“In one of my earliest memories, I remember being in my first day of elementary school and going to the park with my mother, my sister, and my two older sisters,” says Lauren Tatum, a sophomore at the University of Texas.
“We would get together and have a picnic and go for a swim.
There was no way we could go to a park with a kid and not have our clothes get torn up or thrown around, because we were all in our underwear, and I was so old and I didn’t have enough clothes to wear.
We would have to put them back on, but it was so embarrassing, and it was very stressful.
That was just when I knew I wanted to be a professional model.
So that was my first experience modeling.”
Lauren, now 18, is now a junior in college and is on her way to becoming a professional actress.
“I was in awe of how much I could get away with wearing and how I could not be caught,” she says.
“But it was just so intimidating.
The idea of not knowing that you were going to be breaking a few rules, and not knowing how many people were going through the same situation that you had, was really hard.”
For years, Lauren has been documenting the process of becoming a model, documenting the experience of modeling, documenting how modeling changed her life and the impact it had on her career.
“My main motivation for doing the project is to raise awareness about modeling,” she explains.
“Because I’ve always been a fan of fashion, I wanted people to know what modeling was like, how it changed my life, how many lives were changed because of modeling.”
But Lauren’s project is also meant to inspire people who are modeling to be more careful when choosing their clothing, to be aware of the clothing they wear and to be responsible for it, and Lauren is determined to keep her message alive.
“Modeling is really important to me,” she adds.
“When I was younger, it was more of a hobby.
I didn: I went to school and I worked really hard, and then I made a few bucks, and went to college and got my degree.
But it’s a profession, and as a professional, I want to be able to be paid fairly for what I do.
So I want the model community to understand the importance of wearing appropriate clothes, and to do it responsibly.”
Lauren’s clothing is inspired by a variety of models, from actresses to professional models, including model Anna Paquin, model Sarah Michelle Gellar, model Lauren Harrell, model Kate Upton, and model Jessica Alba.
In a bid to keep the project updated, Lauren will be posting new photos of her work on Instagram, where she has more than 20,000 followers.
“One of my favorite things about Instagram is that it’s constantly updating,” she tells Newsweek.
“So when I’m posting photos of my clothes, I will update the followers that see them.”
And with every post, she will add her personal story and message.
“It’s just fun to see people’s reactions,” she shares.
“And I think that’s a really important part of my job.
I want people to see my story and how my career has changed for the better, because I’ve done so much for my community and I want them to see that too.”