Four thousand questions prepped. 180 hours of ramp practice. Four litres of water a day for flawless skin. Pune-based Summer Jacobs is so ready to take on the World Supermodel pageant in Macau next week that she says, “I can now run in my five-inch heels!” Contrary to what one might assume, this leggy lass did not grow up with dreams of being a pageant princess. Fresh off being crowned World Supermodel India 2017 in the teen category, she recalls, “I used to be a boxer in junior college, and also in the basketball and football teams.” So it was a stark contrast when the interest in modelling developed, prompting her to sign up for a course with pageant and modelling training studio Tiara in her home city.
But this 19-year-old, who is pursuing her Bachelors of Arts, says she’s always up for a challenge.“Like we have the highest ramp walk in the world at the Macau Tower (1,108 feet) as part of the pageant and I am super excited, but the funny part is I’m scared of heights!” she shares. Not that this is going to stop her from bungee jumping right after though. This is apart from a week-long schedule of shoots including one underwater and hitting the runway at the World SuperModel International Fashion Week.
That said, it’s difficult to imagine Summer as a once timid school goer who was cyber bullied and admittedly never stood up for herself. “It got pretty bad because at 16, there were a whole bunch of rumours going around school, and I would be tagged in posts on social media that made it even worse,” she relates. Eventually the posts were seen by school authorities and dealt with, but this youngster still carries a memory of it by way of a tattoo behind her left ear.
“It’s a tiny semi colon, which is metaphoric of an unfinished sentence. It’s a tribute to anybody out there who came close to suicide but held on and decided not to give up,” she tells us. Having come a long way from a starting line clouded with depression, here is Summer’s advice to girls who are aspiring beauty queens: “Stay calm, and watch a non-stop reel of Victoria’s Secret!”
The World Supermodel Pageant will be held in Macau, May 20 to 28. For details visit worldsupermodelpageant.com