(AP)
Kylie Bisutti’s lifelong dream was to become a supermodel, and it came true in a big way. In 2009, at the age of only 19, Bisutti beat 10,000 other hopeful women to become the next Victoria’s Secret Angel.
While the glitz and glam quickly clouded her mind (and wardrobe), she soon became plagued by a guilty conscience. Just 3 years after earning her spot, Bisutti forfeited her multimillion-dollar modeling career, giving up her fame and fortune for her Christian faith. She came to find that modeling lingerie went against her devout beliefs, and in turn, made her feel ashamed, exploited and out of touch with God.
In her new book, "I’m No Angel," Bisutti explains just why she gave up her angel wings to honor her religious beliefs.
We caught up with the model to discuss her faith, her career and her path towards God. Here's what she had to say:
FNM: Growing up, was faith a big part of your childhood and the way you were raised?
KB: I was not raised in a Christian home, so I didn't grow up going to church or reading the Bible. I started going to church when I was in high school.
When did you turn to the Christian faith?
God opened my eyes to His grace and showed me that He died for my sins and paid a price for my life when I was in high school.
Was becoming a Victoria’s Secret model a dream you’ve always had?
Yes, it always was.
What about being a VS model didn’t resonate well with you and your religious beliefs?
As I grew in my relationship with the Lord and began reading the Bible more, God started opening my eyes to the fact that I was not honoring Him with my life. One of the biggest ways that I was not honoring Him was in my career — modeling lingerie. I was modeling in a way that brought men into lust and sin rather than using my body to bring glory to God in a pure way.
What was the turning point in your career that made you realize your Christian faith was more important than the fame?
God used a lot of things to bring me to this point, but one of my biggest turning points was after a photo shoot that I did where I really felt a lot of pressure to push the envelope. God really used this particular shoot to reveal to me that I was not putting Him first in a lot of things in my life, and that I had been making my career and fame an idol in my life, and I was falling into a path of destruction and bringing other people along with me. I go into more detail about this day in my book, "I'm No Angel."
What’s the most valued thing you learned from your experience as a model?
I learned that having all of the attention, fame, money and success ultimately never brings fulfillment and security to your life.
Have the other VS girls voiced their opinions about the choice you made?
Not to me directly. There have been lingerie models who have felt judged by my decision, though but I am not trying to convey judgment towards anyone.
What message do you hope your readers leave with from this book?
I hope that readers eyes will be opened to the sad but true effects that the media has on people. The pressures that people feel to have to look a certain way and the body image issues that are obtained in ads, magazines and billboards are becoming very destructive. But there is hope. I used to be very insecure and felt very pressured to be extremely thin because I wanted to feel beautiful in the world's eyes, and it led me down some destructive paths. But I found hope, security, and confidence and my message is in the book!
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