Gainesville woman finalist in maurices' Main Street Model Search

DULUTH, Minn. - Jayde Ramos, a 27-year-old from Gainesville, is among the top 20 contestants in maurices' Main Street Model Search.

The contest drew more than 500 contestants from across the country. Each entrant created an online profile at www.mauricesmainstreetmodel.com. Voters then narrowed the search to 50, from which maurices selected 20 finalists who are travelling to Minneapolis, Minn. for a casting call Thursday and Friday.

Ramos is a student at Georgia Perimeter College who says she should be chosen to represent maurices because "I represent all the beautiful women who are embracing their curves. I'm your Georgia peach."

She goes on to say "I'm so grateful to be a part of showing women and girls that we all are not a size 2, we all have different bodies. We need to teach younger women and girls how to love themselves and be comfortable in their skin. We only get one body, so love it. I grew up heavier than the students in my classes. I never had a boyfriend and I was never asked to a dance. I wore baggy men's clothing to disguise my body. I could never find fashionable clothing to fit my body type so after so many years of trying, I started believing something was wrong with me."

The 20 finalists will go through a series of interviews, a hair and makeup session, and test photos. A judging panel from maurices, along with celebrity judge and stylist Christopher Straub from Lifetime's Project Runway, will the select the winners. The 12 winning models will be announced next Monday.

The national women's fashion retailer launched the campaign to find "real women" to represent maurices in its upcoming fall, holiday and spring campaigns. The seasonal photo shoots will take place in the models' hometowns, featuring landmarks and other attractions that make their communities special. Each model will also receive $1,500 in maurices clothing, a Flip video camera, and $7,500 to designate to a nonprofit organization in her community.