Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Amanda Jefferies. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Amanda , appreciate you joining us today. The first dollar you earn is always exciting – it’s like the start of a new chapter and so we’d love to hear about the first time you sold or generated revenue from your creative work?

The first dollar I earned in my modeling career was after getting signed in 2015. I was requested to be a fit model for an athletic brand called Soybu. When you are requested by a client it means you do not have to audition or submit anything, you have the part. I remember opening my email and seeing my first professional job and how much I was going to make and I was so excited and so scared. It honestly felt fake. I was told I was going to be a “fit model”. Fit models are used by designers or manufacturers to check the fit, drape, and visual appearance of a design on a “real” human body, basically acting as a live mannequin. I had no idea I was walking into an actual photoshoot. I checked in at the front and expected to go back to the changing area and start trying on some clothes. I was greeted and immediately brought back to hair and makeup. I sat down in the chair and had a mini panic attack coming to the realization that I was there for an e-commerce shoot. I had never stepped foot on a professional set and I wasn’t given any guidance from my agency on what to expect. I basically felt like I was thrown to the wolves.

Fortunately, my makeup chair was facing the set, and another model (who was much more experienced than I was) was just wrapping their last look. I was able to quickly study them and their movements. Before I knew it I was in my first look and I was standing on an all-white backdrop with a bunch of lights shining on my face. I peered through the blinding lights and looked out to see a bunch of strangers staring at me waiting for me to deliver. I was so anxious I felt like I could burst into tears at any moment. I slapped on a smile and started moving. The photographer started snapping photos and I slowly loosened up. By my last look I felt so comfortable and was having so much fun I forgot it was my first time. I finished the shoot and was excitedly thanked by the client, I left in a whirlwind of emotions. I remember on the drive home I just kept thinking how surreal the whole experience was. That was the first time I recognized myself as a model. The best part was, a few weeks later they booked me again.

Amanda , before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Hello! I’m Amanda Jefferies, I am a Plus Model and Public Health Worker. I’m originally from a small town in the Black Hills, South Dakota. I went to college at Montana State University in Bozeman where I got my B.S. in Community Health. I moved to Denver almost 8 years ago and I am proud to say I love being a Coloradan. I started my career in Public Health in the Denver Metro 7 years ago, and I was signed with my first agency as a plus model almost 2 months later.

I love having the two careers and feel like they really balance each other out. Modeling is all about making yourself and the products look as saleable and alluring as possible. My Public Health journey has been about helping improve the lives of others, make systems work better, and create health equity. Modeling can be luxurious and sexy. Public health can be heartbreaking and frustrating. But, the thing I have found the two have in common is they both have very beautiful aspects. With modeling, I get to represent a population of people who haven’t been represented up until recently. I get to help pave the way to make space for other plus models. I get to be a part of a moment in time where the fashion industry is changing. And that is powerful and fulfilling. Public Health helps me see how beautiful humanity truly can be. Working with people who are often disenfranchised has been really heart-wrenching but I have learned people really are resilient. People are innovative and resourceful, driven and determined, and kind and gracious. I have gotten to experience so many beautiful moments with people from all walks of life, and that makes the work worth it all.

I got into modeling honestly on a whim. I grew up, like many models, watching America’s Next Top Model and dreaming of walking the runway and being in magazines. I have always been thick and I was constantly told that I was “too fat” to be a model. I was told by multiple people, “you have a great face, but your body is horrible”. I grew up thinking my body was wrong and ugly. I felt really uncomfortable in my own skin for the majority of my life. I developed an eating disorder and tried everything to lose weight. I longed to be thin and I was desperate to look like the women I saw in magazines, but I never thought I would actually become a model.

Fast forward to 2015. I saw an Instagram post about Torrid having a model search and I decided, “what the hell”, I would go for it. I applied, and I made it really far. I had multiple interviews, went through several rounds, and was asked to come to LA to be a part of the final round and film a month-long TV show of the competition. I had literally gotten my first job after graduating college in my career field 3 weeks before I was asked to come to LA by Torrid. I wanted more than anything to say, “yes of course”, and jump on the opportunity immediately. But I had no savings, no safety net, and I had just landed my dream job and they were not going to let me take a month off. I had to make one of the hardest decisions of my life and I turned the offer down. I was crushed by this. The casting director told me they thought I truly had talent and told me to try and get with an agency. I decided to take the casting director’s advice and I reached out to an agency in Denver. They called me in for an interview and signed me. I was shocked and I was ecstatic.

I’ve now been in the industry for 7 years and I am so grateful for the career I have worked so hard to build. For me, all I want to do is help inspire others to be the most authentic version of themselves they can possibly be. I want to show people and society that beauty comes in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. I want to help break down the beauty standard and invite others to sit at the table with me. I truly just want to help others and I feel I get to do that with both modeling and public health.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

The mission that drives me in my creative journey is wanting to break down the perception society has created of what is and is not “beautiful”. The fashion industry has been obsessed with eurocentric beauty standards like being thin and tall, having light skin, large eyes, a small nose, and high cheekbones. And if you don’t check each of those boxes you aren’t actually beautiful and because you aren’t beautiful you aren’t worthy either. I am here to tear those standards apart and I am here to build others up who also don’t meet the “standards”. People are beautiful because of our differences. It’s our uniqueness and individuality that creates charm and enticement. People, in general, are works of art, and we should all be allowed to celebrate that. My mission is to help create a space where people can celebrate themselves and feel confident in their own skin, just the way they are. People need to and deserve to feel like they are enough. We all deserve to see ourselves represented in fashion and society and I want to help be a part of that representation. Knowing that there are other people out there who can look at my photos and say, “wow her body looks like mine” makes me so happy. Knowing that other people see pictures and advertisements of me feeling sexy, strong, and confident makes me hope that they themselves can feel like they are allowed to feel sexy, strong, and confident. I just want others to know that it’s perfectly okay to be themselves, and they are allowed to love themselves.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

Something I don’t think non-creatives understand is really how hard it is to actually be a model. It’s not just sitting in front of a camera looking pretty. I leave the majority of my photoshoots feeling like I left a workout. I tell a lot of up-and-coming models that when you are posing and doing movement if it feels uncomfortable, that usually means it’s a great shot. You really have to be willing to look silly in front of people you don’t know, it requires vulnerability. You have to be willing to try awkward poses, make new faces, and try to express different emotions. It takes thousands of shots to get one good picture. It’s truly an art form and it takes a lot of skill. You have to be willing to accept negative feedback and immediately change what you are doing to something the client does like. Many times I book jobs not knowing really what to expect, you just have to show up and deliver what the client needs that day. Modeling is unlike any other job I have ever had, and that’s exactly why I love it!

Image Credits
Personal Photo: Backstage at Color of Fashion Runway Show. I closed the show that night. First two images: Katya Nunez, Katya Nunez Photography, IG: @katyanunezphotography Middle four images: Mackenzie Nemeth-Suko, Blue Flame Studio Co, IG: @blueflamestudioco Last four images: Alisha Light, A. Light Photography, IG: @alightphotog