Student in Victoria's Secret show
Angel on the catwalk
Before she walked the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in New York, no one knew who 19-year-old medical student Myrthe Bolt was. But becoming an angel put her name on everyone’s lips. Magazines churned out stories about her and she was constantly fielding interview requests.
What is it like to be an angel? Myrthe’s staying humble. ‘I don’t do it for the attention, but the response does make it worth it. I put special stock in what my friends and family think. My mum still can’t talk about the show without getting tears in her eyes.’
At first, she didn’t really know how big a deal the Victoria’s Secret job really was. ‘But it became clear once I was there. It’s the audience, the artist performing, the enthusiasm; everyone supports each other behind the scenes.’
Gap year
Myrthe started modelling when she was sixteen. When she graduated from the Praedinius Gymnasium she decided to model professionally for a while. ‘I wanted to see what it was like. I’d always worked hard at school and spent a lot of time studying. So I figured I’d take a gap year before going to university.’
For her, modelling meant travel, travel, travel. ‘I spent a lot of time in New York; I moved in with a friend there. It’s a great place. I also got to go to other places: Tenerife, the Bahamas, LA, and Malta.’
You don’t get to see the countries at all
But travelling for work isn’t the same as travelling for pleasure. ‘I spent a day on Ibiza once. I flew in at night and started work in the morning. I didn’t get to see the country at all.’
Studying
After a year constant work and moving around, she decided it was time to go to university. She enrolled in the decentralised selection for medicine and was accepted. ‘So that was a good reason to start’, she says. She’s always been fascinated by the human body, and she didn’t want to be much older than her fellow students. ‘I’d already seen so much of the world, and I wanted to have a good time studying as well.’
Her work and school are easy to combine, she says, but that’s mainly because she’s not taking on a lot of assignments. ‘I have a mandatory class on Wednesdays, so that limits my time. That’s a bit of a shame.’
Secretly she wouldn’t mind doing more shows. ‘I took three exams and passed them all. So having to attend mandatory classes is a bit of a pain. I’m trying to work something out.’
Epke Zonderland
Epke Zonderland, who became a world champion and got a golden medal at the Olympics, got study exceptions. But those don’t necessarily apply to Bolt, she says. ‘He was doing sports, but I’m working. That’s different.’
Fortunately she doesn’t party much. ‘I’m not much of a clubber anyway. I like going out, but I’d rather be in bed watching Netflix.’
I used to get pretty lonely
After all the fashion shows, she felt it was time to get serious. ‘The past year I was only focused on how I looked. I missed learning new things.’ There is some overlap between the world of medicine and the glamorous world of a top model. ‘You learn how to work together, and how to understand people. I was pretty naive as a child. I know a little more about how the world works now and I think that helps me in medicine.’
The best part? She’s no longer alone. ‘I love seeing all my friends every day. I used to get pretty lonely and now I live together with a roommate who’s also a friend.’
Diversity
If you spend all that time on your looks, does that mean you think you’re beautiful? ‘That’s a difficult question’, says Bolt, laughing. ‘I don’t really know what makes someone beautiful. I have seen quite a few models though and I think there is a lot of diversity. I don’t really have a standard for beauty, I think it varies per person. I don’t think really skinny models are beautiful, but I’m sure some people think I’m too skinny.’
So what would she choose, modelling or medicine? ‘Medicine. There are so many more opportunities. But I crave new challenges, and modelling has those, too. I do love the more cerebral work of studying. But then again, when I’m here I miss travelling. I just love working.’
The Victoria’s Secret Show was broadcast on Net 5 on 3 December and can be viewed here.