Anna Avoki ... accepting one's differences is a matter of self-respect

She is certainly not an average model. Anna Avoki stands out from other models not only by her height, but also cause of her goal-oriented and straight approach to become a model, especially it is not easy to be a model, if you are out of the typical model standards requested by most agencies and customers.

Even or just because she didn't meet the standards, we like her much. She has a wonderful charisma and shows an amazing performance in her work as a model. So with this feature we like to introduce you to this exceptional model with some of her pictures and an interview, we held with her.

Anna, please tell us a little bit about yourself to begin with. (How old are you, Where were you born and where do you live now, What is your profession and do you have other besides modeling? 
Hi, I'm Anna Avoki, I'm a Czechoslovak (half Czech, half Slovak) freelance model currently living in Prague, Czech Republic. I'm 33 years old and 6'4" (193 cm) tall.  ​

I started modelling just a couple of years ago, only because random people kept reminding me daily "you should be a model". So one day when being asked way too many times whether I'm a model I said to myself: "What if I stopped making excuses and gave it a try..". 

But it ain't that easy to succeed as a model when you are 193 cm tall female :) I've been rejected by many modelling agencies in CR and in other EU countries too, only because I don't fit the conventional beauty standards. "Beautiful face and body, too tall tho," I was told many times. And I still think that my height is one of the best gifts given to me. I love it. After all, what else I can do about it. It's not something within my power like the choice whether to feed my brain with knowledge or garbage, or whether to keep my body in shape or not. My height is something I can't do anything about, but to accept and embrace it. I would say that accepting one's differences is a matter of self-respect. It would be foolish not to love who I naturally am.

Well, I see the fashion industry is growing up, slowly becoming more inclusive.. but have you also noticed how everyone's keen on highlighting the diversity in ads, while just a few are willing to turn the pretty visions into reality? And the discrimination policy of modelling agencies industry is not a nice thing, too. But you know the saying - where there's a will, there's a way ;)

Some time ago I discovered an international beauty contest entitled Miss Global which is going to be held in late fall in Cambodia. This beauty pageant promotes diversity and is open to girls and young women of any height. How often do we see really tall girls competing in beauty pageants? Rarely, almost never. So I decided to apply in order to enrich the world of pageants with my exceptional tallness:).  If you want you can support me by liking my official profile at www.missglobal.com/anna-avoki :) The more likes i get the higher the chances I have to be selected as the official contestant.

What do you love most about modelling? 
Modelling gives me the opportunity to participate in the world of art. I love fashion, gaining new experiences, meeting new people, playing a part in creation of beautiful and interesting things.  For once I'm just letting myself follow my passion. Being passionate about something means being fully focused on the present moment. That's what I love most about it

What’s been the highlight of your career so far? Tell us about some of your recent shoots.
Appearing in Bata shoes TV commercial was a particular hightlight. This commercial is a part of Bata's first global campaign entitled 'Me and comfortable with it'. That was a couple of weeks ago when the indoor and also outdoor video shooting took place.  It was a pleasure to be engaged in this project and also a pleasure to work with a cool group of professionals. What a lovely day spent in beautiful blossoming Rieger's gardens in Prague:) 

What really goes on behind the scenes as a model? 
As a model you have to keep yourself fit all the time, be confident, natural and always in good mood, capable of walking and standing in high heels for endless hours. Sometimes be ready to repeat the same thing many times if there's a desired image to be captured, sometimes be ready to improvise. Simply you have to adapt quickly. 

Which photographers in the industry do you most enjoy working with? 
Personally, I like working with photographers that have an artistic eye and pay close attention to detail. I have worked with professional photographers as well as non-professionals. So far every photoshooting session was a great learning and enriching experience to me

Define your personal style. Who would you say is your 'style muse'?
My personal fashion style is defined by my lifestyle and interests. I love classy, elegant and minimalist clothing made of quality materials. One of the brands matching my style best is Kookaï-Australia. I also like comfy and well-designed sportswear. My very favourite dancewear brand is Sansha as it offers beautiful elegant clothing up to my lenght. 

My style muse is Monica Bellucci. She looks like a goddess when wearing D&G dresses:)

Is there any particular designer piece you are crushing on right now? 
At the moment I'm not crushing on any particular piece. Instead I prefer to invest into my personal development. Pushing my personal boundaries a bit further feels like the right thing to do.

What do you hope to be doing in the next 5 years? 
I'm not a fan of long-term planning. I only have my big 'long-term' dreams and whatever is in accordance with my dreams, I'm into it :)  There's some wishful thinking tho :) I hope that whatever I'll be doing I'll be very passionate about. I also hope I'll be making the right choices that will lead me to the life that makes me content. And there's also a certainty about what I'll be doing. I'll be helping people to solve some of their problems. I have chosen a meaningful and purposeful path.

If you could be anywhere else but here, where would you go? 
There's only one thought to this on my mind right now. There's no 'where would I go, if I could'. There's only 'wherever I'm supposed to go, I'll go there'.

Photos taken by LIbor Stavjanik, Anna Rybchynskaya and Ivo Konicek