By Alicia Roache, Staff Reporter
Nadine steals the show at Fashionweek 2003 by, hoisting designer Claudia Pegus.
It is a bleaky Monday afternoon and Nadine Willis is happy. She is celebrating her daughter's fifth birthday at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, the place that she calls home when she is in Jamaica. "When I come here I have a whole hotel full of family. They treat me so nice and good here, it's like incredible", she says, sitting by the poolside of the Jamaica Pegasus, her legs crossed, an easy smile forms on her lips.
Nadine has come a long way. Yes, there is the story of her dance with exotic entertainment and her meteoric rise to international recognition, as well as certain star status as the first black face of Gucci, a story that many know about and Nadine discusses freely. But Nadine has come a lot farther than that. She has matured tremendously in the 15 months she has been a model.
Today, Nadine is not so interested in talking about fashion and fame. She is animated and eager to get back to the party, one which she seems to be enjoying as much as the over 70 children 30 of which are from various children's homes in Kingston she invited to celebrate with her daughter Tatjana. But Nadine is obliging and remains to talk. She is perched
on the edge of the chair, her crossed legs dangling just above the pavement.
MY PERSPECTIVE of it (modelling) when I just entered was, 'this is tough'. I had a tough task ahead of me, I had a lot to do and all these things. I still have a lot to do, but I didn't know I would to reach so far. I didn't know that I would actually get any campaigns so fast, be in any magazine so fast or anything," she says. "It's more than what I've expected so far."
Since her prestigious Gucci Campaign, Nadine has appeared in 20 magazines and done major editorials.
She is regarded by many as one of Jamaica's most successful models and recognisable personalities. Even at the party, in the midst of so many screaming, active children and a few of Jamaica's elite, Nadine's engaging personality radiates, as much as her smooth chocolate brown skin does against her buttery yellow Uzuri dress.
"I consider myself one of the top models so far, but I consider myself as having a lot to achieve. I wouldn't say I've reached the height of modelling of what a supermodel should reach. I still have yet to come and lots of years there for me," she said. She does, however, acknowledge that she is an inspiration to many young girls in Jamaica.
She recounts an episode at Fashionblock, the fashion show staged in New Kingston the night before. There she was spotted by a little girl, 12 or 13 years old, who was so overcome with emotion that she started crying, held on to her and wouldn't let go. "I didn't realise how much I mean to a lot of these young girls out here," she says. "So that really touched me and everything and I say I have to achieve the heights where I know that I want to go. And not only in modelling, but in a lot of other stuff."
'Other stuff' for Nadine, includes "business, companies, movies". She had a brief experience of the celluloid world through her role as one of many dancers in Belly, an urban gangsta movie. "There's a lot of things that I want to reach and I don't know which is going to come first, but there's a day when I'm going to get up and say, 'you know what, modelling is not enough for me'. I'm gonna just start going at something else."
Nadine, however, would not discount the value of her present occupation, one which she hopes her daughter can experience. "Modelling is nice, I can tell you, because I've been to some fabulous places. I've travelled to many countries and I've enjoyed it. I've seen many nice people, like Iman. I wouldn't even dream of meeting Iman. I've actually worked with her; she is so nice. Alek Wek, Naomi Campbell, all these people and I met all these big stars David Bowie. I had the opportunity of going to party with Outcast and I've seen Kelis and all these people. It's like I was a girl living in Waterhouse, didn't even know I would get the chance to do all these things," she said.
OPPORTUNITIES
"So I would say modelling gives you a lot of opportunities, because right now I'm sitting in the Pegasus having a wonderful birthday party for my daughter. I didn't know that I would do that."
Aloun Assamba, Minister of Industry and Tourism, strolls by to join the celebrations at the Kiddies Poolside and Nadine seems overwhelmed. The mix of Kingston drawl and British English gives way to a more expressive patois.
"Oh my God, Miss Assumba! Yuh haffi mik hase interview mi, mi haffi go meet har!"
This is Nadine, an interesting mix of brash confidence and unassuming humility.
It's difficult for her to focus after this and along with the little girl who moves ominously close to the adult pool and elicits a warning shout from Nadine, the rain begins to fall and the interview ends
prematurely.
On a sunny Wednesday afternoon, Nadine is brooding and contemplative. As she walks into the office, wearing a jeans outfit, complemented by a beautiful pastel pink shirt, one can see that this Nadine is troubled, and she concedes, even a bit tired.
She has learnt that a 13-year-old she knows is pregnant. "I think it's crazy, because your parents there trying to send you to school and you going out, sleeping with guys. I don't think it's really a priority. Your main goal and your main issues should be education. This is one of the main things with these young girls in the ghetto. It's about getting pregnant and having kids, being a mother, and they think that make them one of the best woman around," she says.
Her frustration is obvious. "I really don't like what's going on right now, because it's getting worse, more and more every day."
But Nadine does not seem like the one to sit by while things happen. She will go to the Balcolmbe Drive and Drews Avenue primary schools to have a talk with the girls about teenage pregnancy. "I want to help a lot of other young girls to see the difference in themselves, to see that they can do more than what they require of themselves, because a lot of girls just think, 'Oh yes, I'm just gonna have a baby and that's it'. That's not what it's all about. You can do other stuff with your life," she said. Perhaps, too, she is concerned about her daughter, whom she has to leave for sometimes months at a time, while on her trips overseas. "Motherhood is so hard sometimes. My daughter cries sometimes and say 'Mommy I miss you' and it's hard for me when I'm overseas and all that stuff and want to see my daughter. The greatest thing for me is that I come back home as soon as I can and I don't let her lack of seeing me. She
doesn't have a father around, but I try not to make her not have a mom," she said.
FAME, FORTUNE
The vices that often follow fame and perceived fortune have also plagued the single mother. The young woman grew up without a mother and father, and most of her family find it hard to accept the sudden attention given her by everyone. "I'm not going to say I'm trusting of everyone that comes around me, and it's not that I distrust them either. I'm not into all this foolishness. It's confusing to have this person and that person going at me."
"You have people like sisters and stuff calling me and asking me for money to buy Ferrari and to buy Jeep and all dem things... mi nuh inna dem ting deh," she said.
Despite the thwarted relationships with siblings and the lack of acknowledgement and support from her child's father, Nadine has a fierce determination to succeed. "Because of the hardships in my life and what I've gone through, it help me to be strong right now and it help me to not be a show-off and all that stuff," she said.
Nadine admits, however, that a lot has changed about her in the short while she has been in the spot time. Going back to school and getting a proper education, one of the things a lack of proper family guidance prevented, is now one of her priorities.
"I've changed a lot in all different perspective. It's just a lot of things have changed a lot of things. I've tried to make me a more better person. I've changed my dress code and everything, because first time I would wear a little short, short, shorts out to party. Now I'm wearing jeans, dresses and all those stuff. So I've changed a lot; a lot has changed," she said.
