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Courtesy of Talent Plus
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What began last fall as a group of more than 10,000 women vying to be the next Victoria’s Secret Angel was slashed to a handful competing for the coveted spot—with the winner announced this past December. Among the contestants was local model and rodeo competitor Ali Turner, a 5-foot-11 blonde originally from Cape Girardeau. After a recent whirlwind trip to New York, she opened up to SLM —for whom she modeled in September 2008 — about the nitty-gritty behind the curtain.
Tell me about entering the contest.
It must have been fate. I was walking past a Victoria’s Secret store, and they were taking down the sign explaining the contest. There was one open casting left, and it happened to be in Chicago. My mom and sister drove up with me to Chicago and waited in line for six hours with 4,000 other girls. The people from Victoria’s Secret walked through, glanced at everyone and had us walk for them.
Twenty-five pink wristbands were given out, and we went to meet with the judges. I was the first to go and was nervous because we had to walk in swimwear, and I could feel the other girls’ eyes on my back. They narrowed it down to eight of us, we met with the producers, and after a few questions they sent us home and said if you’re going to the next level we’ll let you know in three business days—but don’t call us! On the third day, I went to work and was so bummed out. It was minutes before the end of the day when my phone rang. I had to be in New York two days later, and I’d be staying for a month of Angel Boot Camp.
What was it like when you arrived in New York?
Ten of us made it… We were swept off to a $3 million penthouse in the Financial District. We slept in bunk beds, with six other girls in my room. There was no privacy. The first night, we had a photo shoot in Grand Central at 4 a.m. Over the next couple weeks we did a lot of television interviews with shows like Entertainment Tonight that led up to the big day.
How was it living in such a small space with the competition?
Luckily, we all seemed to have the same personality type. There were definitely a couple girls who didn’t get along, but I just tried to stay out of it. We’d all work out together, go to the grocery store, and do a lot of shopping.
How did past modeling experience prepare you?
I’ve worked in Paris, New York, and Australia, starting when I was 15. I’ve lived in a models’ apartment with 12 other girls and had to learn to take care of myself. I did New York shows for four seasons, so I had experience in runway, but I never pictured myself doing the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. I always saw myself as not curvy enough, so it was a big shock to be picked.
It looked like celebrity trainer David Kirsch put you through the ringer.
We all stripped down to our swimwear, and he critiqued every inch of our bodies. He taught us some moves, and we did the workout with weights on our ankles and wrists, no breaks or time to take a breath. I couldn’t walk for five days. Everything hurt!
What was your biggest challenge?
Victoria’s Secret set up a fan page, and people wrote awful things about us. A lot of people were telling me to be to be cockier, basically not to be myself—I heard I was the plainest personality. The negative feedback was the most upsetting part, but I’ve come to understand it’s part of being a model. It was such a relief to come home, throw on a baggy T-shirt and jeans, and clean out horse stalls.
Speaking of, which do you prefer—runways or rodeos?
I only have a limited time to model, and rodeo will always be there. My original reason to model was to pay for everything that I needed to do rodeo—and it did. I was able to buy three horses, my truck, and a horse trailer. I see this experience with Victoria’s Secret as a second chance at a modeling career, which I’m so grateful for.
Any future plans to work with Victoria’s Secret?
I’ll be signing with a New York agency soon. I’m headed there for three months. I would love to be able to audition for next year’s Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and be able to walk the runway.
