NEW YORK, NY - NOVEMBER 10: Model Bridget Malcolm from Australia walks the runway during the 2015 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show at Lexington Avenue Armory on November 10, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Victoria's Secret) (2015 Getty Images)
Bridget Malcolm may one of Australia’s most successful models, but the Victoria’s Secret stunner admitted that she didn’t always feel so confident.
“I got scouted to model on the street when I was 14, and started working when I turned 15,” the 25-year-old shared in a blog post. “We had to wait for my self-cut hair to grow out, and for my braces to come off. I was also extremely shy and nervous — I had memories of sitting in my first meeting with my agency, bright red, feeling terrified that someone would talk to me.”
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Malcolm admitted it took years until she finally felt at ease around strangers.
“I couldn’t understand why I was modeling — everyone else around me seemed so much cooler and more confident,” she said.
However, Malcolm insisted the secret behind her newfound confidence was simply to stop caring about being “cool.” She also pushed herself to develop relationships with people she met along the way, which has made her more comfortable speaking up.
“The more I opened up to the people I worked with, the more relationships I developed within the industry; resulting in some of my most rewarding and closest friendships,” she explained. “I stopped worrying about whether people would ‘find me out’ as a fraud in the industry — and that became a part of my success. The less energy I invested into worrying about fitting in, the more energy I had to put into other aspects of my life.”
Malcolm urged her fans to do the same for a happier, more fulfilled life.
“You don’t want to look back on your life and realize all the time you wasted on focusing on your perceived ‘flaws,’” she warned. “I can guarantee that no one else cares as much about you as you do; and that is a huge comfort to me!”
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