Model to speak on perfection

In an industry where the most beautiful women are told they are not beautiful enough, New York City model Laura Krauss Calenberg has managed to keep herself grounded amidst the ups and downs of a career in fashion.

A Christian Dior model at the age of 19, Calenberg has graced the covers of magazines like Marie Claire and Cosmopolitan. She has walked on the runways of Paris and Milan and appeared on "Oprah" for having what were called the "perfect legs." Over her 20 year career, Calenberg has stayed for as long as two months in Japan for a modeling job and spent as little as a morning in France, to fly back to Germany for an afternoon modeling event.

Tonight, she will rekindle the discussion on effortless perfection and speak to students about the unsettling downfalls of such an environment where flawless beauty is glorified.

Sophomore Rebecca Eells, a member of Campus Crusade for Christ, one of the event's sponsors, said Calenberg was invited to speak to "help people realize [this pressure] is present everywhere."

Up until that point--with a self-worth that she had earned from others--she realized she had responded to society's expectations "like a puppet on a string" and beauty had become the "overriding value" around which her world centered.

"I want students to really get a healthy perspective on what is beautiful, to know their identity and that how they view themselves is not rooted in people's acceptance or approval of them," Calenberg said.

She hopes to encourage students to develop a self-identity that is instead rooted in "inner beauty." If students cater to a false view of beauty, she hopes to make them recognize there is a healthier way to appreciate one's gifts.

"The false view of beauty is what culture says is beautiful at the time," Calenberg explained. "If we don't measure up to society's expectations, many respond with negative behaviors and attitudes."

She added that women have been unfortunately shaped by cultural trends, putting chemicals on their face to get pale white skin and engaging in dieting and eating disorders to reach an ideal body size. The modeling industry is one of the most unstable, she said, where models find momentary security in their popularity while new trends have already emerged.

"When I had the interview with Oprah about the modeling industry, I found it a little superficial because we were talking about being paid for having something you have [no control over,]" she said. "What has brought balance and stability into my life is knowing that what I have, good or bad, I have had nothing to do with. I can't take pride in it or beat myself up about it."

Nonetheless, the modeling industry, not known for its conscience, is a business with demanding standards--and Calenberg has felt compelled to "keep up" and survive.

"It's people who hire you who decide what is perfection, and it's entirely subjective," she said. "Trends shift every two or three months; one agency could say it's in, when another says it's not, and your head has to be screwed on tight when you're at the top, so at the bottom you're okay."

"My hair's been 25 different lengths. I want to keep up, but I have aged, and that's reality," Calenberg said.

There are other things, however, that she has more control over than standing in front of a camera and hoping to appear in the next fashion catalogue; she has found different ways to impact other models and young women.

Calenberg, who currently runs a nonprofit ministry for models, has published an educational beauty guide for teenagers that discusses how to pluck eyebrows, pick dresses that flatter different body shapes and "everything else their mothers may not have taught them." The beauty tips are also followed by spiritual ones for a balanced message.

A testament to Calenberg's genuine concern for young women is Elizabeth Sheehan--a senior at Hunter College in New York City--who has personally benefited from Calenberg's message. When she was 19, Sheehan stayed with Calenberg and her husband in order to study music in the city. A classical music student and pianist, Sheehan had struggled with similar issues of self-identity.

"For me, from the non-model perspective, doing intense work in classical music and the responses I got from people were what defined me," said Sheehan. "I was having trouble with arm therapy, watching my peers play circles around me, but when I met [Calenberg], I started learning about my inner beauty and who I was and I just knew I was more than what I did."

An ability to connect with people is something Calenberg has acquired through a lifetime of experience. She is still coming to terms with her own conflicts, however, and she continues to work on embracing her complete identity.

"I'm still in the process of [balancing my life.] God's not finished with me yet. I struggle with insecurities at times, like any woman," Calenberg said. "It is not based on what the industry thinks of me, or whether I'm employed, and this required some soul-searching.... I was able to last as long as I have in this industry because I was really forced to think about how I view myself."