Cosmopolitan Magazine

Chance encounters can often lead to unexpected and sometimes wonderful experiences. It was by chance that during the break of a very long full-day shoot, I was taking a siesta and napping in my South Beach modeling agent's lobby when in walked one of the art directors from Cosmopolitan magazine. Apparently he was in Miami catching a connecting flight on his way to New York, and the airlines delayed the flight by a couple of hours. I'm not sure what made him decide to visit my agency that afternoon, but I'm sure glad he did. Through sleepy eyes I made his acquaintance, and after listening to a few stories about some of the shots in my portfolio, he left and headed back to the airport. A few weeks later my agent got word that Cosmo was sending a team to Miami to shoot an editorial promo spread, and they requested me as the model. It was very exciting news!

The photo shoot was held at an ocean-side hotel on South Beach, out in the pool area. Arriving at the set was pretty nerve wracking, after all this was Cosmo! Once I was introduced to everyone, I was led to a cabana where hair and makeup artists were waiting. While the hairstyle was kept pretty natural, makeup included false eyelashes, bright red lips and cheeks - right on target with all my expectations for a Cosmo shoot. It seemed things were going great so far. Next came wardrobe, which consisted of jeans in a stars and stripes pattern, and a bustier with lots of beads and sequins, definitely an All-American look, and of course a little over the top - but again, right in line with what I expected at a Cosmo shoot. Then came the part of my costume that was a little unexpected, as the stylist handed me falsies for stuffing my top. "Look," he said, "this is Cosmo. We don't care if you're Dolly Parton, you're getting stuffed." And although it was all just a little overwhelming, I realized it was the perfect finishing touch to my ultra-glamorous Cosmo preparation experience, and at that point I couldn't have been more ready for the shoot.

In a pair of six-inch stiletto sandals, I headed out to the pool area where it was starting to drizzle ever so slightly. The photography team didn't seem too worried, so I tried not to let the possibility of inclement weather rain on my parade. Taking my mark up on the edge of the swimming pool, I was then handed a big American flag. Little did anyone know that moments later the wind would pick up, and this seemingly innocent prop would turn into an enormous flapping sail fighting to take me on a swim. Not only that, but anyone who is familiar with tropical weather knows what comes next after the wind picks up - rain! But thank goodness it wasn't raining yet.

Through what seemed to be an endless series of hurricane-like wind gusts, balancing tricks on the high heels, battles of will with the giant American flag, light sprinkles of rain waiting to happen, and a continuous prayer inside my head that the whole thing would not turn into a huge disaster, I somehow held my ground, and thanks to super firm hold hair spray and my super firm grip around that flag pole, we were able to get enough shots in between wind gusts to pull it off just before the big storm arrived. The resulting photo was almost too perfect, and no one would ever be able to tell the harrowing experience behind what looks like a rather simple pose.

The art director of Cosmopolitan must have been pleased with my bravery in the face of the elements, since subsequently I was booked on two more shoots for the Cosmo Tells All section of the magazine. On the third shoot I got to work with a good friend of mine, photographer Mark Wilderman, ironically since I've always believed it was the story behind his cover shot of me for Palm Beach Illustrated magazine that got me the first Cosmo booking. Although the other shoots were not quite as eventful as the first, they were still fun, and each time I was just as nervous and excited. After all, it was Cosmo!