Junior Eloise Lancsweert walks down the runway of her first live television show. At first she is nervous, but she soon finds her place among the craziness that comes with modeling.
Lancsweert began modeling at 14, nearly three years ago. Her first modeling experience involved getting pictures taken for her personal portfolio. At first it was difficult for her, as she had been bullied in the past, leading her to be shy and unsure of herself.
“It took a while for me to express myself through my eyes and body positioning,” Lancsweert said. “Once I got the hang of it, it was easy. I realized after a few hours into the shoot to accept myself and embrace my imperfections, to make the photos raw and real. And that’s what they turned out to be.”
She began modeling because of a friend whose sister was a model. Although she was intrigued by modeling, she didn’t initially think of doing it herself. However, she changed her attitude after her friend’s mother was persistent in convincing her to try it.
“She emailed my mom and told her to send in some photos of me to the agency her daughter had started her modeling career at,” Lancsweert said. “When my mom told me I should at least give it a try, I decided to send in a few shots of myself and see what the response would be.”
The response was overwhelmingly positive for Lancsweert. It was a true turning point in her life.
“About an hour after we sent in the photos, we got a reply,” Lancsweert said. “They were ecstatic and wanted me to meet with them as soon as I could. That weekend, my life changed. My whole future and what I planned it out to be was turned around and impacted by these enthusiastic people.”
It’s been a crazy journey for Eloise and those who support her modeling.
“It’s been a roller coaster ride with highs and lows,” said Helene Toye, Eloise’s mother. “Sometimes Eloise is over-the-top happy with jobs she gets. Sometimes she is very disappointed not to get the job. It’s a tough and competitive world.”
Lancsweert has participated in multiple runway shows, normally lasting from three to eight hours. She’s modeled for Bloomingdale’s and H&M, and her favorite things to model are jeans and dresses.
“It has a sense of serenity to it,” Lancsweert said. “Although there is an immense amount of chaos, and I’m in a hectic environment, it’s so relieving to walk down that runway with a literal work of art on my body. Everyone looks and cameras flash around me. It’s calming to see everyone so intrigued by what I’m wearing or who I am.”
While runway shows are interesting experiences, she prefers photo shoots.
“They make me express myself in so many different ways: posture, body composition, eyes, facial expressions and so much more,” Lancsweert said. “It’s like acting without words.”
Her biggest accomplishment was making an appearance on WUSA 9 for Macy’s.
“That was a very diverse and intense experience,” Lancsweert said. “Everyone in this industry is so passionate about what they do for a living, and I am so intrigued by their ambition.”
Lancsweert is often presented the opportunity to meet people such as Miss Delaware, Miss District of Columbia and Miss United States.
“It was so exhilarating to be around such successful and beautiful women who are so incredibly devoted to their lifestyle,” Lancsweert said.
Balancing school and modeling is definitely a struggle for Lancsweert as she challenges herself with hard AP classes and often has to miss school for shoots or shows.
“I definitely don’t want to live up to the silly stereotypes that models are shallow and dumb,” Lancsweert said. “Therefore I choose to challenge myself in school.”
According to Toye, modeling is a more challenging job than it appears to be, especially for a junior who has to balance school work and her social life. There are many times where Lancsweert must get up early, or cannot spend time with friends because of a shoot or show.
Lancsweert hopes to make modeling her career. Her parents have agreed to support her financially as she pursues a modeling career in NYC.
“I want her to do something she’s passionate about, so if that’s modeling, or singing, so be it,” Toye said. “There’s always time to go to college if the modeling or music industry doesn’t work out. We encourage her to take a few gap years after college and explore her artistic self. My husband and I just want both our children to be happy. If that happiness comes with modeling for Eloise, we are all for it. The day that business no longer makes her happy, we hope she’ll move on.”
Her biggest aspiration is to be on the cover of Vogue, but not only for her looks, but for her personal accomplishments as well.
“I want to be a role model, not just a model,” Lancsweert said.