Linda Evangelista spoke out about the modeling industry in an episode of “The Super Models,” revealing an agency asked her to pose nude at the age of 16.
The iconic supermodel said she felt the pressure to take her clothes off for the camera at a very young age and noted how cutthroat the modeling industry was. She said the incident occurred during a trip to Japan, and it was her first real experience away from home.
“When I got to Japan, first thing they asked me was about nude photographs,” she said on the show, according to Page Six. “And they wanted to take all my measurements and take my clothes off.”
Evangelista recalled being uncomfortable with the entire experience and being so far away from the comforts of home. She stood up for herself, in spite of the fear that had set in.
“And I’m like, I just made a composite and it had my measurements on it, and I didn’t want to take my clothes off,” she said, according to Page Six.
“I kind of freaked out.”
She noted the irony of the situation she found herself in.
“It’s ironic that my parents let me go to Japan when I was 16 on a modeling contract,” she said. “They wouldn’t let me go on the school ski trip, but they let me go to Japan.” (RELATED: ‘He Knew Not To Touch My Face’: Linda Evangelista Makes Abuse Allegations Against Ex-Husband)
Recalling the moment, she noted, “I never should’ve went there by myself. I went home. I sort of gave up.”
She said she turned her back on the idea of becoming a professional model after that experience, but agent John Casablancas offered her a contract at a Miss Teen Niagara pageant that changed her mind and launched her to superstardom, per Page Six.