Noor TagouriWe're backstage at a New York Fashion Week show. The models are getting in formation, getting ready to walk the runway, but there's a lot that leads up to this moment. And we wanted to know: What's the reality behind it all?
"I feel like there's this thing that models don't eat," Embrey, a runway model with Wilhelmina, told us. "And models eat like wrestlers or like Olympic trainers. They eat so much and still maintain their size."
This is Embrey. She's been modeling for seven years all over the world, and this is her 14th show for this year's New York Fashion Week. Her signature look: total badass.
"A lot of clients want you to be sort of a robot, so you can't have too much of a voice," she said. "Some days I'm working 15 hours. The next 10 days I'm not working at all. You're saying 'I miss you' more than 'I love you,' because you travel so much."
And the reality: When your career revolves around your looks, a major issue is self-esteem.
"People keep telling them, 'No, you're not perfect,'" Embrey said. "And the reality is, you'll never be perfect. Once you realize fame will never make you happy and neither will money, and if you can accept that reality, you'll be totally fine."
