There's some truth to the old saying “grandma knows best.” Just ask Adele Uddo. It was compliments from her grandmother that sent Uddo to her first hand casting, which eventually led to a decade-long career in front of the camera.
Although you might not recognize her face, Uddo has been a full-time body parts model for 10 years, working in international campaigns for luxury brands like Christian Louboutin and Dior. Over the duration of her career, she's had everything from her legs, hands, lips — even ears — photographed. But not even a career as unconventional hers is exempt from traditional pressures and insecurities that come with modeling.
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“For many years I felt almost ashamed to be a parts model, mainly because I was raised by this hippie, feminist mother. I felt like I was somewhat betraying her by becoming this objectified body parts model,” Uddo explains. “There was this girly part of me that just wanted to express myself and wear lipstick. Somehow, I felt guilty when I did that.”
But Uddo didn't let that discourage her from modeling. She has shaped a successful career that works for her, which includes developing her own skin-care line (which, of course, includes hand moisturizer). "Parts modeling is what I do, it's not who I am. Now I realize we can be many things," she says.
Click play to watch Uddo demonstrate her best poses and hear more about how she became a full-time parts model.