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From G.I. Jane To Fashion Model
Ortho Evra Makes It Possible For An Everyday Woman To Walk the Runway
New York Fashion Week Spring 2004
By: Mari Davis
DALLAS, May 15, 2003/ FW/ --- She grew up thinking she was ugly. During her whole adult life,
she believed she was ugly. But that changed last year, during the Spring 2003 New York season.
She was at Bryant Park not as a spectator, but as a catwalker.
Linda Brumfield, a Chicago Policewoman believed she was ordinary, until Ortho Evra came
along and showed her that every day women like her can be beautiful both on the outside
and inside.
"It was out of this world," was how Linda Brumfield described her experience as a fashion model to
FW on a phone interview.
"I'm a cop, I was in the army, and up to now I am with the Army National Guard. But for one day,
I was a fashion model, and it changed my view on a lot of things."
Fifteen minutes on the catwalk can hardly be called a 'life-changing experience.'
For us who live in the fashion world, the fashion season is a twice yearly occurence which
we all love and hate at the same time.
We love the adrenaline rush and seeing old friends whom we see only once every six months.
But we hate the long hours and the almost impossible deadlines set by our editors.
To understand Linda's statement is to look beyond her pretty face and confident stance.
Because she is truly an amazing woman, and her beauty is not just skin deep.
"I was a product of a rape and grew up with an adopted family," Linda stated matter-of-factly.
"Before, I was ashamed to tell that to anyone. I felt ugly and unwanted because of how I began
my life. And though my adoptive parents are very loving and caring, I rebelled against them."
"My self-image was not pretty. I thought I was too short, too fat and not smart enough to
do anything," Linda continued. "I was also a teen-age mother."
When Linda was seventeen, against the wishes of her adopted parents, she decided she wanted
to join the military.
"They did not want me to go, but in the end, my godfather signed the consent. I joined as a
journalist. I wanted to be a writer, and here I am being interviewed by one," she said with a
laugh.
Linda's laugh is infectious, a sign of a very vibrant woman. And as she related her life
as GI Jane, it became the story of a troubled teen-ager growing up to be a woman with a
mission. She rose to the rank of Sergeant before she decided to go back to Chicago.
"After the Army, I still wanted to serve, so I entered the Police Academy. I was the oldest
recruit, and I was able to keep up with the 20-year-olds," Linda said with pride.
As Linda was settling into her life as one of Chicago's Finest, a phone call arrived,
which would change her life.
It was from Ortho-McNeil, makers of Ortho Evra, the first-ever weekly birth control patch.
They were holding the first annual Every Woman Fashion Show in conjunction with New York
Fashion Week Spring 2003 season. They have chosen Linda Brumfield as one of the models.
"I was shocked and surprised. I cannot believe it," Linda told FW when asked how she felt when
she was chosen. "I've always thought that fashion models have to be a beauty goddess like
Giselle Bundchen. And now, they're telling me I can be one."
So last September, instead of walking her beat in Chicago, Linda walked on the runway with
9 other everyday women.
"Walking down the runway as a model was an incredible experience," said Linda. "But it was
only half of the experience! A lot of things that happened backstage is as important as
the experience on the catwalk."
"Backstage, we were pampered - manicure, pedicure, hair and make-up. I saw myself being
transformed from this ugly duckling, that was my self-image, and to this beautiful woman
staring me back in the mirror. That was what the fashion world gave me, and that was
Ortho Evra's gift to me. For the first time in my life, I felt beautiful on the outside,"
Linda said.
And as we continued our coversation, Linda related that she had always thought that fashion
was all glamour and frivolous. But from what she saw and experienced backstage, she realized
that a lot of hard work goes into producing a fashion show.
"It's almost like a military mission," Linda said with a laugh. "There is a plan and you have
to follow it. After I did my walk, and came backstage, I had three people, undressing and
dressing me because I am supposed to go out again. After that experience, I have more respect
to the fashion world. It is not as easy as it looks. It was truly an eye-opener for me."
When asked if she would recommend other women to join Ortho Evra's Everyday Women Fashion
Show, Linda answered with conviction, "Absolutely! We were chosen for our achievements, not
our looks. Ortho Evra taught me that I can be beautiful on the outside and inside. Every
woman should have that feeling everyday, and not just once-in-a-lifetime."
"After that experience, I became a motivational speaker," Linda continued. "I found my
inner beauty, and I believe that all women should find theirs. It is their strength. In
fact every woman's strength."
This coming New York Spring 2004 season, Ortho Evra is once again giving 10 everday women
the chance to experience what Linda Brumfield had.
Here's how to enter:
Eligible women (ages 18 to 45) can nominate themselves or be nominated by another
person through the following channels:
- To enter online: Go to www.everywomanfashion.com
and complete entry
form; write an essay in 100 words or less why you or the person you are
nominating should be an ORTHO EVRA Every Woman Model; submit a picture
of the nominee; and click on "I agree to Official Rules." The contest
runs from April 14 to June 30, 2003.
- To enter by mail: Hand-print name, address, city, state, zip code, day
and evening phone numbers, occupation, age, essay and picture of
nominee. Mail submission to ORTHO EVRA Every Woman Model Search
Contest, P.O. Box 812420, Chicago, IL 60681-2420. Mail-in entries must
be postmarked by 6/30/03, and received by 7/07/03.
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Linda Brumfield today
Linda Brumfield in the army
Linda Brumfield as a young army recruit
(Photos courtesy of Linda Brumfield)
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