Jasmine Maierhofer: Model behavior

MANILA, Philippines - Gone were the days when supermodels were known for their difficult and demanding behavior. Truth be told, fashion insiders and clients no longer tolerate divas. Supermodel Linda Evangelista was in a different era when she said she wouldn’t wake up for less than $10,000 a day.

Well, Philippine fashion’s “It” girl and supermodel Jasmine Maierhofer just needs bread and chocolate spread to get out of bed in the morning. This 5-ft.-10-in. stunner breaks diva-sque supermodel stereotypes with her unassuming and friendly personality. “I don’t take myself too seriously,” beams Jasmine, 19. “I don’t think of myself as better than other people.”

Jasmine, who has a whistle-bait 32-24-34 figure, vividly remembers that fateful day in 2002 when a customer at the family-owned Tropicana Resort in Puerto Galera, Mindoro approached her. “I was playing Chinese garter when she asked me if I wanted to model. I was just 11 years old then,” she relates. “I got excited with the idea although I didn’t know what it was. My parents agreed so I moved to Manila.”

It was then that Jasmine came face to face with the reality that a pretty face and slender body are not enough to get her that big modeling break. She experienced going to casting calls and getting rejected every time. As nobody is perfect, even models have flaws. Jasmine battled with acne at the early part of her modeling career. “I developed the habit of not looking in the mirror because I would cry every time I would see a new zit. I would always use concealer to hide them,” she shares. This didn’t add to her already diminishing level of self-confidence.

Yet the statuesque half-Austrian, half-Filipino was determined to break into the modeling industry and allowed nothing to get in her way. In 2005, she won first runner-up in the Elite Model in Print competition. During that time, industry observers were beginning to take notice of her.

Since then, Jasmine has appeared on the pages of every major fashion magazine in the country and even graced its covers. She is a top pick for high fashion editorials and a constant runway favorite in huge fashion shows. She has even bagged several endorsements, which thrilled her no end.

She has also invaded the Southeast Asian market when she did modeling projects in China, Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore. “I learned to take care of myself when I was abroad. I did my own laundry and even tried cooking, in which I failed miserably,” laughs Jasmine as she recounts how she tried to cook adobo thinking it was just all meat and soy sauce. 

Despite being one of the most photographed women in the country, Jasmine has surprisingly remained down-to-earth. She acknowledges her mentor Jonas Gaffud of Mercator Model Management and best friend Kerbie Zamora for bringing out the best in her and keeping her grounded. “Kerbie taught me to value myself more than anything else. From Jonas, I learned to always maintain a down-to-earth attitude and to never let success get into my head.”

This has undeniably endeared Jasmine Maierhofer to fashion watchers and industry insiders. She is one supermodel with model behavior.