Today we’d like to introduce you to Gigi Thoennes.
Gigi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I started my modeling career pretty young – which was surprising for me since I never thought of myself as being a “pretty girl”. I was actually bullied a lot in school and made fun of since I didn’t have that standard blonde cheerleader look. I wasn’t popular… You know, being a ginger and all. I never imagined I would end up working as a model…
Until I turned 14. I went to a youth convention in Germany and got asked by Nivea to visit their booth and take some pictures with them. As I posed for the pictures, I started receiving a lot of compliments from the photographer, the makeup artist, the stylist, everyone. They planted a seed in my head by asking me if I modeled. Me? A model? A ginger model? They were all very encouraging.
It took me a year to revisit the idea. I finally hired a photographer and put a portfolio together. I immediately started working with the best agency in Germany at the time. I was 15 years old; I was getting a good taste of the fashion industry, and I was falling in love with it!
What is interesting to me, looking back, is that I had never felt like I was that “lucky” girl, for whom things came easily. I actually had to work hard to get where I am. I didn’t have much luck with agencies and had to move around a bit. Their vision of me was typically different than where I wanted to be. My goals were bigger than theirs. My red hair was a big limitation for them. I was told I was different, not tall enough, not skinny enough. It felt like the whole business was against me. But I enjoyed the work so much that I kept going. After my agent told me I would never work in Paris, I took it upon myself to prove him wrong. I moved to Paris on my own and found an agency. Then I did the same thing in London. I did it on my own, I was so determined to get where I wanted to be.
There were a few key people who actually helped me to advance professionally, and I am quite grateful for their help and their trust in me. One particular woman opened up a number of doors for me by expanding my bookings from local to international jobs. Another agent, possibly the only one who didn’t see my red hair as a limitation, took me to VOGUE. I was 20 when I first shot for VOGUE Portugal, which is quite old for the business. After that first editorial, I was booked and shot for VOGUE U.K., VOGUE Turkey, VOGUE Portugal, and one other VOGUE editorial.
These people who believed in me in those days helped me a lot, but our collaborations somehow always ended quickly. Not long after, history repeated itself, and I was told I would never work in the US. I wasn’t tall enough… blah blah blah. So, characteristically as you might expect, I decided to move to the US! I moved to New York first and started working there, and then, at last, I arrived in LA, where I was quickly signed by a top agency, contrary to my former agent’s prediction.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road. Bouncing from one agent to the next, having to create so many paths for myself, moving several times, facing the limited beliefs of people in the industry, the criticisms about my physique, the competition between myself and other models… didn’t always make for a friendly work environment.
But with those struggles, I also developed a new strength within me. I now know that I have my own back. I know that I can take myself wherever I want in the world and find or create opportunities for myself. I no longer believe other people’s negative opinions of myself or my potential, even if they have more experience than me. I know that I can get anywhere I want, and that is worth all the struggles I’ve experienced!
Tell us about your business/company. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of as a company? What sets you apart from others?
I specialize in beauty and hair. Turns out my red hair isn’t a limitation, but an asset! Although I have done, and still do, a lot of editorial and high fashion jobs, hair, and beauty commercial jobs are what I book most often.
What I am most proud of is the fact that I did VOGUE four times. At the time that I did it, it meant a lot, both in the industry and for me personally. It was a major achievement in my career!
I am also proud of my attitude – although I have always enjoyed modeling and traveling, I always remained grounded and never took myself too seriously. I’m an honest person, and I don’t define my worth by my professional achievements – there is so much more to life than that!
What sets me apart from others is that I actually have a lot more things going on in my professional and personal life, apart from modeling. I have a degree in psychology, I am a realtor, and I have my own skincare business. I am a big supporter of the Women Empowerment movement, and a believer in our lifting each other up.
What were you like growing up?
When I was younger, it wasn’t that I was an introvert, but I was definitely a bit more shy – and I was very observant. Which I still am, so I think that’s a feature or characteristic of my personality that hasn’t changed. So I would always be the child for example, who would kind of stand on the side, observing all the other kids interacting, and, after a while, I would know who I’d want to play with, and so I’d just go for it and join in.
So I wasn’t an introvert, or too insecure to socialize, I was just always very specific about whom I wanted to socialize with – which is funny, when you think about that, when I was a young kid, that I already had this feature. My mom described it in this way, she said that she’d take me to the playground, and the first hour I’d just stand off to the side and just look at everyone, and observe everyone’s behavior – in the beginning, she was always a bit worried, you know, that I wouldn’t have enough friends, or I wouldn’t make new friends, but then after an hour, she’d look up or look for me, and I’d always be in the middle of all the kids, somewhere central, and playing with someone whom I’d chosen. So, that pretty much sums up my childhood or my personality as a young child.
I was always very curious, and I would ask a lot of questions. I was taught to be independent, so when I was younger for instance, if I were in a restaurant, my parents would never order for me, or make requests in public places for me; they would teach me how to get things for myself. Which I think looking back, was a very valuable lesson, because I’ve never been afraid of approaching strangers or asking for something, even when I was a kid, because they did that. I would say I was a little more serious, so I wasn’t the super silly, you know, crazy, playful kid.
I was more serious, and I enjoyed reading a lot and was able to play a lot by myself. In my teens, I was diagnosed with cancer, and that was, of course, a life-changing experience, from the diagnosis to the treatment, and my recovery and remission. When I was in the hospital, I wasn’t able to play with my school friends, and I had to grow accustomed to entertaining myself in other ways, which I think ultimately made me even more independent, and strong. I learned how to problem solve, and deal with pretty complex issues at a young age, on my own, and became very self-reliant as a result of that experience.
I would also say that I’ve always been a very loyal type of person. For example, I still have a handful of friends whom I’ve known practically since I was born, and we all grew up together from a very young age; and I always kept these friends, because even though I was never the person who ran around making new friends constantly, I always knew who I wanted to be friends with, and those friendships have usually lasted for a long time.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gigithoennes.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gigithoennes
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gigithoennes
- Other: https://femkethoennes.myrandf.com
Image Credit:
www.gigithoennes.com
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