Her mother had lots of baby pictures taken at a local studio. The studio featured its photos of Maddie on its website. Her mother sent the link to all her friends.
Maddie grew up beautifully, the most popular girl in her class. But when she hit puberty, her looks began to change. She put on weight, and her slender face grew round. Her blond hair turned brown. She needed braces and glasses.
Some of her classmates began to make fun of her, but Maddie didn’t mind. She was a happy person and liked the way she looked.
Her mother, though, was disturbed by Maddie’s changing appearance.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “I can help you.”
“But I don’t need help, Mom.”
“You’ll thank me later,” her mother said.
She signed Maddie up with a modeling agency.
“I want you to turn her back into model material,” she told the lady at the agency.
They put Maddie on a strict diet and a rigorous exercise program. They swapped her glasses for contacts and her metal braces for clear plastic aligners. They bleached her teeth, waxed her face and dyed her hair.
Her mother was thrilled by the transformation.
“You’ll be a famous model one day,” she said.
At her first photo shoot under contract, the photographer made Maddie strike a variety of most unnatural poses. She felt uncomfortable, but she obliged and managed to smile, even though she felt like crying.
“Perfect,” the photographer said.