The Twins’ Early Arrival
On July 7, 2010, Jaqi Clements had a surprise visit from her newborn babies Ava Marie and Leah Rose. The twins came four and a half weeks early, but as time went on, Jaqi understood why.
“They came four and a half weeks early but knowing their personalities now it makes total sense that they would show up early, unannounced, and ready to take on anything,” Jaqi said.
Everyone Said The Same Thing: They Should Be Models!
With kids this adorable, it’s hard for people not to compliment them. From the time the twins were born, Jaqi continually heard the same statement.
Jaqi says strangers would always mention one thing: “Wow they are so beautiful, you should really think about getting them into modeling,” And so she decided to take a shot at starting the girls’ modeling careers.
Leading A Normal Life
Helping guide her children through a life of modeling is enticing, but it wasn’t the right decision at the time. Jaqi felt bringing up the twins alongside their peers would be the right thing to do.
There were no regrets in pulling the children out of modeling. As time went on, things slowly started to change. Can you guess what happened next?
Waiting For The Right Moment
The only issue with Jaqi’s idea of asking the girls is the Ava and Leah were still toddlers. They weren’t old enough to help make their own decisions or clearly voice their opinions.
Because the only language the kids spoke were tears, Jaqi and her husband were stumped. They thought hard about how and when it was the right time to allow the twins to decide on their own.
Giving The Girls The Idea
By the time Ava and Leah grew to be seven, they had developed personalities of their own. They were involved in several extracurricular activities like dance and swim.
On their birthday, Jaqi said, “I presented my idea to the girls that, if they were up for it, in addition to their dance classes and swim team practices they had every week, they could give modeling a try.”
And The Modeling Kicks Off Again
Now that the kids were older and excited about modeling, the process would most likely go much smoother. Luckily, Jaqi’s neighbor had recently opened a children’s boutique.
She needed some models to help market the new business. The twins got the job. “Plus, I needed some new photos if I was going to get them an agent so I figured this would be a great opportunity for all of us,” Jaqi said.
Some Wrinkles To Iron Out
Naturally, Ava and Leah have the stunning looks, but that doesn’t mean they intuitively know how to model. Some things take time. Jaqi learned that first hand during her first shoot with the twins.
“Ava would look at the camera while Leah would stare off into space… Leah would accidentally bump into Ava who of course thought it was on purpose and would shove her back,” Jaqi recalled. They’re young, and she had to cut them a lot of slack.
The Double Agency Dilemma
Jaqi assumed having two agencies representing her daughters meant more opportunity and exposure for them. Everything was going fine until one of the agencies gave her a call.
“Hi, we wanted to let you know we were able to get the girls straight through to a callback for a Barbie Audition tomorrow,” the agent told Jaqi. She panicked because the girls had just gone to the same audition with their other agent. She revealed the truth and matters got fixed in a few hours.
Jaqi’s Instagram Learning Curve
The beauty of the twins was only partly the reason for the success of their Instagram account. There were some tactics that Jaqi had to use to help gain all the followers she did. She spilled the beans on a few secrets.
“Now, a little over five months later, the girls have over 380,000 followers,” she started. “One thing I know for sure if it’s ALL about the pictures… so don’t settle for an average photographer because you want to save a few dollars.” You hear that folks? Take quality pictures.
All In The Family
Ava and Leah were becoming successful, but their older brother Chase proved to be a talented kid as well. Chase signed with the same agencies as his younger sisters and has a little extra on his resume.
Not only does Chase model, but he also knows how to act. He has been in a few commercials as well.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Jaqi is relatively new to the industry. She had no prior knowledge before diving in. As time goes on, she is learning more about the business and says there are highs and lows.
On her blog, she lists the good, the bad and ugly aspects of this modeling world. She says the most important thing she’s learned, “is before trusting someone to guide you, make sure you know who you are getting involved with.”
Finding The Right Guidance
Since Jaqi needs guidance but wants to make sure she’s getting the right advice from the right people, she has a series of questions that she asks herself before working with someone.
She believes that if anything ever seems off, to go with your gut feeling and to always do thorough research, because it will pay off in the long run. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
“They Look Sad”
A comment that the girl’s frequent receive is that they look sad all the time. Some even take this to mean that they’re being forced to model and that they aren’t having fun.
They respond by saying that some photoshoots are supposed to be more solemn then others and that if you ever met them, you’d know that they are far from sad.
Jaqi’s Biggest Pet Peeve
Although there’s endless backlash from the public about the girl’s modeling careers, the comment that she hates the most is when people say “Let them be kids”.
This annoys her as well as the girls because they haven’t been forced into modeling, it’s genuinely what they like to do and how they want to spend their time.
The Benefits of Living The Modeling Life
Although the life of modeling can be exhausting with all of the traveling and scheduling, it has also helped to bring the family together.
They describe each trip as being a new experience that they get to share and they spend more time together than most families because of it. They meet new people and make new friends all the time which is part of the experience.