By Diana Vallette
Model Photos By Elite Modeling
What do you want to be when you grow up? An actress? An NBA player? A model? Those answers may sound like pie-in-the-sky longshots, but for 20-year-old Southwest-Louisiana-born-and-raised Mia Wyble, those dreams became reality.
“Starting when she was just 4 or 5, she was always posing for the camera,” says Mia’s mother, Danielle Wyble.
When Mia was only 13, Danielle took photos of her daughter in their front yard and sent them to modeling agencies in New York. By the time she was 14, Mia was signed; by the time she was 18, she was living full-time in New York.
“Growing up in Lake Charles was a little difficult for me because I was so ready to get my career started in New York,” says Mia. Because there isn’t an established modeling industry in Louisiana, Mia had to wait to graduate high school before she could pursue modeling full-time. She travelled back and forth to the Big Apple throughout the school year and every summer.
“Castings are very last-minute,” she says. Models might only learn they have a job the day before or even the morning of a shoot. “A lot of people think modeling is glamorous, but there are a lot of misconceptions about the industry,” Mia says.
Many models don’t start making money until they’ve been working for a substantial amount of time. In order to get work, models must have a high-quality portfolio, and building that portfolio is an investment. “You have to buy these test images because that’s what will help you book jobs,” Mia says. It’s not uncommon for those in her industry to go into debt before they ever book their first job.
While still in high school, Mia saw a lot of her modeling peers moving to New York while completing their schooling online. She says she’s glad her parents encouraged her to have the typical high school experience. “I’m glad they pushed me to be a normal kid and go to high school and live a normal teenage life.”
Despite living a mostly typical teenage life, Mia never felt like she was the typical Lake Charles teenager. “I wanted to move to a bigger city at such a young age that I’d always kind of … had different influences than a lot of the people my age,” she says. “Our culture in Southwest Louisiana is very strong, and I’m proud of it. We’re resilient just because of everything that’s gone on in the past couple of years.”
Mia graduated from Barbe High School in 2023. Now she lives in Brooklyn with two roommates. “I miss Louisiana and my family so much. I’m so sad to be missing Mardi Gras this year,” she says. “I actually got roux and sausage shipped up here so I could make gumbo for my friends. I was having withdrawals.”
Having their daughter move to such a big city so many miles away was hard for Mia’s parents. “I literally cried the entire way home,” says Danielle. “My tears started with the goodbyes on the side of the street and continued through the airport and on the airplane — all of it! I still cry when she leaves after a visit. It never gets easier.”
In addition to modeling, Mia is a full-time online student at LSUA majoring in biology, and she works part-time as a host at Walter’s, a restaurant in Fort Greene in Brooklyn. “It’s very common for those in my industry to work part-time jobs. New York is so expensive that most people — not just in my industry, but in general — have two jobs.”
Mia’s in her freshman year after taking a gap year to adapt to life in New York. She hopes to continue her modeling career after college and views her degree as a safety net. “I want to stay in the industry for as long as I can, and then take my degree and do something with it in the medical field,” she says.
She works about 12 hours a week at Walter’s and enjoys it. “It’s really nice to have that job because I’ve made a lot of connections with people in the fashion industry,” she says. Modelling is an around-the-clock job, and her gig at the restaurant fits in well with that schedule.
“You’re basically on call all the time. You have to be ready at any given moment to change your plans. You know, you may even have to change your whole week and fly out somewhere to do a job,” she says.
Body Image
Obviously, it’s important for women in the modeling industry to take care of their bodies. As part of her modeling responsibilities, Mia makes it a priority to get enough exercise, fuel herself properly, and keep up with both media and fashion industry standards.
“You also have to build your brand on social media,” she says. “I think a lot of people underestimate the physical and emotional demands of the job.”
The emotional difficulties that come with modelling are something the Wyble women learned to navigate the hard way. At 5 feet 9 inches, Mia is a biracial woman with curly brown hair and blue-gray eyes. She has a very dynamic, versatile look. “There was a time her agency wanted her to look one particular way. I think more like me,” says Danielle. “They always wanted her hair straight, but she has this great curly hair.”
The Wybles were told Mia’s natural curly hair wasn’t “high fashion,” and when she was 17, she was told she needed to cut it.
Mia and her mother sat in a hotel bathroom in New York and cut over 17 inches of hair off. “We both cried,” Danielle says.
It was a difficult moment for the pair because they both knew it wasn’t a good idea for someone with Mia’s hair texture. “And then the worst part was it didn’t have much effect on the amount of work she was getting,” says Danielle. “That was a hard pill to swallow.”
After the haircutting incident, it was apparent that Mia and her previous agency weren’t a good fit. “We got her out of her contract,” says Danielle. “She’s had way more success with her current agency.” Mia is currently represented by Elite Model Management. It’s the same agency that represents Kendall Jenner and other familiar industry names like Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Claudia Schiffer, Gisele Bundchen, Heidi Klum and Tyra Banks.
“She went into Elite with a different mindset,” says Danielle. “She told them what she wanted and how she wanted to be able to show her true self. She’s a diverse person and she wants to be able to embrace that and show it through her work.”
Although public perception these days may be that there’s more body positivity and acceptance within the modeling industry, Danielle says she’s not so sure. “The very thin model is still what a lot of people are looking for —especially in high fashion. It’s a cutthroat industry, and you need to have thick skin because, honestly, it’s pretty brutal at times. It isn’t for the weak.”
According to Mia and Danielle, it’s not uncommon to be given harsh feedback about your appearance — not tall enough, not skinny enough. Mia has even been told that unless she has an eating disorder she won’t be able to book certain jobs.
“That was one of the biggest challenges for me,” Mia says. “It hurt hearing the way I looked wasn’t good enough. I was really content with myself at the time. In this industry, we’re told to have tough skin and to just ignore those comments. At the same time, I feel like it’s something we should acknowledge and talk about; it’s not okay. Especially being a young woman. Our bodies change so much, and we’re in such an impressionable place that when you hear something like that it can be damaging.”
Mia’s Work
“Growing up, I watched America’s Next Top Model, but it’s nothing like the actual industry,” Mia says. “There were some things I took away from that show that were helpful.”
For example, Mia taught herself to walk for the runway by watching videos and practicing.
She says it’s the same for learning to pose. She searches Pinterest and magazines for inspiration and then spends some time in front of a mirror practicing those poses.
“My first job was working with MAC Cosmetics when I was 16,” Mia says. “We shot foundations. That was really fun to do because we had to shoot the before without foundation and then replicate the exact same look with the foundation, so that was a really fun shoot day.”
MAC asked her to come back later that year and shoot again with them. It was a big deal for her to be asked back, and working with the cosmetic company has been one of her favorite experiences. “That team was so fun to work with,” she says.
During her first year living full-time in New York, she walked her first fashion week runway for Sherry Hill. “It was very nerve-racking, but super exciting,” she says.
Leading up to New York Fashion Week (NYFW), models are busy attending castings, which are similar to auditions. They can be made to wait outside castings for up to two hours. Then, they go in, walk, and go home and wait.
If the designer is interested in working with the model, they’ll call them back for a fitting. If the fitting goes well, the show is booked. If it doesn’t, the model hears nothing. “This industry has a lot of rejection, so you have to just get used to it,” Mia says.
Once she heard from her agency that she’d booked the Sherry Hill show, Mia worked to make sure she was both feeling and looking her best.
She focused on getting a good night’s sleep the night before. The day of the runway show tends to be a long working day, even if there is only a minute or two of actual walking time.
“So, typically, you get to the location multiple hours before and you’re in hair and makeup. You may need to do some behind-the-scenes work. Then there’s rehearsal and making sure everyone understands the runway and what order we’re walking in.”
Sitting nervously backstage at her first show, Mia peeked at the TV and saw the crowd waiting for the show to begin. It was an emotional moment for her. “I was like ‘Wow, I’m actually doing this. This is the moment,’” she says.
As soon as she walked out, she was hyper focused. Because she had three total looks for that show, she had to rush backstage and change. The second time she walked out, she felt confident and was able to have fun.
Mia walked in her second NYFW show for Jane Wade last month. She’s also done work for Prada and recently wrapped up another campaign for a huge cosmetic company she can’t share the name of yet.
As for role models, she says she looks up to Anok Yai. “She’s just a powerhouse in the industry, and she stands her ground. She doesn’t let people in the industry walk all over her,” she explains.
Mindset
“You know, I never thought for one second that modeling wasn’t a good idea for Mia. Having a daughter like Mia, I’ve learned that if you believe in yourself, work hard and never give up your dreams really can come true,” says Danielle. “She’s a hard worker — a very hard worker. The things she has experienced in her six years in the industry would make many people quit, but not her. She’s mentally tough. She really is an amazing young woman.”
“My mom and dad have always been super supportive,” Mia says. “My mom would take time off of work and come up with me to New York. They encouraged me to go after my dreams and made sure I was confident in who I was. I definitely would not be here without them. Even just having them to talk to when I’m frustrated or need advice. I’m so grateful for them. I absolutely love them.”
Danielle and her husband, Derek, recommend to parents whose children are interested in the industry that they find a reputable agent.
“Don’t pay for anything upfront,” Danielle says. “Yes, there will be money spent going to New York — or wherever your agency is — and you may have to pay for test shoots, but never pay an agency up front. Do your due diligence.”
Mia wants other young people to know that they don’t have to go the traditional route. “Just because people say you should stay in town or in state or go to college … those aren’t the only options. People told me it was crazy to move to New York at 18 and that it would be hard for me. I thought ‘Well, yes, it very well might be hard, but it also could be one of the best experiences of my life.’ I just believe that everyone should do what they love. It’s not a life worth living if you don’t.”
When Mia isn’t modeling, studying or working at the restaurant, you can find her thrifting and catching up with her friends. When she makes her way back to Lake Charles, she enjoys fishing in her backyard with her dad.
“My next goal is to go ‘on stay’ somewhere out of the country. I really would like to go to Tokyo, Australia or somewhere in Europe,” Mia says. “On stay” is an industry term which refers to models traveling, and staying for a long period of time, in a different city.
“We’re beyond proud of her,” says Danielle. “Proud is an understatement, actually. It’s pretty freaking remarkable.”
L-R: Parents Derek and Danielle Wyble with daughter Mia and son Kaden
Danielle Wyble with daughter Mia
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