Author, I’m No Angel (2013)
Won Victoria Secret Runway Angel competition in 2009
Speaker and role model to young girls
Married to Mike
Stepmom to Noah
GUEST
Model Kylie Bisutti Redefines Beauty
CBN.com
–A DREAM REALIZED
Kylie grew up in Jackpot, Nevada where family was one of the most important parts of her life. Although her family did not have a lot of money she felt very happy. Kylie adored her Dad; they were inseparable. “I pretty much was a tomboy at heart, and most of my time was spent hunting and fishing and trudging through the woods with my dad.” Kylie was tall and thin so people would always say to her, “You look just like a model.” She began to define her value based on people’s approval of her looks – being pretty became her identity. Her family moved to Vegas and her Dad began spending more time at work with his new job. She missed their time together. At thirteen years old and almost five feet eight inches tall she towered over most the boys in her class. Girls would call her names like “anorexic” and laugh at her while the boys called her “giraffe.” In the spring, Kylie’s mom sent out pictures of her to various modeling agencies. One of the biggest agencies in Las Vegas signed her to a contract. At fourteen, Kylie’s modeling career began. She modeled in style shows at the famous Fashion Show Mall in Vegas. To make her look older, they dressed Kylie in revealing clothes, coated her face with makeup and gave her eyes a sultry, smoky look. She didn’t realize it then, but ultimately the modeling industry’s job was to sell sex. At her first photo shoot for the agency, Kylie remembers being anxious to please and to be accepted. As the photographer encouraged her to play to the camera, Kylie posed provocatively. After all the teasing she endured at school it felt good to have someone compliment her looks.
That summer she was offered a contract to model in Thailand. Her agent encouraged her to take the job since it wouldn’t interfere with school and would be great experience to build her portfolio. They dyed Kylie’s hair black. “One of the harsh realities I learned early on about the modeling industry: ultimately, your body doesn’t really belong to you,” shares Kylie. After two weeks, Kylie’s mom decided it was time for Kylie to come home. She returned home to do the Fashion Show Mall runway shows. Meanwhile, she dreamed of becoming a supermodel and ultimately a Victoria's Secret Angel.
FIRSTS
When Kylie started high school that fall she met a senior named Jake. He showered lots of attention and gifts on Kylie who craved the approval and acceptance she had somehow lost with her father over the years. Jake fed into her insecurities and her desire to be loved and accepted. Although he had a reputation as a “player,” Kylie was taken off-guard by his charm. She began keeping secrets from her parents about seeing Jake and soon the relationship became physical. Shortly after Jake had sex with Kylie, he broke up with her. Devastated, she did not know where to turn. A girl whom Kylie had never met before at school invited her to attend her church’s youth group. Kylie went and for the first time heard about Jesus. She began attending the group regularly, started attending Sunday morning services, and even signed up for summer camp - the place where her spiritual journey began when she asked Jesus into her heart. When she returned home from camp, her life had been transformed. She started attending church with her mom.
INDUSTRY STANDARDS
Despite her new faith, Kylie was still drawn to the modeling world. Her big break came at sixteen when she got an offer to model for an agency in New York. With her parent’s approval, Kylie decided to finish high school online and moved to New York to pursue her dream. She quickly learned the industry standards for beauty were difficult to achieve. She walked the runway during Fashion Week in New York then went to Japan for a couple of months.
Desperate to keep her career on track and get back to New York, Kylie agreed to comprise her standards and do a topless shot. “My selfish decisions pulled me further and further away from God.” Frustrated she was not getting
as many jobs as other models, Kylie questioned her agent. Her agent told Kylie she wasn’t getting the jobs because, “You are a fat pig right now.” Devastated, Kylie went home for the holidays. For the next six weeks, Kylie obsessed over losing 10 pounds. With a drastic diet and exercise, Kylie reached her goal of 108 pounds at five feet ten inches. Once she reached the industry standard in weight, she began getting booked for one job after another. Kylie was officially a “working model.”
UNEXPECTED BLESSINGS
Kylie’s parents took her to Cancun as a surprise for her eighteenth birthday. It was on this trip Kylie met Mike who was not only a great guy, but also a Christian. A year later the couple married. Kylie was thankful that God had blessed her with a godly man and that her relationship with Him was growing stronger every day. Her dreams of becoming a famous runway model had all but faded when she faced a temptation …Mike’s stepmom gave Kylie a card for the upcoming Victoria’s Secret Runway Angel competition. Kylie’s craving for fame, glory and attention that she thought was behind her came rushing back in full force. Mike knew very little about the modeling industry; he would soon learn more than he wanted to know.
Kylie competed and won the 2009 Victoria’s Secret Angel competition and her career took off. She went to superstar status overnight. Mike did his best to be a loving and supportive husband, but privately he was struggling with the idea of his wife parading around onstage in sexy lingerie while millions of men looked on and applauded. He began praying and asking the Lord for wisdom and to open Kylie’s eyes to the truth. Her eyes were finally opened during a photo shoot, “I didn’t feel sexy or beautiful anymore, I only felt dirty, embarrassed, and ashamed.” She spent the next several weeks studying the Bible and spending time in prayer. She found the answers she needed in the Word. “I couldn’t love the world and love God,” reveals Kylie. She knew she couldn’t continue to pursue a career as a supermodel – let alone a Victoria’s Secret model – and still live a life that was honoring to God. She wanted to become the wife Mike deserved, a Proverbs 31 wife. Kylie told Mike she was done with all of it. “God allowed me to see and experience the world of modeling firsthand to see the best and worst the industry had to offer so my eyes could be opened to the truth,” shares Kylie. God also opened Kylie’s eyes to the horror stories of the modeling industry: the sex trafficking, extreme surgeries, drug abuse, verbal abuse, eating disorders, and the pornography.
MODEL TO ROLE MODEL
In December 2011, Kylie quit modeling to become a role model for young girls. “I didn’t want to be part of the illusion created by the media that puts pressure on girls to think they have to look like a model to feel beautiful or valued,” shares Kylie. She says, “God’s desire wasn’t for me to spend my life chasing after and promoting the world’s definition of beauty as a supermodel. His plan was to transform me into a role model so I could dedicate my life to pursuing His definition of beauty.” She encourages young girls to look to Christ for their identity and not to the media. Her message focuses on the importance of dressing modestly, honoring your body, and recognizing that true beauty lies within. Ultimately, it’s a reflection of God’s love in us.
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