Bree Burkitt

bburkitt@thespectrum.com

Professional model Melissa Stetten discussed her life on and off the runway Thursday at Southern Utah University's fourth Convocation.

Stetten’s presentation, titled “Body Image in the Modeling Industry: An Insider’s Perspective,” provided students with a unique insight on the harsh realities of the modeling industry.

Stetten discussed how she used humor to deal with the constant remarks she receives concerning her appearance even as a child. She had been known as “rat girl” as a child due to her large teeth, she said.

She did not consider becoming a model until she was more than 20 years old.

“It was hard for me to think I could actually be a model because I had zero confidence,” Stetten said. “I was so insecure.”

At the age of 26, Stetten moved to New York to further pursue modeling. While she quickly found success, she had a difficult time adjusting to the lifestyle based on looks.

“You don’t really hear of many CEOs that were models because people assume models have nothing going on in their brain,” Stetten said. “I hated being thought of as stupid or vapid just because I was a model.”

To cope, she began writing a personal blog about the more mundane aspects of the modeling industry, such as the amount of time spent waiting during casting calls or being told she was fat at 105 pounds.

She said her writing was noticed and she was approached by the online publication Vice to write a column titled “Bratwalk.”

The column, Stetten noted, was intended to give readers a more in-depth looking at the not-so-glamorous parts of the industry.

Stetten believed that writing was the best way for her to continue to model while still “using her brain.”

But the 31-year-old began receiving negative comments almost immediately after her first column was published. She said she was heavily critiqued for writing about the negative experiences — and her writing was perceived as complaining.

“When it expanded out to the world people just hated me,” Stetten said. “Ninety percent of it was men saying I should eat a hamburger because I was too skinny or die because I was uninteresting. I kept wondering what I did wrong and I realized it was just because I was a woman with an opinion.”

Despite the harsh criticism, Stetten began to write for a variety of online outlets, including xoJane.

During her time with the website, a reader uncovered an old tweet Stetten herself describes as “racially insensitive.” She was let go from the site as a result.

Since her dismissal nearly two years ago, Stetten said she has faced extreme backlash due to the tweet. While everyone urged her to ignore the mean comments, she found it incredibly difficult.

“I just couldn’t understand why,” Stetten said. “It all boils down to being a woman. Now with Instagram and Facebook, everyone has access to you and anyone can tell you to die.”

Due to fears of what people will say about her, Stetten is now hesitant to write. Yet she is trying to learn to ignore the commenters.

“It starts to get old after a while,” Stetten said. “You just have to tell yourself that they don’t matter. This person should not dictate how you are going to go about the rest of your day.”

David Berri, professor of economics and affiliate of the Business Executive series at SUU, said Stetten was able to provide SUU students with an intimate look into the downsides of fame and beauty.

“The entertainment business is also big business and Ms. Stetten has unique insight into many aspects of this industry,” Berri said. “From modeling to acting to writing, she can provide students not only a glimpse into the business side of entertainment, but her personal perspective on how women are treated in the business world. Her talk is especially invaluable to students.”

Stetten believes that, despite everything, the experience taught her to always be king to others.

“I guess something good can come from hundreds of men telling you to die,” she said.

The next event in SUU’s spring convocation series will be Feb. 25 at 11:30 a.m. The lecture will feature a discussion on Christianity.

Bart D. Ehrman, author of Jesus Before the Gospels, will be the featured speaker.

For more information on future lectures, visit suu.edu/convocations.

Follow Bree Burkitt, @BreeBurkitt. Call her at 435-218-2241.

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