Former New
York model Leah Darrow quit on the spot when she realized she was about to
‘lose her soul.’ Now she’s helping others avoid the trap of unchastity.
by Jim Graves
The
entertainment industry has long presented attractive young female performers in
various states of undress to millions worldwide, often to young people on whom
it makes a significant impact.
It’s
scandalous, and a waste of time and talent, says model and Catholic speaker
Leah Darrow: “There is no benefit in watching circus freaks perform. They’re
using their God-given talents in unproductive ways.”
Says
Darrow, “When I ask teens, ‘Are their outfits appropriate?’ They say No. But I
tell them when they watch their videos over and over, they’ll begin to think
the way they dress and act is no big deal. In one of Lady Gaga’s videos
[Alejandro] she dresses as a nun and eats a rosary. That’s not entertainment;
it’s just a bunch of sleazy images.”
Darrow
herself was once a part of the upscale fashion world in New York City and was a
contestant on the reality TV show America’s Next Top Model, but had a change of
heart and now works speaks full time about chastity, modesty and women in the
Church.
“My focus is on helping women be the best they can be,” she
said.
Farm Girl
Darrow, 31, grew up on a farm in Oklahoma, the oldest of six
children.
The family moved to St. Louis, and Darrow began modeling in
college. She auditioned and was accepted for America’s Next Top Model and
became one of 14 girls who made it on the show.
“It was stressful and uncomfortable,” she recalled. “You
didn’t know anyone on the show, and there was a lot of pressure to be perfect.
The girls could be very catty.”
Camera crews followed the girls around the clock; Darrow
remembers when they filmed her sleeping (actually praying the Rosary under her
blanket, but the rosary beads never made it on the air). There was much tension
as the girls waited for their turn to be called for their modeling segments.
Darrow was both hurt and relieved when she became the second girl to be
eliminated.
She left home and went to New York City to pursue a modeling
career. Although she went to Mass and carried her rosary with her wherever she
went, she drifted away from the practice of the faith. Her parents were unhappy
with many of her lifestyle choices.
Darrow said of the modeling world, “Although not all
modeling is bad, much of it is dehumanizing. The dignity of the person is of
little importance. You’re just a body. And it’s also very important what
parties you go to and who you are with. A lot of people are sad in the
industry, although they cover it up. You’re just supposed to do your job, be a
professional.”
Time to Go Home
Despite the money and notoriety, Darrow was unhappy and
tired. It was on one particular modeling shoot for an international magazine
that she decided it was time to go home.
She met with the photographer and was given a particularly
skimpy outfit to wear. She was embarrassed to put it on, but went ahead,
telling herself it was just a job and she had to do it.
As the shoot was nearly complete, she had a mystical
experience of sorts, which she called a moment of grace. She pictured herself
before God after her death and had nothing to show for her life.
“I knew that the way I was living, I wasn’t being authentic
to my faith,” she said.
She quit on the spot and went home crying.
“I called my dad and said, ‘If you don’t come and get me,
I’m going to lose my soul,’” she recalled. “He said, ‘Sure, baby’ and drove all
the way from St. Louis to New York City to get me.”
Since returning to St. Louis, Darrow has become a full-time
speaker, delivering as many as eight talks each month. She addresses all age
groups, but most presentations are before high-school and college audiences.
Modesty has become a favorite topic.
“Modesty is more than just the length of a hemline,” she
explained. “It’s about our conversations, how we treat people, and how we love
others. Modesty protects our purity and the mystery of a person. In our
society, it gets a bad rap. It’s actually quite attractive.”
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (2522-2523) has much to
say about modesty, she points out, including, “Modesty is decency. It inspires
one’s choice of clothing. It keeps silence or reserve where there is evident
risk of unhealthy curiosity. It is discreet.
“There is modesty of feelings as well as of the body. It
protests, for example, against the voyeuristic explorations of the human body
in certain advertisements or against the solicitations of certain media that go
too far in the exhibition of intimate things. Modesty inspires a way of life
which makes it possible to resist the allurements of fashion and the pressures
of prevailing ideologies.”
‘The Positives of Purity’
For Darrow, modesty includes not gossiping or saying bad
things about others. It includes chaste dating relationships with men, which
has made dating for her much easier. In fact, for her personally, she has
resolved that the only romantic kiss she will share with a man will be with her
future husband.
Chris Stefanick, director of Youth, Young Adult and Campus
Ministries for the Archdiocese of Denver, is on the chastity speaker roster
with Darrow. He has found that discussions of chastity and modesty are a
particularly effective way of teaching the Gospel.
“It provides me with an opportunity to discuss the longings
we all have and how we often try to fill them in the wrong ways,” he said.
Even when addressing audiences in a secular venue, he has
ample statistics to demonstrate that chastity and the modest lifestyle that goes
with it leads to better health, happier marriages, greater financial success
and more spiritual fulfillment. He said, “Despite the fact that I’m speaking
against the culture, the reaction I get to my talks has been amazing. People
don’t realize the positives of purity.”
Darrow has become involved in Pure Fashion, a faith-based
program affiliated with Regnum Christi designed for girls age 14 to 18. The
eight-month program teaches teens about fashion, runway style and personal
presentation. Pure Fashion groups are found in cities nationwide, as well as
overseas, and put on fashion shows that are both modest and tasteful. Darrow
has helped put together the first Pure Fashion team in her adopted hometown of
St. Louis.
Her focus now is on being a good Catholic, learning her
faith better (she’s currently working on a Master of Arts degree in pastoral
theology from Ave Maria University) and reaching out to others through her
public speaking. She has found speaking on chastity and modesty both
heartwarming and heartrending: “When I speak, I often have girls coming up to
me, crying and saying, ‘I just lost my virginity.’ It breaks my heart. That’s
why I’ve dedicated my life to being an advocate for women.”
Register correspondent Jim Graves writes from Newport Beach,
Californ
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