‘I put on this attitude,’ the runway trainer says of his Jean Paul Gaultier encounter as a teen. By Jocelyn Vena Miss J Photo: MTV News These days, Miss J is as recognizable to people outside the fashion community as he is to those inside, thanks to his signature walk and sassy attitude displayed week after week as a runway coach on “America’s Next Top Model.” But when he was a teenager, he was just trying to figure out how to pronounce Jean-Paul Gaultier’s name. “When I was 17, I became very into the fashion world,” he recalls on this week’s episode of “When I Was 17,” which also features “Hills” alum Audrina Patridge and Cee Lo Green. “So one day, my friend said, ‘Oh my God, I just read in The New York Times that designer Jean-Paul Gaultier is coming to New York, and he’s doing a fashion show. He’s using models from the street. Maybe you should go see him.’ And I didn’t know who he was.” Besides not knowing who the French designer was, he also didn’t think he had what it took to model. “And I thought, ‘Model?’ ” he recalled, noting that he didn’t think he was “perfect” enough for that career. ” ‘My skin’s too dark, my nose is too wide, my lips are too full.’ But I thought, ‘Why not?’ “I went to Bergdorf Goodman for the casting,” he continued. “There was hundreds of people waiting. I thought to myself, ‘What’s gonna make me stand out?’ and I just thought, ‘Be yourself, personality.’ I had nothing else to sell.” His encounter with the designer was a bit rocky, but it all worked out in the end, thanks to his signature strut. “When I got to see him, he said, ‘Hello.’ And I said, ‘Hello.’ He put me in clothing, and I remember I wasn’t wearing underwear that day. I wasn’t wearing panties, but I hid in the corner, put on the outfit and I put on this attitude… but I got the show.” “When I Was 17” — this week featuring Cee Lo, Audrina Patridge and Miss J — premieres Saturday at 11 a.m. on MTV. Related Videos ‘When I Was 17’ Episode 206 Sneak Peek Related Photos When I Was 17 (Season 2) | Ep. 6 | Cee Lo Green, Miss J Alexander, Audrina Patridge
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‘America’s Next Top Model’ Coach Miss J Recalls Big Break On ‘When I Was 17’
