For Christian Teens Who Want to Model

For Christian Teens Who Want to Model - Parenting Like HannahIf your daughter is over 5’7″, has long legs and is thin, someone has probably suggested she consider modeling. To young girls, modeling appears to be a dream job. Who wouldn’t want to travel to glamorous places, wear beautiful clothes and make tons of money?

In Kylie Bisutti‘s book, I’m No Angel, she does a fantastic job of describing the life of a model from a Christian perspective. As Bisutti shares her story, the reader follows her through her early aspirations, her conversion to Christianity and her life as a model. Throughout the book, Bisutti slowly reveals the experiences and thought process which made her decide to walk away from her dream job in order to honor God.

Books like this have a danger of sounding preachy. This one is not. I’m No Angel is written in a style which will make your teen daughters feel like they are going with Bisutti on her modeling journey. You can almost visualize some of the seamy characters and roaches scurrying across the floor as she takes you around the world with her.

Any older teen girl and particularly any girl drawn to modeling should read this book. Bisutti does a great job of explaining her mistakes, why she made them and the godly or ungodly ways she came to her decisions. Along the way, she also instructs girls on everything from the danger signs of a “player” to the pitfalls of the modeling world.

Can your daughter model and remain a strong Christian? Back in the day, some of my friends were very successful models who also were practicing Christians. They even held Bible studies during the week outside of regular worship times. I know at times the industry put them in situations where they had to make hard decisions because of their morals. Some were not able to withstand the pressure. Others eventually moved on to other things and are still Christians.

The life of a model is often very unglamorous, very tough on self-esteem and can even be dangerous at times. There are a lot of people waiting to take advantage of the people who want to model. Models are often asked to do things that push and/or break the boundaries of modesty and good taste. At times, models are either asked or tempted by the people in and surrounding the industry to do sinful things which definitely would not be pleasing to God.

As with everything in life, you and your child will have to make some very difficult decisions if she wants to model. Reading this book will at least help you make a better informed decision. I can almost promise you, you will not hear these stories from an agency that is trying to woo your child to model for them.

If your child is not interested in modeling, this book is still a great book to share with her. Bisutti covers a lot of basic principles that would apply to almost any teen girl. She discusses dating choices, body image, beauty, modesty and other topics important for teens to read about from a godly perspective. (Be aware that she does discuss some mature themes and experiences which might be inappropriate for very young girls. If this were a movie it would probably be rated PG-13.)

If you are the mother of a girl, this is a quick fun read that will open your eyes to an industry you may have dreamed about in your teen years. I would encourage you to read the book first and then encourage your teen to read it. It could lead to some very interesting discussions. (She also includes a 30 day devotional at the back of the book you and your teen could do together.)

Is your daughter tempted to belong to the fashion world? Has she modeled? What were her experiences? How did reading this book change your perceptions of modeling and fashion? I would love for you to share your thoughts in a comment below.

I received a free copy of this book from Tyndale in exchange for my honest review. I really have no concerns about this book and intend to use her story to teach teen girls. Do be aware of the mature nature of some of her experiences. While not told to shock, the experiences she had may be too mature for very young girls.

Published by

Thereasa Winnett

Thereasa Winnett is the founder of Teach One Reach One and blogger at Parenting Like Hannah. She holds a BA in education from the College of William and Mary. She has served in all areas of ministry to children and teens for more than thirty years and regularly leads workshops for ministries and churches. She has conducted numerous workshops, including sessions at Points of Light’s National Conference on Volunteering and Service, the National Urban Ministry Conference, Pepperdine Bible Lectures, and Lipscomb’s Summer Celebration. Thereasa lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband Greg, where she enjoys reading, knitting, traveling and cooking.

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