Talking to the Cover Model Rosy – March 2020

In this edition of the WORLD MODEL HUNT magazine, we are Talking to the Cover Model Rosy and her modeling journey over the years. She elaborates on her life as a model and what plans she holds for the future.

Question 1. We would like to know how it feels to get here.

It feels so validating to be here! I am so genuinely thankful to be receiving this opportunity. Up until last year, my life was too consumed with health issues to even imagine having a life outside a hospital. I remember lying in my hospital bed wondering if I would even make it to the next day. I am almost speechless to be sitting here, writing these answers for you. I am beyond grateful to be alive, and appreciative that my career has excelled so far since I tarted last year. I am so thankful modeling has allowed me to express myself to the world artistically, and to hopefully share my story publicly to begin to reach anyone who needs comfort or inspiration to never give up.

Question 2. Tell our audience more about yourself?

I grew up as a competitive gymnast, it taught me discipline, respect, and collaboration. Until Scoliosis took over my life, gymnastics was all of it. Placing 1st on the NorCal State team at 11 years old, and 15th in the nation for my floor routine in 2012, it seemed obvious a college scholarship was headed my way. However, my health issues progressed so quickly that by 2014, I had shrunk four inches and my hips and ribs were grinding together. My curvature became so extensive, one rib was tucked up underneath the other, and stabbing into my lung with such force it could have punctured it. I quit gymnastics and went in for surgery by 2015, leaving my old life behind me.

During the months I was in the hospital, I discovered art. I had always appreciated the artistic side of life, but I had never explored it much. Once I was healed enough to draw, I began channeling my emotions into my pieces. I now sell prints, stickers, tattoo designs, and custom pieces or paintings to my customers. I abandoned my original plan of being a doctor to help guide young adolescents through their journey of scoliosis and decided art was my path to happiness. I realized early on I could make a difference in my communities through sharing my story, but that I could not exist in hospitals for any more of my life. I had started a Scoliosis advocacy and support page when I was 13 after recognizing that social media could be a way to connect with other people going through similarly difficult situations.

I absolutely love learning and educating others when I can. Aside from my art, and modeling jobs, I currently work at my college, and attend classes. I am currently making my way towards a degree in graphic design, and a minor in marketing, or communications. My dream would be to travel the world spreading beauty through my art, encouraging positivity through my modeling platform to speak out for the Scoliosis and Ehlers-Danlos communities. I aspire to genuinely attempt to support and empower any person who has faced extreme adversity in their life or understands the lifetime of struggles that come with chronic illness.

Question 3. Tell our readers about how you faced scoliosis and how tough was it for you to get through all of it?

Truly, I am unable to express how I was able to face it all, or what inside me allowed my body and mind to endure the pain. I often channel my anger at circumstance into fuel for myself to push back even harder against my struggles, so they will never define me. I sincerely do not know what has kept me alive all these years. Yes, I am a determined, tenacious, and very stubborn person, all qualities that I am sure helped keep me alive. However, my doctors agree I should realistically be dead. For the longest time, I saw no point in life, only pain. There is still pain, in every moment, even as I write this. But now I know I am here for a reason, to speak out for those who can’t. I would like to clarify the Scoliosis is the tip of the iceberg. The fight for my life started with the staphylococcus infection that began to grow, unknown to us, from my first titanium fusion. Throughout the months it remained unnoticed it circulated into my bloodstream and entered my bones. I would also like to note hospitals are known for carrying staph, and that generally infections like this stem from hospital environments. I struggled through sepsis from an unseen abscess in my back and quickly went into septic shock where I was diagnosed with organ failure.

My right rod began to reject out of my back in 2016, once that piece of my fusion was removed, six months later I sneezed, and the remaining full rod on the left rod snapped inside my back. My surgeons went unconcerned by the situation, claiming my fusion was stable. Flash forward another six months and the rod had chaffed away six of my discs in my back and had begun to stab into my spinal cord. Once I began blacking out, throwing up blood, and talking nonsense, I went into my third fusion in 2017 which included a bone graft and the deflation of my lung. My high school years were spent attempting to come to terms with dying, I was an angry, unhealthy shell of a person, who didn’t care for life or myself anymore. I tried not to care, every time I hit rock bottom, the rocks would crumble, and I would be falling lower again. What I am trying to say is that I have gained perspective. That perspective has taught me that your mindset, that positivity is the key. To be grateful for every moment, to live in thankfulness for what I do have, and to never stop pushing for what I deserve.

Question 4. What does “being a model” mean to you?

Well according to my immediate google search, there are four general definitions of being a model. Clearly, I embody the textbook definition of a model as “a person employed to display clothes by wearing them”, however, a modeling career goes much deeper than this personally. I aspire to be a model who is also “a system or thing used as an example to follow or imitate”, which may sound strange or mechanical at first. However, as a model, with the status of a beginner influencer, I am aware that the messages I put up are seen by thousands of people, and this is not something I take lightly. Whether I collaborate with foundations or begin my own, I plan to help provide a system of healing within my lifetime through speaking out. To me, being a model means representing the term within all facets of my life and within all aspects of my character. To exemplify perseverance, manifest positivity, and spread a message of empathy and acceptance through my work. Most importantly, to show any individual struggling with insecurities or disabilities that there is no reason to be ashamed of your scars, or your story.

Question 5. Where do you see yourself 5 years down the line?

In five years, I see a far healthier, happier, and more balanced version of myself. I am ready to aim for higher concepts, larger runways, bigger magazines, and just experience all that this industry has to offer. I believe this is my time to find my niche in the world of art and fashion. I am ready to find a way to cohesively tie my drawing and modeling together and display my messages within a series of gallery spaces. In five years, I do not doubt to be speaking on behalf of and working with foundations addressing chronic illness. Specifically, I hope to inspire people in the Scoliosis and Ehlers-Danlos communities on what can be accomplished when you believe in yourself and support one another. Additionally, I see myself traveling internationally to educate individuals who are unaware of how serious chronic conditions can be, on the millions of us who suffer in silence. Through sharing my experiences publicly, I hope to draw the world’s eye to look upon the unseen communities, who have been waiting in pain patiently for answers.

Question 6. If you could remove or change one thing in the world, what would it be?

In my lifetime if I could remove or change one thing, it would be the power of labels and the prejudice of stereotypes. In theory, labels allow us to categorize and are supposed to help us make distinctions to understand our differences. In practice, labels seem to capture surface stereotypes that when then pigeonhole people into. These labels create walls that install a polarized mindset of “them vs. us”. In a world full of diversity, I wish I could remove the fear of change, and the abnormal. If we could just rid the world of the misconception originality is insanity, assertiveness is aggression, and that differences are dangerous, there would be so much less hate. Those who differ from you the most, have absolutely the most to teach you.

Question 7. What is the one thing you would say is essential for every model to imbibe in their personality?

It is single most important to have your personality, to be yourself; no matter the situation, money, or followers, you will end up being nothing if you spend your time trying to be everyone else. It is essential to pull from your inner self to create believable and cohesive work. To be a successful model, expression, confidence, and adaptability are essential. It is important to communicate with the camera, express a wide range of emotions within a set, and attempt to capture an overall atmosphere from the piece. This level of work is only achievable if the model in a frame can understand themselves enough to tap into different parts of their psyche and be aware of how to artistically communicate that specific emotion through body language.

Question 8. What are your style secret and your go-to attire?

My style secret comes from the fact that growing up I had a phobia of looking like everyone else, and therefore I went out of my way as a child to be creative and expressive through the clothes I wore. As I grew older and began to cultivate my style through trial and many errors, I found my love for gothic culture. My mother was a goth and therefore I grew up with a fascination for the underground fashion world. I would have to say my go-to attire is a good multipurpose item, like stylish comfortable pants that you can dress up or down depending on the occasion.

Question 9. What are the things you think you missed during the years you were being treated for scoliosis?

This may be the toughest question for me personally, as it is something, I ask myself almost daily. It’s hard to think about the life I could have lived if I hadn’t been dealt these cards. I believe I missed out on formative life experience, where I was unable to interact with the world around me, watching my friends and classmates pass me by. I lost my chance of being a valedictorian, or ever receiving a college scholarship for my gymnastics. I missed out on opportunities to properly educating myself, developing new friends, and making business opportunities.

After being released from the hospital I felt super disconnected and alienated attempting to reconnect with the world I had left behind. When you are isolated in a space that is surrounded by doctors and nurses, it’s very hard to transition into anything else, let alone make up for what you missed out on. It’s hard not to just answer this question with “everything”, because I know I am lucky to have experienced plenty of positive things in my life. However, I know I have missed out on the chance of ever living a “normal” life or being pain-free. The years I have been treated for scoliosis will continue for the rest of my life, and will always be a priority in my life, and an integral part of my personality and character.

Question 10. Any advice or tips you would like to give to the other models struggling to get a chance?

My advice is simple, be tenacious, be passionate, be intense. Prioritize health, positivity, and self-love. Find your passion, crave life, want better things for yourself and those around you. Find where you fit in and where you can make a difference, then strive to share your message and story with the world. Be a model to yourself each day, and never be afraid to take a risk for the sake of art. You will hear way more “no’s” than “yes’s”, but the answer isn’t what important, it is your reaction and your dedication to the process. Most importantly, give yourself a chance, no matter what you need to be your best friend, biggest supporter, and motivation. Trust yourself, never stop fighting yourself, for growth.