Me: Could you tell me a little bit about how you got into the modeling industry and how you came out of it and became a Christian?
Jennifer Strickland:I got into the modeling industry at an early age my Mom and I were very naive about modeling world, all we saw was the glamour and the great opportunities. At 17, I signed with what is known as Ford models now. I was six foot tall and was made a lot of promises, went to Europe and spend my first summer in Germany. For 4 or 5 years
I pursued the modeling industry ,I was a working model and made a good career, however, it was hard work some days I had 10-15 interviews to go to. I was traveling around the world modeling, because I was still in school I didn’t do the runaway. I felt sometimes like I was living a double life, I would go to school for journalism and get like an A on a paper and do that and then go and model and become any part( bride, teenager) that they needed to be. In college I got involved in alcohol and the sorority.
While in school I maintained a healthy weight and didn’t do runway just tv commercials, catalogs,etc. I believe staying in school maintained my sanity. When I graduated I got an opportunity and signed with FORD New York. I first went to Milan, there I began to starve myself, there was no other way, I would also take fat burners, exercised excessively. I met Gorgio Armani and not just him his family and kept getting callback at first I stumbled on the runaway and was sent away, but eventually came back around and worked the runway for him. They would put their hands around your waist and you got rewards for being skinny in complaints.
It starts messing with your mind though, because there is no end with anorexia it’s an ongoing struggle because you’re never thin enough. I was taken advantage of by a photographer, I had a lot of emotional pain from being exposed and exploited in the business. I lost my sense of self worth, came home for the holidays and my Mom was worried about my size so she fed me a lot, when I came back from holiday Armani could tell I gained a little weight like 4 pounds. He kicked me off the runway in front of everybody, it was so humiliating and took the clothes and everything and left me standing their embarrassed. While modeling in Europe there was a language barrier you don’t really understand what their saying, so that made it worse, their just looking at your image. After this I went on a journey to find out what beauty was. After I got kicked out I was crying and a man came asking why I was crying life is beautiful in Italian.
I began to search for the real beauty in life. After losing my jobs in Milan and I was stolen from and humbled. I began to go to churches in Rome and look at the depictions of Jesus. My beauty began to be taken away. I was breaking out from anorexia and substance abuse, my hair was falling out, I had dark circles under my eyes. I met this girl outside of Rome she told me about Jesus that he could heal me when I was ready, I wasn’t ready at that time. She prayed for me and shortly after I fled from men who had exploited, mistreated and verbally abused me. I thought if I made enough money I would be free, and my family wanted me to keep pursuing modeling. Shortly after this I contemplated suicide, I met people passing out bibles in the park and they were so sweet with kind eyes. They invited me to their church. (me:as she tells me about this Jennifer goes and shows me the German new testament bible,very old and very well loved )I came to church 2 or 3 times. I would read on the interviews and the train once I read though Matthew I was ready to give my life to Christ,I fasted for a week in a hostel in Germany.
I gave my life to God and was delivered and set free of Anoxeria was totally healed. I came back tot the church and they rejoiced and eventually sent me home. I took the money I made from modeling and went back to school. It was then that I started writing my my first book Girl Perfect. At school I always felt good, (confident) besides I had gifts(skills and abilities) and that’s the problem girls base their identity on what they see but they have gifts,you have gifts!I put my book away and eventually got married. My husband was the protector that I never really had God blessed me with that protection and love. I had two babies right away. My husband encouraged and pushed me to write and publish my first book. I wrote Girl Perfect and was sold international and now I get letters from people and so many hurting girls.
Me: Do parents ever ask you about putting their child into
modeling and your advice on it.
Jennifer Strickland: This business sets girls up to be behind the camera with older men. He’s 30-60 and you’re a teenager or early twenties. There are girls that have been able to have a quality career but, it’s really hard to have your parents with you, parents will often say I'll stay with my child to every interview and modeling job, but, what about when she’s eighteen I was taken advantage of when I was 18,19,20,21. There is no way I would let my daughter go into the industry, because I want her to discover and use her gifts, why would I set her up to be compared to other girls constantly it’s not healthy I know super strong Christian moms, but most of the time I say no.
Me:From your books it so clear what the modeling industry is
and what you’re doing now has so much more a powerful impact because modeling
is often self-centered.
Jennifer Strickland: The new reward after ending a eating disorder becomes that
you give of yourself, like when I get these letters and a review on my latest
book 21 myths good girls believe about sex, a girl wrote a review that when she
accepted Christ at one of my events that all these years she carried guilt of
sexual sin a, reading this book helped her forgive herself made me cry that is
my reward,that’s why I’m doing this and it’s so fulfilling. Can’t place your
value on your body because it’s constantly changing.
Me: How you went to college and become a writer is really
encouraging to girls to use their god given gifts.
Images: By Google/ Urmore
Interview by: RachelW
