I HAVE recently been signed to one of the top Plus Size modelling agencies in the UK and I am really thrilled!

I received the phone call last week and couldnt hide my excitement.  I feel, for a model, professional representation really makes all the difference to your career. 

Up until now I have been a freelance, which meant having my own business cards, paying travel fees for castings (with the possibility of not getting jobs) and so on. For a freelance model, it can be very difficult to hear about potential job opportunities and you really do have to have your ear to the ground all the time.

The difficulty I find as a plus size model is having to constantly research for events and to always have to be in the right place at the right time to network with potential clients. There is a greater demand for straight-sized models, so I was constantly having to make calls and look online for upcoming events. Great fun, but exhausting.   

Getting a contract was not easy.  It is never easy to handle rejection and it is hard not to take things personally. In this industry, you do learn to accept constructive criticism as..constructive. But it can be challenging. 

Sometimes you may even approach agencies and not hear back from them at all! I didnt give up, and after meetings and showing that I was prepared to listen to their feedback and learn from it, I landed the contract.

My first official job has been a bridal photoshoot showcasing a range of wedding dresses in different designs to accentuate a womans curves and in different sizes. This took place in a stunning church with a team of hair and makeup artists and photographers. 

As I am now representing an agency, as well as myself, I wanted to be extra professional, although I couldnt help but ask the stylist to take a quick, behind the scenes photo on my phone, to send my mum. It made her tearful (my mum, not the stylist).

So now I have bought myself a nice new diary and I am never far from my mobile phone in case I get a phone call with an exciting job watch this space.

Amy Sellu is a model from Ickenham who is classified by the fashion industry as 'plus size', that is, more than a size 10. In fact she is a size 16, and after winning the Simply Be Face Of Plus Size in 2010, gets regular modelling work and has appeared in Italian Vogue. Amy took her A-levels at Uxbridge College, has worked in the health and fitness industry and is working toward becoming a personal trainer.

Picture: Verve-Rockabilly