Model’s weight gain jeopardized career
Karlie Kloss struggled to land jobs when she gained weight early in her career.
The 26-year-old model and entrepreneur started modelling as a teenager and found success when she was just 15. However, when she began using birth control, her body started to change — an effect that cost her many a gig.
Revealing she went from a size 0 to a size 6 in less than a year, Kloss told Vogue magazine that she began getting blacklisted by some designers, who were unwilling to have a curvy model working for them.
“I started taking birth control, and my body became more womanly — hips and thighs appeared,” Kloss said. “I started losing jobs; I wasn’t getting booked for the runway; designers stopped working with me. It felt as if my world had been turned upside down.”
In addition, Kloss continuously compared herself to other models, including Gisele Bündchen, the statuesque Brazilian model and wife of NFL star Tom Brady. But after realizing such a comparison was futile, the 6-foot-1 Kloss came to a decision: she had to put herself first and pursue things in life that made her happy.
“I’d always measured myself against Gisele — to me she was the pinnacle of modelling success — and that was not productive,” Kloss said. “That’s when I had a breakthrough: I realized it was time for me to do me, to embrace the things that make me who I am.”
It was this mentality that saw Kloss return to the classroom, enrolling at New York University to study computer coding. She’s now made this a major part of her life, after setting up Kode with Klossy, a computer coding camp for young women.
I realized it was time for me to do me, to embrace the things that make me who Iam.
And when it comes to her future plans, Karlie hopes the rest of her life will be as diverse as her first two decades on Earth.
“I hope the next 10 years bring as many surprises and adventures, and that no matter what I’m doing, I’m happy, healthy, and surrounded by loved ones,” she said. “I want to continue to work in fashion, build a thriving business, create access to education for young women, and hopefully make an impact in the world along the way.” WENN