Interview with Annette Celin Olsen
Annette Celin Olsen is a 23-year old model residing in Kristiansund, Møre og Romsdal, Norway.
How would you introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Annette, I was born in Kristiansund, which is an island on the western coast of Norway, I was very shy growing up, as a kid I was studying art, music and acting. I got into modeling when I was 18 years old, and that was kind of my ticket to get away from here since I never really felt like I fitted in here. I’ve worked in countries such as India, China, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey, Mexico and others.
When, how and why did you first get involved in the modeling industry?
I started off doing beauty pageants, I participated in Miss Norway for the first time when I was 17, where I ended up as top 40, and voted people’s favorite; I attended again when I was 19 in Miss Norway 2010 where I ended up as top 10 in the final show, after that I got some recognition and got signed with different agencies, and after that I’ve been just going wherever the wind took me.
What are your personal and professional goals? Where do you see yourself in five to ten years?
I’m working on a non profit organization right now which is against bullying, I basically want to start up summer camps where kids can come and see that they’re not alone, share stories, get some help and also I want to have some different classes with fun activities so they can explore who they are. And the big picture is to be able to start up schools that do the same if it all goes well. I ‘d also love to be able to do music or acting in the future.
How often are you modeling and what does it usually consist of?
I model most of the year, normally I travel 9 months out of the year, I do commercial, fashion, artistic, and runway.
Please tell us about the best and/or worst experiences you’ve had so far in modeling.
I love my job, and I feel very blessed being able to do what I do, aside from the modeling I actually have been able to grow and learn so much as a person, instead of sitting at school reading about other countries, about their culture and religion I actually get to go there and see the places and learn from that, which is pretty amazing. But I have to say my worst experience is when I had a runway show at New Year’s Eve in China, I had food poisoning and I had to walk in a bikini with angel wings and I was there from about 17 hours, then after that I had to take a bus back to Shanghai which took 10 hours.
Have you had anything funny, embarrassing or completely out of the ordinary happen during your modeling career?
I will say that the question above answers that, it was pretty embarrassing
Is there anything you would change about the modeling industry if you could?
There are downsides to every industry in the world; I would probably change the rules about the age: there are so many girls that travel on their own when they’re 14 and people can take advantage of them so easily; also some countries don’t have rules about how long a work day should be; I have experienced 20 hours of shooting, and that’s not healthy .
Do you practice any sports and what do you typically eat? Please elaborate on the importance of nutrition and exercise in your life.
I have a very fast metabolism, so I never diet, I normally eat whatever I feel like eating. And for work out I normally go hiking.
Please share something people don’t know about you.
I paint, and my mother used to be an artist
Would you change anything about yourself (physical or otherwise) if you could?
I wish I was more into sports and workout.
What is the sickest thing you have ever done?
When I was in Singapore I walked with another model for 2 hours across the city at 3 a.m. under pouring rain just to get pancakes at McDonald’s.
Visit Annette Celin Olsen’s website for more photos and information.