Hey, I am Viola. I am 24 years old and live in a town near Stuttgart. I am a Little Person – and today I will tell you a bit about myself. About my experiences. My views. How I came in contact with AUF AUGENHOEHE. And my experiences as a model. I’m a little excited now.
To get a better idea of who I am, I will tell you a few of my character traits:
I am almost always excited, but in a positive sense.
I am curious about anything and love surprises, even though I am bursting with curiosity if I don’t know what is happening.
I am very interested in photography and like standing in front and behind the camera.
I love being surrounded by people and being able to spend lots of time with my family and friends.
I like reading psychology books.
I talk to my dog as if she was human.
I have been a fashion design apprentice and am very interested in fashion and aesthetics.
I love trying out new styles and finding new inspiration.
Sometimes I wish that the day had more than 24 hours.
And I would love to fulfill all my dreams and wishes right away.
In one day. But: All in good time.
Through my interest in fashion, I think I learned how to handle my figure very early on. How to find the right cuts that would suit my body. When I was younger, I used to compare myself to the other »normal sized« people. Everyone had longer legs than me. Longer arms. They had a much easier time finding shoes in their size compared to me.
But one day this stopped. I had learned to accept myself the way I am. To highlight the most beautiful parts of myself. To feel good in my own skin.That was the most important step in my life. Self-acceptance.
Because here is where it all begins. It all starts with yourself. When you appreciate and accept yourself, your environment will do it too. If I face other people with this feeling, I will take away their hesitations and give them a feeling of safety.
Many people have never seen a Little Person before and oftentimes they don’t know how to interact with this person. This is complete nonsense, though. You can interact with us just like you can with any other human being. But it is much easier and faster when I take the first step. And I think that this is the success that leads to a great self-esteem.
I often joke about my size. Sometimes, people react startled to that. But I enjoy laughing and I don’t take things too seriously. If you’re able to laugh about yourself, many things seem easier.
Some years ago I started photography. Mostly behind the camera. But over time, I started taking pictures of myself too. I had many ideas that I wanted to realize. And because back then, I often didn’t have anybody near me that I could put in front of the camera, I just did it myself.
Through this, I experienced my own body in a very different way. I reflected my movements. My body shape. My facial expression. This way, I was able to tell what looks good and what is flattering for me.
Little by little, I had more fun with it and started uploading my pictures to Instagram.
And then I met Sema.
It all began by chance. Sema had made an Open Call some time ago: Looking for new models. I had seen it then, but never really dared to apply. Until Sema texted me. And this was probably the best thing that could have happened to me. After a few messages back and forth, I was already on my way to Berlin.
I was so excited.
As soon as I arrived in Berlin, I was already picked up by Janina at the station. We had only known each other from Instagram before. But when we finally met for the first time, it felt like we had known each other for years. Together, we made our may to the shooting location. On the plan were two full days: a video shoot and a photo shoot for the new AUF AUGENHOEHE collection.
When we arrived at the location, the team had already been fully at work. We took a quick look at the scene before being pulled into make-up. The hair and make-up was gorgeous and I felt very comfortable in it.
Right from the fitting I directly got in front of the camera and: Gooo!
Please stand there and smile. Just smile with your eyes! Sounds simple.
N o t r e a l l y.
If you’re observing it from outside, you think: Of course, that’s easy. I can do that too.
But as soon as you find yourself in front of the camera, surrounded by strangers, it all feels completely different. You forget how to smile, how to relax your face or how to do natural movements.
All the lights, all eyes are on you, everyone can see you. New movements. New facial expressions.
After a few tries, I always had this one mantra in my head: »YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE MORE TO THE PHOTOGRAPHER« Yes, this is a quote from Germany’s Next Topmodel. But this actually helped me to move more freely in front of the camera. Watching the last 10 seasons of GNTM with my girls finally paid off.
Trying out new poses, focusing on the camera, not getting distracted by your surroundings and suddenly… you strike a pose that feels just right, and everybody else is happy too. And suddenly all of this is huge fun. You become brave. Then you try out more. I could have done this all day. It was really amazing.
I am still looking back to this day in happiness. I met great people, whom hopefully I will see again soon. The team was so nice, you felt comfortable as if you were hanging out with friends.
And of course, amazing fashion. The new AUF AUGENHOEHE collection is incredible.
At this point I would like to thank the AUF AUGENHOEHE team. Thank you for this great experience. You really do your work amazing and with so much passion. You can be proud of yourselves.
This has been such a great experience for me, and meeting so many people that are »at eye-level» (literal translation from Auf Augenhoehe) with me. This doesn’t happen very often in day-to-day life. In my environment, I am pretty much the only Little Person. :D
I hope that through my words, I am able to give other Little People, who might not be quite there yet, some courage and confidence. Life is short. We don’t have time to hide ourselves. Enjoy every moment, every day. Appreciate yourself and be thankful for this life. Everything will come together. That’s the key ;-)