NOT
JUST A
PRETTY
FACE
Modeling for fun
and business
AYU N I K E LTO N
C LOT HI NG BY R EV I VALL C LOT HI NG
(AVA I LAB LE AT T HE R ED OUX PAR LOU R )
H A I R BY A L I S H A B AS H A M
BY ALI ENRIGHT
P H OTO BY TO D D CO O P E R
“I
defi nitely eat,” aspiring model and Eugenean Ayuni
Kelton says with a smirk. “I do try to eat clean but
I’m not going to deny myself a cheeseburger.”
With one look at Kelton you know she is
unusually beautiful. But there’s more to her than
long legs, a thin shape, gorgeous hair and stunning complexion.
She may be beautiful but she’s got substance, she’s got spunk
and she’s ready to kick ass. She effortlessly proves all of the
typical assumptions about fashion models false.
Kelton anticipates the pressure of dieting to increase
when she moves her aspiring career to a bigger city like
Portland. “An agency will tell you you’re too big and girls
can fall to that pressure,” she says. “I could never imagine
being on a diet or a strict workout regime though.”
But modeling goes beyond possessing a beautiful body
and a pretty face — these “girls” are businesswomen.
Kelton says she often fi nds her own castings, and she does
her own hair and makeup for shoots.
Not only is she stunning, she’s savvy and knows how
to look out for herself. “You defi nitely have to be a smart
business person,” she says.
Kelson adds, “In a small way I run my own business
because I network, I research, I plan and I keep track of my
own books.” She says, “I’m driven and this is my career. I
want to do this.”
While Kelton says no one travels to Eugene to fi nd
work, she sees Eugene as a great place to get started.
“There’s so many creative people here,” she says. “But if
you want to make money you defi nitely have to go to the
bigger cities.”
She also refutes the rumor that all models despise each
other. “Especially in a small town like this, we all know
each other and we all work together,” she says. “There’s
so many great girls that I’ve met in this industry. We’re all
trying to do the same thing, so it’s defi nitely a community.”
Kelton says modeling is how she fully expresses her
creativity. “When I’m in front of the camera I’m not just
Ayuni, now I’m this model,” she says. “I can be whatever
I want to be, I can portray anything I want, I can show any
emotion.”
Her body is her canvas and movement is her medium. “I
love how different I feel,” she says. “Normally I’m a total
weirdo, but when I get in front of the camera I can be this
graceful and elegant person.”
At the same time, Kelton says, “It’s really not a
glamorous job. Like any job there’s things you aren’t going
to like about it.” She says the modeling world “can be very
harsh; you defi nitely have to have a thick skin if you’re
going to be in this industry.”
At 5 feet 8 inches tall, she is short in the modeling world.
Kelton faces this challenge head on. “I’m sure there will be
more people turning me down because I’m not tall enough,”
Kelton says. “It’s just one thing though; there’s a bunch of
opportunities.”
At 22 she’s a newcomer to the biz, but she’s already
rapidly approaching the retirement age of a model. “I’ll
do this until I make it or until I don’t,” she says. “I’m an
intelligent person, I’m a smart girl and I’ll be OK.”
Kelton says that modeling is essentially about making
some money, having fun with your body and getting to travel
to some cool places. But above all it’s about the confi dence.
“You can’t be scared of your body,” she says. “You have
to be a little vain. We’re all just a little bit vain.”
ew
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Sustainable Style Fashion Show
Wed, Aug 15 at 7:30 p.m.
Kesey Square, Broadway & Willamette
More Summer in the City information:
eugene-or.gov/SummerintheCity
and EugeneAGoGo.com
Photo: Isaac Marquez
14 AUGUST 9, 2012
EUGENE WEEKLY
Style, Fashion, Artistry. Eugene’s scene is
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