Feeling good in your skin by eating well
From former model to nutrition consultant, Michelle den Hollander flew around the world from shoot to show, but also experienced the struggles of having the ‘right’ measurements. This brought her to where she is now, and on Amayzine she shares tips.
To get to know each other a little better first, because you want that before you get advice from someone, we asked Michelle all the questions. Because what was it like being a model, what struggles did she have, and why is nutrition so important?
Michelle, take it away, how did you become a nutrition consultant?
“I not only saw how important a good immune system is for myself, but also for many models around me. It is difficult to have and maintain the right measurements, but I knew it could be different. And more importantly: that I could take care of that change myself. Modeling gave me a lot of ups but also the necessary downs. I have no regrets for a second that I took on the challenge. I lived for a long time in London, Milan, Paris, and Los Angeles. When I stayed for two months, I got the chance to get to know a city. In London, I had a large group of friends, I knew Paris like the back of my hand and always walked around, and in Milan, I always lived in the same model apartment with the same models with whom I enjoyed delicious aperitivos on the weekends. I did day trips to Dubai, New York, and Rio de Janeiro in between for shoots, got to know people and cultures, and developed my English far beyond my high school level.”
Sounds good, but there is a catch?
“Modeling sounds like a top job. Glitter, glamour, and earning a lot of money while traveling and being beautiful. Nothing could be further from the truth. It is incredibly hard work, where you keep the minimum. Assignments do not come easily, and you pay for flights and accommodations yourself, even if you don't choose them. Nice if you are in a super beautiful apartment in the heart of Paris, but not if you have to share a tiny room in a distant suburb with a bathroom without a door where you can't shower upright. In winter, you stand on the coast in a bikini, and in thirty degrees, you wear an outfit of five layers with a winter coat, hat, scarf, and gloves.”
What made you want to leave the profession?
“The demands in terms of sports and nutrition are high. Every fitting time and again, with every client. The disappointed look when measuring your hip size or the stress from an infection on your face or a scrape on your leg. Because I was really once stuck without work in lonely London due to an infection on my face and couldn't go home because of the ash cloud from the volcanic eruption in Iceland. But I have no regrets. It was precisely the struggles with my measurements and my development over the years that made me a nutrition consultant now.”
Every two weeks, Michelle shares tips on Amayzine about healthy living, know-how about healthy eating, and her own story. Already curious? Read up on Michelle’s Good Food.
Image: Wendelien Daan
