Once we had our faces on, we did two run-throughs, during which we lined up in order and executed the entire runway with music. After the first round, I snuck out to watch the other women. Perhaps it really hadn't hit me until that moment how monumental this all was — proving that real women of all body shapes, ethnicities, and ages could be fashion models — but I was overwhelmed with emotion. Tears stung my eyes (thank god we hadn't applied my faux lashes yet). I felt incredibly proud to be a part of this influential group.
Before I knew it, the house was full, and the role models were backstage dancing to keep their energy up. Meryl Davis and I chatted about preperformance nerves. As a Dancing With the Stars champ and Olympic ice skater, she seemed like the obvious pick for advice. She told me a sports therapist explained that nerves are a good thing — they're your body's way of preparing for the performance. So I did my best to bottle my energy and use it as stage mojo.
