It is a world of 13-hour days, stressful castings and size 6 figures. Here is what it is like to navigate the big opportunities – and impossible demands

‘She was sitting at the kitchen table, eating raw cauliflower. For dinner.” It’s September 2024 in London and my friend is reflecting on her time sharing an apartment with fellow models in Paris the previous year. I am grimly amused, but unsurprised. This is the type of story models are always telling.

I would know, because I became a model at 21 – quite late, by industry standards – and have walked in several London shows, as well as fittings, showrooms, campaigns, editorials, lookbooks and e-commerce for brands such as Moncler, Lacoste and Toni & Guy. Since I started, I have tried to build a thick skin to protect myself against rejections from castings and call-backs, as well as the ubiquitous skinny body standard. But when I get selected for a show, there is always the underlying fear that perhaps I took it too far – that I lost too much weight again. Because an overwhelming proportion of models are, as they have always been, very thin.