Walk The Catwalk With Model Diane Pellini

Our Conversation with Click Model Diane Pellini

Welcome! Diane

First let me say that we enjoy working with Diane on the many modeling bookings we do together! She is a great Pro and wonderful person and we luv Diane and Liis's message.

How did you get started with your site?

Walk the Catwalk was created almost a year ago, but the heart and soul of this project started 7 years ago when Liis and I first met and realized we shared the same philosophies.

In July, 2007 we produced our 1st project - The Fenomenal Calendar. We received so many amazing letters from younger and older women as well as from men who were happy about the way we were portraying women. One letter in particular struck a cord with us.

A young woman wrote telling us that as a teenager she was, and I quote, "overweight". Because of it she was harassed, put down, called names! It affected her so badly that she had contemplated suicide! Now I'm no expert, but wanting to die because you don't fit the profile/standards of today's beauty tells me that something in our society is seriously wrong. That email made us look at why this kind of thing happens.

Where do these ideas come from? Who is behind creating such a distorted feminine ideal?

Walk the Catwalk is the result of our research mixed with the belief that beauty comes in many different shapes, sizes, colors, heights, and that it is time for the media and fashion industry to start reflecting this diverse beauty on a day to day basis. It is also time for women to demand it.

What advice tips do you have for girls?

Firstly, be original. Fashion is a visual language. It can be a great tool for self-expression. Explore with colors, styles, patterns, fabrics, etc… Don’t be afraid to try new things - that’s the only way to figure out what works for you. And don’t worry about what people think. If a style or color makes you feel great you’re onto something. One small detail to keep in mind though, whatever you do, be classy not trashy! I don’t care how “Rock’n Roll” or “sexy” you want to be you don’t have to be vulgar. Vulgarity is a woman’s worst enemy.

Secondly, REAL beauty is the result of self-love and self-acceptance. For some it comes easy but for some of us, like it was for me, you have to do your homework. Learn more about yourself so you can understand who you are and what makes you so unique. You will discover that the more you familiarize yourself with the wonderful aspects of you, the more reasons you'll find to love you.

The last thing I want to share is one of my favorite personal rules -we ALWAYS have choices. This means that when you first open your eyes in the morning you can either choose to be happy and love yourself completely or choose not to.

You know what will start to happen when you make the positive choice? People will respond to you differently. Always remember that we are all mirrors. This means that the image we project is what people see. Think of this for a second… if you are the mirror and today you decide you’re not happy with yourself, what will happen when you go to school, to work? What will people see? You don’t think their attitude toward you will be based on what they see in the mirror?

The reason I live by this principle is because it taught me 2 important things:

I take responsibility for how I feel and in turn what I project in “my mirror”
I’m not so hard on others anymore because I understand their state of mind. The reflection in their “mirror” has nothing to do with me but with something they are feeling inside!

Where do you see your site going?

This site is just the beginning and a small part of what Liis and I are doing to create change. A site is important because it has the potential to reach a lot of people. The actions behind it are even more important. We have many amazing ideas and concepts and are continuously trying to educate the public and the fashion industry through the media, fashion outlets, lectures and other projects. For now though, WalktheCatwalk.com exists to inform the world of our intentions. It’s our mission statement.

Bio:

Paris born, New York based curvy model Diane Pellini brings her international fashion flair to the industry. She has appeared several times on television shows such as The View, Good Morning America, The Today Show. Diane’s images have been seen in top women’s magazines such as Essence, Glamour, Grace and SHOP etc. Having traveled extensively, she has worked for large international clients throughout North America and Europe, some of them include Saks 5th Avenue, Laura Plus, Otto, Best form Bra, Ulla Popken, JC Penney, Eddie Bauer, just to name a few.

Diane also enjoys a background in holistic healing which she is now combining with her knowledge in fashion by creating Beyond The Sky Productions with best friend Liis Windischmann. ??After producing their first project the Fenomenal Calendar 2007-Retro, they realized that what women needed at this time wasn’t yet another product but real change. Walk the Catwalk is a simple solution to start reducing the gap between the “straight” size fashion world and the “curvy” fashion world, to start counting all sizes in.

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