Torrington Wyoming Event Photography: Model Behavior - 2018 Goshen County 4-H Fashion Review

When will you ever need to model when you grow up?

That was a question posed to the emcee of the 2018 Goshen County Fashion Review by her father when she participated in the same event as a 4-H members years before.

A lot, as it turned out.  That same girl who participated in 4-H would grow up to serve as the 2017-2018 Miss Rodeo Wyoming, traveling all over the country promoting rodeo, Wyoming and our western heritage.  Modeling and handling many different kinds of events with poise and confidence is just part of the job.

As Morgan Wallace knows, modeling and participating in events like the fashion review are so much more than they appear.   On Sunday, I attended the Goshen County 4-H Fashion Review and served as the event photographer.  It was my first fashion review and I learned a lot about an aspect of 4-H different than my own experiences.

I watched as young women ages 8-18 braved a catwalk and a crowd of onlookers to exhibit their 4-H sewing and buymanship projects.   Not only are these girls learning tangible skills like sewing, knitting or crochet, they are learning life skills that will set them apart from their peers down the road.  Decision making.  Time management.  Public speaking. Poise.  And most importantly, confidence.  Because it takes a whole heap of confidence to model, interview with a judge and then walk a runway in front of a crowd.

The girls should be proud of the outfits they painstakingly constructed or created with ready-to-wear items.  They looked fabulous.  But they should also be proud that they stepped outside their comfort zone to share those gifts with family and friends.

In the words of our local Goshen County, Wyoming 4-H agent, “4-H isn’t about creating grand champion projects.  It’s about raising grand champion kids.”

I loved the Fashion Review for so many reasons.  Sewing, crafting and making things with our own hands is becoming something of a lost art.  And empowering young women and men to feel confident?  Yes please!

-Teresa

Check out these grand champion kids in our community.  Click here for high resolution versions of these and more images from the event.