Fast confession - Lucie Smatanová: Under Family Pressure

With regard to your workload, you are currently travelling between Italy, Germany and Austria. But perhaps you would like to spend most of your time in Italy where your partner is located. Are you in fact actually planning to move there?

It is being planned. At this moment it only depends on when we will find a suitable apartment. Meanwhile, we just call each other and send instant messages several times a day and travel between the countries. My partner had to teach me this because I’m not really so much into writing. We also have certain rules and borderlines, and that’s why our relationship is solid; we know everything about each other, even if we are not always together. I know when I’m going to work somewhere and that he will not make any drama about it. He supports me and he is proud of me when I succeed.

In the past, your partners did not over-support you much. Why was that?

You’re right. I have never had the support of my partners that I needed. When I was working in modelling I looked upon it all a bit differently. It is true that many of my colleagues do not behave so well, but that is not about the profession but about their character. If each of them is doing everything they can to maintain the other’s trust, there’s no reason for jealousy. Gabriele does not just support me at work, but also in private. I can confess anything to him and he always stands by me. He also supported me very much at school and helped me with my studies. 

He’s a dentist, right?

Yes, he is an implantologist, a periodontist and an oral surgeon; these require quite demanding operations. He also teaches at the University in Milan.

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You’re always shooting somewhere and attending fashion shows while he’s still working, operating and teaching... When do you manage to see each other?

I try to have free weekends to be able to take a rest. Of course, this is not always possible. Gabriele is always taking off to go to congresses and courses and this is one example of the advantages of my profession, i.e. the fact that we can travel together and agree on the work term in that country.

He’s a dentist, so for most people he’s a virtual nightmare. You’re lucky enough to have beautiful teeth – were you actually able to enchant him with your smile?

That was the first thing he told me when we met - that I had nice teeth (laughter).

You often display photos from the fitness centre and of different procedures on Facebook and on Instagram. How much time do you spend this way weekly?

Ideally when I’m in shape and I’m trying to keep up with it I work three times a week with my coach Lucie; twice a week I go running, once a week for a non-invasive stimulation of collagen on my legs and once every two weeks on my face in the LaserSlim Studio in Černá Růže and for the fat breaking on my legs two or three times a week.

That’s a lot of procedures and workouts! So many times a week at the fitness centre... On one hand it’s admirable, on the other it seems like an extreme kind of activity.

Now I am glad because recently I have had a lot of schooling and I also did a lot of work in regard to my agency and did not follow the regime as closely as I was accustomed to. In Italy there are frequently extreme demands for models.

What do extreme demands look like?

The figure must be perfect. And though here whoever says that your figure is beautiful, nonetheless there is no problem about telling you that you have cellulite and to go away.

Has it ever happened to you that you have been sent away?

Of course. Last year, for example, when I had a lot of to do and did not have my exercise regime, it showed visibly on my body. Luckily, I have been doing sports since my childhood so I can get back into shape quickly.

How do you feel if someone tells you that you do not meet his/her demands, even if to a lay person’s eye you appear to be absolutely perfect?

Paradoxically, just like a model, mostly you are not going to please anybody. You have to be reconciled with that yourself. Even if no one would think it, the most girls who have inferiority complexes are actually the models. There is nothing to wonder about once they tell you that you are too thin and then that you are too fat, then too tall, then too small again, and that is still something. As for the laity, I also have a lot of experience with them. The food is almost impossible without comments; they either ask: “Can the models eat this?” or vice versa: “Yeah, actually, the models cannot eat this..”

How often do you listen to the sentence: Just for once it won’t kill you.. (laughing).

This comes from the family often. (laughing) If I had this “just for once” every week, I could say goodbye to the modelling.

So in addition to having a workout you also eat a strict diet?

No, I could not be on a diet all the time - I’m no more than just a human.

Pros see you in one way, lay people in another way. How do you see yourself?

I’m happy with myself, but I understand that there are some specific requirements in modelling and I try to respect them, but I do also have my limits. I’m not trying to please everyone. I keep saying that everybody can think what s/he wants to about me; no matter how perfect I am, I prefer that they don’t like me for who I am, rather than liking me for who I am not.

How big a stress is it when someone is still judging you?

Big. I have also encountered a big misunderstanding in the family, but most of them now understand and do try to support me. But it also happens that they tell me that I’m living a completely different life. Sometimes I’m sorry that people have these completely distorted ideas. When I worked in the office in the past it was clear that I did not have to go x-times a week for training, for jogging and for other procedures... I was exercising only when I was in the mood and going for procedures just once a month. Everyone should take care of themselves and their health regardless of their employment status. This of course represents an extreme situation for us models.

You mentioned your modelling agency. But you never actually told me that you had it!

A lot of people do not know it. I’m a bad promoter in that direction (laughing). What’s important for me is that it works and that I do not need to brag about it. 

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How did it come out? And do you also give work to Czech Models or only to the foreign ones? 

In the past, I organised a couple of fashion shows, including charities, and also a bazaar on behalf of the OnkoMaják organisation. Because I enjoy it and have long-term contacts abroad, we negotiated a worthwhile means of cooperation so then there was already a brand new agency that was already prepared to take-on the world!

And what kind of clients do you actually have?

One of the clients with whom we work is Hugo Boss who currently lives in Germany.

So far, you have not revealed the name of the agency. What IS its name?

I do not want to reveal that yet. I’m busy preparing a website. Before I bought the domain, someone stole my name twice, but when everything is ready, I will actually be in a position to be able to actually publish its title.

So how long does it actually last for then?

Four years.

You were not able to register the domain for more than four years then?

I originally did not want a website at all. I was glad to give my work to my girls and that was my top priority. Now I’m creating the website mainly to be able to share and to pass-on a part of the agenda and to refer my clients to useful e-mail addresses.

Is this your back door or are you now planning to dedicate your time solely to your agency?

I still do want to do modelling. I think I can still do it (laughing). The time is different now. It’s starting-up more as a back-door venture.

Modelling can also be chucked into the mix because of the family that will be involved. Have you talked about it with anyone who is significant yet?

I still have my regular clients in Germany and Austria, and it is harder to get there from Italy, because they are not always there in the big cities. First I would like to build-up a permanent clientele that will be located in Italy. Of course, if the situation will allow me to, I would like to work, even if I have a family. 

And what do you feel about it now?

Not now. Maybe in two years we could start to talk seriously about this.

And what about the pressure from home? (laughter)

I’ve already been having these thoughts for ten years. If I follow the advice of everyone around me, I will be divorced about four times and have at least two children. Laughing: It’s more important for me to be with a guy with whom we have something to talk about and thereby have a good time than having to force myself to do who-knows-what.

In the past, you’d been answering questions about your wedding several times, and by coincidence you were mostly already after the break-up or it was rapidly impending.

I am used to this. I’ve been receiving this question frequently since I was a Miss and also still when I will have children. I’ve sometimes also lied because I wanted to spare myself from lecturing. With increasing age this problem is also increasing and I think I should take notice of that factor.

(Laughing) So have you already thought about it?

I honestly do not care about what others are doing, so I really do not know why everyone cares about when I will have children and when I’m going to marry somebody who will be just right for me. Even if we decide not to have children and nor to have a wedding, it’s just our own thing. Each of us has the right to deal with his or her own life, as he or she thinks. Everything has its own time and so far this has not been a very topical issue for us.

With the right guy the desire changes. Is that so?

Probably yes.

In what way was Gabriele different from the others?

Perhaps it is because he is very well travelled. He knows several languages, and despite his education and experience he’s always working on himself; I look up to him and I respect him. I would hate it to be understood that I actually despised my former partners. No, I’m grateful for everything in the past; every experience we are having is actually moving us forward in our lives.

You have him already agreed by your parents. How do they communicate?

As for my mum and my husband, I have to be more of an intermediary. However dad can speak Italian. They call each other and often I do not even know about it. I also write to Gabriele’s mother; we send photos to each other and it works well.

Gabriele must be excited!

But dad, too (laughing). My dad is actually excited about my partner for the first time in my life. In the past he did not comment on my partner but he did respect my choice.

What would have to happen to end it?

That would have to be something very serious. So far I cannot think about anything that would cause me to end it.

And overall, are you happy with your life?

I’m exactly where I’ve always wanted to be.