world, get involved with high profile names such as Guess, Revlon, designer Melba Aros, Lady Jayne, Toscow Jewelery, celebrity hairstylist, David Babaii and magazines such as Camilla, RUSSH, Cosmopolitan, and FTV as well as meet a lot of interesting new people.
Stephanie has certainly proven that she can rely not only on her looks for her success but also on her focus, drive, and ambition. Added to that is a healthy dollop of good sense! ‘Challenges’ are a normal part of working as a model (“Modeling has definitely thickened up my skin!”) and to Stephanie, one’s attitude towards them will define you, “love and believe in yourself! I know that sounds so corny, but it can be really tough being around intimidatingly successful and gorgeous people and still feel as though you fit the bill.”
According to Stephanie, the biggest factor that determines how successful you will be is how much you want to succeed. Along with this strong passion, you should have a strong sense of integrity. Often, these values will have a bigger impact on your potential success than your looks. You should also take as many opportunities as you can, which will allow you to build your network. For many young models, a strong network is more important than seeing financial returns. In addition, it’s key to master social media. This is becoming increasingly important, allowing you to send a clear message to your fans. Once you’ve chosen your brand, use each post to re-enforce it. Social media also allows you to build a strong platform to get more people interested in your brand. You should use this tool to connect with your audience.
Stephanie’s early struggles with low self-esteem have served to spur this young entrepreneur ever onwards. She not only juggles her modeling career with her fulltime job, but she also regularly volunteers at an animal shelter! It “serves as a great reminder of what my priorities should be, and what really matters in life. Having a healthy balance between work, my personal life, and my volunteering has been the key to staying grounded for me.”
That healthy balance seems to be her recipe for success as well with many plans in the works for this talented (she speaks French and plays the piano!) young lady. But to Stephanie, it will always be “that with self-belief, hard work, dedication and a lot of resilience, you really can achieve anything.”
Jason Harris
