Anita De Bauch vs Kate Moss

My agency sent me off on a rather exciting casting at the Groucho Club today for a job with a popular artist whose work explores and plays with the idea of "sleb" culture and how easily we can be misled by media representation of the "real" world, using only lookalikes of celebrities rather than the celebrities themselves.

This particular project involves making a super-realistic sculpture of Kate Moss and then photographing her with it. The artist saw my photos and measurements and wanted to see if I could be used to cast Kate's torso :)

  L - R: me, Kate Moss

All very flattering for me, of course, but gosh, the last 18 hours have been a bit of a nightmare!

It all began with me idly Googling "kate moss measurements" to see if I was an exact match or merely a very close match, only to discover that she was about an inch smaller all over than I thought she was. I then measured myself in front of the bathroom mirror and discovered that I was an inch bigger all over than I thought I was. Whether or not it was down to it being that time of the month was irrelevant. The casting was in 12 hours and I had 2" to lose on my bust, waist and hips!

I immediately took a probiotic, a milk thistle and a magnesium supplement with a glass of lemon water sprinkled with cayenne pepper. At my boyfriend's suggestion, I slept in a thermal vest with a blanket on top of the duvet to sweat out some water retention overnight. It worked- by morning I had lost an inch all over.

I then did some pilates to flatten my stomach with a cup of hot lemon water then had my breakfast smoothie sans banana and in a very hot Dead Sea salt bath to try and extract some more toxins. This was followed by organic coffee, whitened with coconut water, sprinkled with cinnamon and cocoa powder and served with lots of organic carrot sticks. After all this, I'd lost another inch on my bust and hips but still had one more to go round my waist- I was at 25" instead of the "correct" measurement of 24". I stayed in a tightlaced corset until I left for the casting and hoped that would at least mitigate it!

When I arrived at the Groucho Club I took some topless shots with the artist so she could record what I looked like. She said she'd been having real trouble finding someone both very slim yet not too muscular. I promptly sucked my stomach in to hide my extra inch, but apparently that made my ribs stick out too much, so I don't think I got the job :(

Life is surreal, isn't it? I never thought I'd be writing, "Dear Diary, Today I was turned down for the Kate Moss body double job at the Groucho Club because I'm too boney", but there you are. I feel silly whinging about it, even, but then, this is my blog, and I really wanted this job, it looks so cool :(

Anyway, onto positive things! I'm off to Scotland tomorrow to shoot at Barrie Spence's place and then on Monday I'm shooting a fantastic Klimt-inspired underwater art project with Ivory Flame. I've been wanting to shoot with her for literally years, so having her teach me how to model underwater will be a real treat! I've ordered some floaty skirts to wear as I think they'll look cool; hope they arrive in time!

Anyway, must dash! Sorry for the moaning, I hope you don't mind! My next blog will be much happier, I promise :)

Lots of love,

Anita xxx

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Swap Shop! Or TFS (Time For Stuff)!

Following up on my last blog re: attempting to minimise my buying of brand new things and trying to swap/ trade instead of using money where possible, I have compiled a list of things I am currently looking for for my home (I'm redecorating!). If you have anything on this list and would like to swap it for modelling time (if you are a photographer), items you might have seen in my photos, personalised gifts and signed memorabilia from my Shop, or anything else you think I might have, please let me know! You can leave a comment here or email contact@anitadebauch.com and we can get trading :D

• Carpentry skills! Attaching a divan headboard to a bed it totally wasn't designed for :)
• White ostrich feathers, up to 18" long
• Silver flock wallpaper to cover a 3.6 m² area
• Silver blackout curtains
• Three-part folding dressing table mirror
• Silver velvet or chenille storage footstool/ pouffe
• Silver satin valance sheet/ bed skirt, king size
• Pair deco lady lamps, small-ish!
• Blue Chinese palace lantern
• Baby pink whistling kettle
• 4 x baby pink pedal bins
• B&Q 'Lemon Fizz' everywhere paint
• B&Q 'Duck Egg' everywhere paint
• Interior emulsion paint in a bold shade of blue
• Taxidermy peacock (I can try!)

 I think I will decorate this blog with a latex nuns photo by Chris Zietek from my recent trip to Casares, Spain, on the basis that lots of latex photos is a good thing, especially on days like today when it's a bit too hot to be wearing this much of it in comfort ;)

Second model: Anetta | Latex: either Honour or Westward Bound, I can't remember >.< | Makeup: models' own

I've got my first proper photo shoot with my cat, Dexter, tonight, that is, the first one that we've been officially booked together for. He has leapt in front of the camera unexpectedly once or twice at shoots, but that doesn't count ;) I was going to bring his sister, Lilith, as well, but she was really ill yesterday so I don't want to do anything to upset her. It'll just be me and Dexter modelling tonight!

So far I've manicured, cleansed, moisturised and conditioned us both, and now I need to sew part of my wardrobe. Then it'll be time for an afternoon snack (melon, I think!) followed by packing up Dexter's gear, then doing my hair, having a big salad followed by a veggie "omelette" for dinner, makeup, wardrobe, packing up my own gear and heading to Camden at 7.30 pm... for a 2 hour shoot! So much of it is in the prep!

Bye bye for now, and don't forget to leave a comment or mail me if you have something you'd like to trade!

Anita xx

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It's easy, being green

A couple of months ago, Dita Von Teese recommended me Kimberly Snyder's Beauty Detox Solution after I asked how she managed to maintain such a flawless complexion. Naturally, I snapped up this piece of advice (can you believe Dita is going to be 40 this autumn? I'd be happy to look like that right now!) and it's quickly become my favourite nutrition and diet book. The Glowing Green Smoothie, giving up meat and cow's milk, and following Kim's food combining and light to heavy principles have really helped my skin, weight and muscle tone maintenance dramatically :) And I haven't had to think about calories once!

However, as well as solid science-based advice, there are some tin foil hat theories in both her book and her blog, admittedly mentioned only in passing- feng shui and the existence of chakras and ether (not the alcohol-like drug!), for example. Overall though, I found the book's approach very positive and since I cut back on meat and started buying organic I've become interested in being more green in general, not just to look prettier, but also because it feels good :) Other than doing a bit of recycling I really didn't care much before.

I've cut the harsh chemicals out of my home completely, replacing them with Ecover and homemade cleaning products (white wine vinegar is good for more or less everything!) and organic compostable cat litter (cheaper and better-smelling than the gravelly stuff and means no more dusty little grey paw prints!), and am in the process of cutting them out of my toiletries and cosmetics, bit by bit, replacing them with gentler, organic substitutes.

Then I discovered this website: A Low Impact Woodland Home. It's like a real-life hobbit hole! I would love to build one myself one day, when I'm retired from modelling and city life, and have even started drawing up little plans, just for fun :) 

 A low impact woodland family home with two stories, solar power and central heating, built in Wales in 4 months for 3 grand!

I was also interested in this page of the site, which bullet points suggestions for eco living in general and includes such advice as "Smile at people and meet their eyes." I smiled myself when I read that alongside practical advice to do with building your own solar panels out of scrap metal and so on, but the more I think about it, the more it makes sense.

If more people felt happy more often, they would probably not feel the need to buy so much stuff that they don't need :)

Not that I'm about to start fashioning my own clothing out of recycled hemp and living on found nuts and grass or anything, and my own hobbit hole would probably cost rather more than £3k due to chandelier, flock wallpaper and taxidermy budget, but still, I can at least tweak a few little things in my life that will actually make me happier and less stressed overall. And perhaps that happiness and relaxation will spread to others through contact :)

 Photo by Callan Tham, Singapore, December 2011. MUA: Kenny Tan

Two of the suggestions under 'Consumption' that I am planning on following whenever I can from now on are:

• Avoid buying newly manufactured things, instead buy second hand or make our own.
• Trade or give gifts in preference to using money.

I will always check charity shops and eBay for things that I am looking for now, and buy even more vintage and second hand items from independent shops, flea markets and car boot sales. I will also try posting on Facebook and Twitter when I am looking for particular things in case someone on there has it to sell or swap. That way it doesn't have to be made new in a factory, I can just purchase existing stuff so that it doesn't end up in a landfill. It's always broken my heart to see old, beautifully crafted clothing and furniture end up this way!

I am also considering doing some modelling on a "Trade of Skills" basis. A lot of photographers have non-photography day jobs and perhaps some might be interested in having me model for them in exchange for some sort of skill they can offer to me in return, like making clothes, making furniture, interior decorating, giving my cats a veterinary check-up, giving me a dental check-up, glazing, plumbing, leg-waxing, accounting- anything, really :) While I know that my landlord, energy suppliers and grocery store won't be interested, it would be nice to at least liberate myself from the demands of cold hard cash some of the time ;)

... Normal service will be resumed shortly ;)

Anita xx




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Bettie Page, Bondage & Bullet Bras!

I had a fun day shooting "catfights" in Kent yesterday, and only came away with one little bruise on my elbow! I think that's pretty good going! The other model broke a nail, but that wasn't entirely my fault ;)

It was a really fun day with a definite Notorious Bettie Page vibe! The lady we were working for really reminded me of an East London version of Paula Klaw, Irving Klaw's sister, who helped make Bettie Page the most famous fetish model of all time :)

Sometimes I paused and thought to myself, damn, I get paid £50 per hour to wrestle with beautiful topless girls in stockings and suspenders instead of working in an office, unless of course it's an office set for a sexy secretary shoot and I'm wearing a satin pencil skirt and specs. Could I be any luckier?!! I don't think so!

Well, I don't have any photos from yesterday to share, but for anyone else who likes vintage satin lingerie, I have these wonderful photos taken by Seamus Costelloe, one of the very best photographers in the whole of Ireland, who booked me for three days in the medieval city of Kilkenny earlier this month. I shoot with Seamus in Ireland every year but this year was even better than usual :)

The bullet bra and deep suspender belt were lovingly recreated from original 1950s patterns by What Katie Did!

 Collar, lead and handcuffs by Fräulein Kink

 I couldn't decide if I preferred this one in colour or black and white so I posted both!

Why do seamed stockings look so much better with the proper welt and keyhole at the top? I always notice when stockings are missing the keyhole. It's just not the same!

Well, I'd better get ready for a furniture delivery! I'm having a new king size bed delivered, among other things. The old one broke!

So long for now... but subscribe to my blog at the top right of this page if you'd like me to email you when I have a new blog to share with you :) I'd love to share more of my modelling life with you!

Anita xxx

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Lunchtime peepshow!

A fun little stop-motion video I made with photographer Phil Nicholls (I will link him when I find his website URL!) in my home on another rainy Saturday afternoon :)

Mackintosh: Burberry | Latex: Anatomic Bomb | Soundtrack: Korla Pandit (1951) | Male model: Dexter ;)

I'd like to experiment with this idea more in the future, perhaps with using more zooms, changing scenes and introducing other "characters" within the same movie :)

My boyfriend is visiting his parents this weekend so the apartment seems a little emptier than usual. I'm taking advantage of his absence by having a spring clean, getting the measuring tape and notepads out and planning the apartment's vintage facelift in more detail! I can't wait to have time to really turn it into my dream Golden Era starlet's city walk-up, with every detail just so. I know I won't be living here forever, but I think it's good to leave a place more beautiful than it was when you arrived, not to mention avoid the horrid reality of Minimalist decor! There will not be a single drop of Brilliant White paint or twig of Swedish pine plywood anywhere in the whole place, believe me!!

It will also be full of flowers at all times. I love flowers. What girl doesn't?! I'll leave you with a photo of a pink bouquet I found hidden in my wardrobe a few hours after my boyfriend left yesterday (sorry if you already saw it on Twitter)...

Lots of love,

Anita xoxo



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Introducing 'The Ugly Girl's Guide to Becoming a Model'

The first part of my book, The Ugly Girl's Guide to Becoming a Model, can now be read online for FREE here!

I hope that my little book will inspire and practically assist girls all over the world who were rejected by model agencies to make a career of modelling on their own terms, as I have! It's the best job in the world! <3

In the spirit of freelance self-determination, I will publish the book myself this year, which means that it will not be getting spelling and grammar-raped when it is available in its complete form ;)

Leave a comment somewhere to let me know what you think!


The Ugly Girl's Guide to Becoming a Model

 I am old, short, fat and ugly, and I have been a professional freelance model for over four years and modeled part-time for two years before that.

I was never signed to a major fashion agency because, as I have already mentioned, I was too “short” (5’7”), too “fat” (120 lb) and too “old” (22, when I first moved to London and started modelling full-time) to even get an interview. This resulted in having to be my own agent, which in turn resulted in full-time modelling work, a nice flat in trendy North London, being jetted all over the world to visit amazing places I might never have hoped to see otherwise, and not having to pay anyone any commission on my earnings, thank you very much. I guess I’ve done pretty well, for an “Ugly Girl”.

Now I want to help others to do the same. I want women to realize that they don’t need perfect... 

Read more >

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Chambermaids go mad in Malaga

Remember the latex chambermaid photos I posted a couple of days ago? Well, I have some more to share, including a sneaky peek at what we chambermaids get up to when we've finished work ;)

 Second model: Anetta

Photographer: Chris Zietek | Latex: Honour | Hair and makeup: models' own

I'm off to Ireland for a week of shooting in one of my favourite countries to shoot in tomorrow! Thanks to Irish hospitality, I don't think I'll be staying in a hotel at all for the entire week, as everyone I am working with has offered to put me up for at least one night in their own homes! I will certainly try not to be too much of an imposition :)

I will be taking my iPad so I should be able to update my Twitter and Facebook with my progress while I'm over there, if you'd like to join me :)

See you soon!

Love and kisses,

Anita xxx

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