We had the good fortune of connecting with Michelle Montorsi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Michelle, what is the most important factor behind your success?
Consistency, working on my self physically and mentally, being open to criticism, being organized and marketing.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I never thought of becoming a model , until a local agency noticed me at the age of 13 , I started with a few fashion shows and I immediately fell in love with the fashion world and this job. I was living with my parents in a small town in italy “Sirolo”, but at the age of 18 I decided to move out and go and experiment the Fashion capital “Milan”.
In Milan I got to experience the real “Model life” : agencies, castings, trying to lose weight, “the all black attire” , clubs, promoters ect. Keeping Milan as my base, after building a strong portfolio, I started traveling, experimenting modeling all around the world trough modeling contracts While this might seam exciting, there were a lot of cons like: Sharing small apartments & rooms with many other models , dedicating your entire day going to castings announced the night before , not being able to decide anything without your agency’s consent and being ready to be criticized on a daily base.

Now at the age of 30 I work as an independent model in Miami FL , my journey wasn’t easy but it gave me a lot and I would like to share a few tips with aspiring /new models:

1 . Someone will always have something to say about you , we are not meant for everyone- try to be the best version of your self (NOT the version of the girls you see in magazines) and you will find your way!

2. Age, size and hight are just a number – take care of your self mentally and physically and be confident!

3. If it’s a period of time that you’re struggling and you’re not understanding why things are happening to you , don’t worry there’s always a reason and you will understand it with time.

4. If you decide to travel on a modeling contract, it will be a big experience and you will get a lot out of it , but bare in mind that is hard to make money with these contracts, because you will arrive with a huge debit towards the agency and once it’s due they will push other models with debit first.

5. Always have a plan B : modeling is seasonal, in some periods of the year modeling gets very slow , so it’s always good to coltivate other interests and abilities .

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If a friend came to visit for the weekend I would definitely bring her/him to have breakfast either at Pura Vida for healthy options or at Big Pink for a typical american breakfast/brunch (specially if he/shes never been to the US before) , then straight to be beach on 3rd street in Miami Beach. Later in the afternoon I would grab some food and drinks and bring my friend to South pointe park to attend a live performance (yoga, circus, drums) while having a nice picnic and enjoy the sunset.
At evening time I would bring my friend for a turist tour on Ocean Drive and Lincoln rd . at night if my friend is in to parties I would bring her/him to Hyde and Mynt .

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband helped me getting more self confidence, while the freedom given to me by my parents allowed me to start my journey early and supported at all times.

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michelleyogina/

Facebook: Michelle chiara Montorsi

Image Credits
black / white portrait: @baikonurphotospace red lingerie: @shortyshowcase all the rest : @victorrobertof

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