For the most part, fairy tales are intended for children, however mine is intended for teenagers and the younger generations. Many of them start with the words “Once upon a time…”. Mine is a little bit different because it is called “I wanted, I found a way, I succeeded!”. When one is just a child they probably do not fully realize what they want to become. However, when a person does what they truly love, it grows to become their professional occupation and a passion that gives them strength to endure. I decided to share the story of my journey in order to prove to you that anything is possible. I do not wish to waste your time so I will get straight to the point.
My name is Elena Danova and I was born and raised in the picturesque town of Krichim in the southwestern county of Plovdiv.
Everything started in the beginning of 2020. I was inexperienced at the time but I felt a strong desire to become a model. The reason for that desire of mine was unclear to me but I knew one thing - it was what I wanted with all my heart. I remember saying this to an acquaintance of mine and it turned out that they were able to put me in contact with Alia Models agency.
It is important to mention that at the time I still believed that to become a model you had to have many connections to the right people. I am certain that many people think as I did.I can now boldly declare that this is not true. All you have to do is look up “modelling agencies” and apply on their websites. This is how I got in contact with my agent. Everything you need to apply, except for your personal desire and talent, are your measurements and a few photos (polaroids).
After I had been approved I had to do some test photoshoots with photographers. In time, I started booking paid work engagements. Thanks to my portfolio I received an invitation to the infamous Bulgarian beauty contest “Queen Rose”. As a girls who has roots from Karlovo (the town where the contest is held), I felt it was an honor and a great pleasure for me to take part in the contest and see how it is run. That is the way my story began and the main character is a young girl from a small town.
The contest “Queen Rose” is held annually in Karlovo, under the patronage of Karlovo Municipality, where in 1948 the factory “Bulgarian Rose” was established. It produces rose oil, absolutes (concentrated extract of rose petals), essential oils and concrete (extraction of fresh, unsteamed rose blossom). Every girl, who is a native of the town, can participate in the competition, as I did. I would like to mention that it is not possible for the outcome of the competition to be secretly negotiated.
Every girl has the chance to win the competition if that is her desire. There is no room for envy. The girl who has the greatest talent and works hard to showcase the best version of herself wins the competition. If anyone claims otherwise they would have to prove that statement with serious evidence. Keep in mind the famous fable of La Fontaine about the fox, which saw the grapes on the vine and wanted to have some but was unable to reach it and arrogantly proclaimed: “The grape is too sour… It does not deserve my attention”. The phrase “the grape is too sour” is often used ironically in order to underrate a given situation. In other cases it is used when a person wants something they cannot have but secretly desire.
Along this line of thinking, I would like to mention that regardless of the rank of the contest, every participant should take into consideration that prior preparation is mandatory. I recommend that all girls who would like to participate in similar contests should practise their walk in high heels. Apart from this, there are many other accompanying factors, such as diction and appropriate sentence structure. It is not desirable to show a strong dialect when speaking to the audience and jury.
After all, underneath a beautiful cover there must lie an elegant and attractive essence. I personally relied on my talents and achievements, e.g. singing. I have been studying music since I was little and I graduated from Sofia university in Public relations and I have knowledge of foreign languages. Last but not least, I was physically well prepared. All of the above and my personal persistence helped me to win the crown of “Queen Rose”. After winning the contest, I received many invitations to various media appearances, which boosted my work engagements as a model.
The next important chapter in my life began when I was invited to participate in the contest “Miss Universe Bulgaria” in 2021. After winning the contest on a national level I had the opportunity to represent Bulgaria in the world contest of the same format. Therefore, I took on the difficult task of representing Bulgaria in Israel. This time the preparation was even more difficult because apart from the media appearances I had to take part in, I also had to attend traditional Bulgarian folk dancing classes in order to represent my country dressed in a traditional costume.
I went through strenuous physical training with a lot of cardio and a healthy diet. These became my everyday life activities. I had to lose weight as part of my training due to the fact that there is a swimwear round. I underwent linguistic training in order to improve my competence in English and Bulgarian. All of the above activities were in accordance with my university schedule and work engagements. I honestly admit that I could hardly sleep at all due to the stress and the excitement I felt because I was given such an unique opportunity.
There were 90 other participants from different countries. Each one was more beautiful than the other! I admit that there are so many beautiful women in the world! My attention was caught by the education that the girls had and their manners, in addition to their excellent command of English. The readers might have heard that in some countries, girls are being prepared for beauty pageants since they are very little. I came to the conclusion that this is true. All girls arrive at the contest with a team of at least 10 people who take care of their appearance, etc. The training for the contest was 20 days long and the organisation was efficient. This was done thanks to the special teams who took care of everything and were punctual.
The moment that will always dwell in my heart is when I met Adriana Lima. Although it was a brief encounter, she shared many beauty secrets and dispelled a lot of myths regarding models. The Brazilian beauty shared her story of how she once was a contestant in beauty pageants but never won.
In spite of that, she found a way to make her dreams come true and make a living from modelling. This gave me strength to endure and not give up on my dreams. After all,”a person is as big as their dreams. Remember happiness does not depend on who you are or what you have but what you dream of.” - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
Even though I did not win the title “Miss Universe”, I learned a lot, which will definitely serve me in the future.
I would like to thank the people who stood by my side the whole time and supported me effortlessly. First, I would like to thank my family, who laughed and cried just the same as I did. A huge thank you to the organizer of the contest “Miss Universe Bulgaria” 2021 - Veneta Krasteva, the manager of Alia Models agency - Kirilka Hristova and Kostadin Krastev-Koko for the beautiful photos that represented me, the designer Stoyan Radichev for the beautiful gowns made with lots of love, the Municipality of Krichim and the Community Centre Prosveta in Perushtitsa.
I thank all of you for your wholehearted support and for standing by my side the whole time!
Author: Elena Danova
Model: Elena Danova @aliamodelsagency
Photos: personal archive Elena Danova, Lora Slavova and Kostadin Krastev-Koko
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