My experience with America’s Next Top Model…
As I walked towards the line at 12:30 PM (it easily raped itself around the corner of the tall San Francisco buildings) I held my portfolio and resume tightly, which I would hope to use in my audition. Not knowing what to expect, I waited patiently at the end of the line as it slowly moved inches at a time.
More Than Americas Next Top Model!
After about two hours of waiting, I began to talk to some of the other girls who stood in front and behind me. There was one girl in the group that was brought together that had no confidence at all. This bothered me. As I waited another hour before it was time to go inside, our new group of friends waited impatiently as the elevator made its way to the third floor. I found myself in another line! I waited impatiently for another hour talking about what we thought to expect. My new friend didn’t talk much, but stayed shadowed behind me as we finally made our way through the big wooden doors, only to find ourselves in a room of 200 girls waiting for auditions. To put it simply… Another line.
We took our seats, now exchanging portfolios to see each other’s competition. I found myself in deep conversations with all the girls that sat behind, in front, and to the sides of me. All very eager, it seemed, to learn about the girls that would be competing with them when the time came. About every twenty minutes, a lady would come in and make a group of roughly eighty girls and took them into the room which would decide their fate for the competition.
My new friend looked quickly around the room at the beautiful faces that were just as anxious as she was. She stood up from her seat and looked down at me. “I don’t think I can do this. I think that I will turn in my application and leave.” I was outraged! She turned to speak to one of the ladies collecting our applications that we received and filled out once we entered the room with what seemed like a thousand green armless chairs. “If I turn in my application and leave, will that be alright”? As these words flowed carefully into my ear, I turned my head and stared at the back of hers. I couldn’t let her leave! I had this good feeling about her, better then my own, and leaving was not an option!
“If you walk out of this room and through those doors, I will tackle you to the ground, and drag you back into this room. There is no way your going to waste five hours of waiting in lines just to go home.” I looked at her waiting for her to argue back. She looked back to the women with the applications who also thought it would be a bad idea for her to leave now, and then back to me. With a heavy sigh, she took her seat. Our group was called for our audition.
This was it.
As we all scuffled to the exit, we wished the girls who sat in the chairs waiting for their turn to shine and wished them luck. It was time.
As we entered a small room with five or six people behind a table, some sitting and some standing, a lady told us all the drop our things in the middle of the floor in order to see our bodies. All the girls stood up against the wall with not even half an inch in between us. Passing around a microphone, we all stated our name, age, weight, and height. I said all these very clearly and smiled as I handed the mic to my new friend. She took a step forward and said her name in a beautiful Latino accent, and followed by her measurements. As the mic reached the last girl, the judges sat behind the table speaking quietly to the others. The lady who had spoken to us before called out the numbers of the girls who would wait in the room for further questioning. My number was 868. Slowly the numbers were being called out, as they reached the highest numbers, I barely heard 86…9. At first I was disappointed, but as I looked behind me, I realized that the girl who was to afraid to walk into the room, almost giving up to go home, had made the second cut! I reached out and gave her a hug and she thanked me numerous times. I waved goodbye as I left the room and she stayed behind.
Although I didn’t make the second cut, I wasn’t sad. I felt as if I had gained something more then winning a competition. I had gained helping another see her beauty, and hopefully she will give it her best! She was the BEST in my opinion.
I never found out her name or exchanged phone numbers. But I have a great feeling that she will soon be seen on Americas Next Top Model.
-Kasey Panus
Being a girl, can be daunting especially when your face breaks out… what do you do?
