From Swiss High Schooler to Paris Model: Lessons in Rejection, Resilience, and Owning the Room

Long before startups, I was a model in Paris.

17 year old me, highschooler in Switzerland, eating lunch alone.

I didn't have many friends, so I'd spend lunch breaks walking around shopping malls.

One day, there was a modeling competition in a supermarket. I entered on a whim, won, and got a "contract".

At that point, I had already gotten into one of Switzerland's most prestigious universities, which I ended up quitting after two days (story for another time.)

I couldn't start another university for a year and needed money.

So at 17, I moved to Paris alone, lived in an apartment with other models from the agency, and made enough to support myself.

It wasn't glamorous at all, it was actually brutal.

You hear "no" 50 times before you hear one "yes." You learn not to take it personally even though it's literally about how you look.

Your roommates are your competition. Every casting has 100+ girls who look like you.

You ARE the product. No one's going to pitch for you. So you either own the room or go home and share the room with the winner.

Everyone talks about the parties, but you don't go. You sleep like an athlete, eat clean, and show up early.

I once gained 4 pounds and told my roommate. She told my booker, who cancelled every casting until I lost it. That's how competitive it was.

People can be brutal.

And no, there are no scandalous photos of me...

📸David Bellemere and Alex Covo