tatijana stewart the aspiring model

Sitting in a Starbucks near her home in Sherman Oaks, Calif., Ms. Symonds-Powell recalls how she once skipped paying bills to buy her daughter a $230 Juicy Couture outfit so she could be like the other girls at school. Ms. Symonds-Powell is hopeful that her child will get the sort of break she never had. "I'm proud of myself finally," she says, "because I always felt guilt that I couldn't give her more."
But Tatiana's attention has been diverted by scouts and recruiters. Just walking down the streets of New York, she has gathered invitations to modeling "casting calls," when models are considered for jobs or listings with agents. The agents approaching her included representatives from Ford, Elite and Click, she says. None of those agencies returned calls for comment.This spring in Soho, Tatiana was spotted by a scout for "America's Next Top Model." On the given day, she was escorted past a winding line of hopefuls and into a room with roughly 50 girls. "They lined us up against the wall and asked our name, age, measurements, height and weight," she says. "Then they told us to lift our shirts up just below the -- the chest -- and they filmed us to see our body type. ... That's when I was cut." She says she wasn't given an explanation. CW Network, which airs the show, says it doesn't have weight guidelines for the show but couldn't comment on the specifics of her rejection.below the -- the chest -- and they filmed us to see our body type. ... That's when I was cut." She says she wasn't given an explanation. CW Network, which airs the show, says it doesn't have weight guidelines for the show but couldn't comment on the specifics of her rejection.

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So far, like her reality-TV career, modeling's riches have proved a mirage. Model-casting agents have showed initial interest but have repeatedly told Tatiana to lose 10 to 15 pounds to reach the 34-24-34 measurements they seek. Her waist is 28 inches and her hips are 36.

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Tatiana was spotted by a scout for "America's Next Top Model" this past spring. Lori Hawkins/Elaine Korn Ltd for The Wall Street Journal

Instead, she has been engaged by a variety of businesses that hire "model types" to draw customers. In addition to her Abercrombie job, she says, she was offered a job at retailer Club Monaco and is frequently recruited for parties at Manhattan nightclubs, where the drinks and food are free for her. She has spent the summer being ferried to nightclubs in the Hamptons in club promoters' Cadillac Escalades. Recently, she agreed to work at several clubs as a "bottle girl" serving liquor to tables in return for tips that she believes will amount to "$600 to $1,500 a night." Her mother frowns at this, saying, "She's underage. She shouldn't even be in those places."For Tatiana, these jobs are treading water until she loses enough weight to get her big break. "I always thought I was thin," she says. "Girls here I know are 5'10 and size 0, and they want them to lose weight for Fashion Week. I don't think anybody's body is naturally like that."
                   
In one weight-loss attempt, Tatiana tried taking laxatives for two days until her mother found out. "She said they want her to be 'heroin chic' -- she needs to have sunken cheeks," says Ms. Symonds-Powell, her neck reddening with emotion.

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Instead, Tatiana has gained a few pounds. She recently began dance classes and is dieting on cabbage soup and fruit, on directions from her mother.

Tatiana was spotted by a scout for "America's Next Top Model" this past spring. Lori Hawkins/Elaine Korn Ltd for The Wall Street Journal

Instead, she has been engaged by a variety of businesses that hire "model types" to draw customers. In addition to her Abercrombie job, she says, she was offered a job at retailer Club Monaco and is frequently recruited for parties at Manhattan nightclubs, where the drinks and food are free for her. She has spent the summer being ferried to nightclubs in the Hamptons in club promoters' Cadillac Escalades. Recently, she agreed to work at several clubs as a "bottle girl" serving liquor to tables in return for tips that she believes will amount to "$600 to $1,500 a night." Her mother frowns at this, saying, "She's underage. She shouldn't even be in those places."