I am shocked. I am truly shocked. Shocked enough to face something I’ve yet to post.

Let’s rewind to September 2024. I did two interviews one with Janelle FUNARI and the other with Ari Chambers. I was so excited. Ari Chambers! But went I got home to review the footage, I was distraught. The music was booming over both our voices. I could barely make out the words of the interview!

The music was blaring, voices warped into sharp distortion. When I replayed the footage from my first interview, I realized none of it was usable. My microphone hadn’t captured a thing.

I tried everything… hours of editing, adjusting, and maybe a small prayer. Hoping I could rescue it. I couldn’t.

Asking for a redo felt like admitting failure. But Janelle gave me another shot without any hesitation.

I showed up to the photoshoot determined to fix it. I put on my heels, applied fresh coat of makeup and redid the interviews. I even bought a new microphone just for the occasion. Still, the embarrassment crept up and lingered. The technical issues must have really shaken my confidence. I couldn’t get myself to publish.

After seeing ‘Reality Check: Inside America’s Next Top Model’, a fire lit inside me. I could not believe how horrible the models on America’s next top model were treated. Watching what the models went through…

Being called fat.

Eating disorders.

Unsolicited touch.

and so much more ….

Watching how the show didn’t protect them. How the show didn’t stop the things that they knew were happening. The things that they SAW were happening. They did not intervene. They continued to roll the cameras because it was “good TV.”

They tried to break these models down.

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That is the complete opposite of what my fashion blog is and how it came to be. I started this blog to give people in the fashion world a voice. To give models and designers a voice.

And that is what I am going to continue to do.

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I’ve been going to Janelle FUNARI’s shows for years. The difference is impossible to ignore. She practices inclusivity, kindness and compassion in all of her fashion shows. I’ve seen all types of models from different backgrounds and different body types walk down her runway. She’s created a brand that unites. Not tears people down.

I think it’s time…

I am going to do what I should have done a long time ago. I’m going to post.

XOXO

Jenny A.