Amanda Swafford
| Amanda Swafford | |
|---|---|
| Born | Amanda Lynn Swafford October 30, 1978 Hendersonville, North Carolina, U.S. |
| Other names | Amanda O`Connell, Amanda Mellard |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Hair color | Brown |
| Eye color | Blue |
| Measurements | 33B-23-33 (US); 84-58.5-84 (EU) |
| Weight | 108 lb (49 kg; 7.7 st) |
| Dress size | 34 (EU), 4 (US) |
| Agency | Storm Models |
| Spouse | Tobias O'Connell |
| Children | Elijah Wolf O'Connell June 7, 2002 |
| Website | |
| http://www.myspace.com/missfreakyeyes | |
Amanda Lynn Swafford (born October 30, 1978 in Hendersonville, North Carolina) is an American fashion model and television personality. She came in third place on Cycle 3 of the reality television show America's Next Top Model. Swafford is legally blind; she is afflicted with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye condition. In the episode of America's Next Top Model where Swafford revealed her condition to the other contestants, she stated that the condition would leave her completely blind by age 30.[1] She has modeled in Moscow and Prague after the show.
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[edit] Early life
Swafford's family relocated to Plano, Texas during her childhood years. She was a track and field athlete at Plano East Senior High School in 1997. In 2000, she graduated from Austin Community College, Rio Grande.[2]
Before appearing on America's Next Top Model, Swafford modeled under the name "Amanda Mellard"[3] in Austin, Texas, where she was a somewhat established figure in Austin's fashion community.[4][5] After appearing on America's Next Top Model, Swafford modeled for Levi's in an ad campaign with other visually impaired models. In 2005, Swafford announced plans to write a multi-sensory book for children.
[edit] America's Next Top Model
When Amanda tried out for the Cycle 3 of America's Next Top Model, the judges all noted that her most stunning feature was her ice-blue eyes. However, her eyes could also be considered a liability as she is legally blind; retinitis pigmentosa causes deterioration in the rod pigments of the eyes, severely limiting the ability to see in low-light conditions, which could make walking down a runway surrounded by darkness extremely dangerous. But that did not stop her from wanting to participate as a cast member on the show and she was called 10th during casting.
The judges were amazed by her photos, especially the un-retouched beauty shot that she took during the third week of the competition. Even when participating in a fashion show under low-light conditions, she was able to successfully navigate the runway without a misstep due to the glitter and glowing paint scheme allowing her to be able to see the runway's path and edges. She was never once criticized by the judges for being too old for the competition despite her being 25 years old at the time. When she went on her go sees in Japan, however, she was told that she was too old by one of the designers.
She participated in the finale along with winner Eva Pigford and Yaya Da Costa, but Amanda was eliminated when she and Eva were in the bottom 2. The judges had a difficult time deciding who to send home, as all 3 contestants had strong CoverGirl photos, and all 3 were considered strong contenders, but in the end, it was Swafford. One of the judges, Janice Dickinson was a dissenting voice on the judging panel, saying, "I love you!" to Swafford when she was eliminated.
She was recently voted as one of the most memorable contestants by AOL entertainment.[6]
[edit] Modeling career
Amanda has appeared on the covers of Bliss for Bride Magazine and Access Magazine, and has modelled for Levi's Jeans, Felt It! Stitch It! Fabulous! and WEBS. She signed with Storm Model Management and went to New York to model.
[edit] Personal life
Swafford is married to Tobias O'Connell, and they have a son, Elijah Wolf, born in 2002.[7][8] Swafford frequently referred to missing her son during the competition and called him "JaWolf" when talking to him on the phone.
[edit] References
- ^ "Interview with Metro Online". http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?in_article_id=169&in_page_id=11. Retrieved September 4, 2006.
- ^ "TV.com biography for Amanda Swafford". http://www.tv.com/amanda-swafford/person/315875/biography.html. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
- ^ "IMDb page". http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1855443/.
- ^ "Austin Chronicle". http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid%3A77729. Retrieved September 4, 2006.
- ^ "Austin Chronicle". http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/column?oid=oid%3A10690. Retrieved September 4, 2006.
- ^ "Top Model Contestants We Can't Forget - AOL Entertainment Canada". http://entertainment.aol.ca/article/top-model-contestants-we-cant-forget/97152/.
- ^ "Amanda Swafford at Mahalo". http://www.mahalo.com/amanda-swafford. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
- ^ "America's Next Top Model - The Girl With The Secret". http://www.tv.com/americas-next-top-model/the-girl-with-the-secret/episode/360313/summary.html. Retrieved June 9, 2009.
[edit] External links
- Interview with Amanda on August 15, 2005
- Amanda Swafford at Fashion Model Directory
- Amanda Swafford at the Internet Movie Database
- "Partially sighted model Amanda Swafford is new Levi's girl" Feature on UK Vogue website.
- http://archive.disabilitynow.org.uk/search/z05_10_Oc/model.shtml Interview with Disablility Now
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