Age just a number to Newport Beach woman in modeling competition
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Newport Beach resident Anita “AJ” Wallace turns 60 years old in a couple of weeks.
So what was the impetus for her to enter the Next Runway Star competition? Before this, the last time she did any kind of modeling was in high school.
“All the time I get told, ‘You always look so cute,’” Wallace said. “I never thought about it much, but I do like different looks, different outfits. Fashion is something I’ve always cared about. I’m not a jeans and T-shirt or leggings all the time person, and I love hats. I just thought, this is definitely something that will take me out of the shadows and put me into the light.”
Being in the light means she is encouraging friends and family to vote for her. The winner of the contest will receive a trip to New York Fashion Week, walk in the Rise Survivor Fashion Show there and receive $20,000 cash. The nonprofit Rise, founded by Amanda Nguyen, will also select another contestant to come to New York.
As of Thursday afternoon, Wallace sat in first place in her Next Runway Star quarterfinal group, and she needs to stay there to advance. The quarterfinals end at 7 p.m. Pacific time on Friday, then the semifinals begin.
People can vote for free once every 24 hours, or a donation of $10 or more gives extra votes.
Wallace is having a birthday party and pool tournament on Sept. 6 at the Huddle in Costa Mesa, three days before her actual birthday. That’s also the day she could find out if she wins the contest.
“To be honest, at first I thought it was some kind of drawing,” Wallace said. “It was like, ‘Do you want to win $20K?’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah.’ I put my name in, and a couple of days later, I got an email that I had been vetted and approved.”
She said that Rise advocating for survivors of domestic violence resonated with her. She said she twice was date raped as an adult, which is part of her story, as well as the fact that she was given up for adoption when was 6 months old.
Wallace calls herself a “Texifornian,” moving to California in 1991, heading back to Texas for a spell before heading back to the Golden State in 2013. She has three grown children and one deceased child; her two living sons are in Texas and her daughter, who shares her birthday of Sept. 9, lives nearby in Huntington Beach.
Wallace, who lives on the Newport Peninsula, calls herself a night owl who plays pool at a number of local haunts, including Blackie’s by the Sea and Beach Ball.
She made business cards so her pool friends, many of whom are a fraction of her age, can vote for her in the Next Runway Star contest.
“I’m ADHD, too much energy, and I’m a night owl,” she said. “When the day goes by and my Adderall has worn off, I’m in Blackie’s playing pool. They shut down at midnight, so then I go over to Beach Ball and finish out the night.”
“All of these young, college-age kids are like, ‘AJ is here! Be my partner.’”
She said that Nguyen has inspired her through the modeling contest, as well as what Rise advocates for.
“Six months ago, I wouldn’t have done it,” Wallace said. “But for some reason, because it’s Amanda and I’m so inspired by her, I guess I’m just ready to stop worrying about what other people think. I just went for it.”
She said as she nears her 60th birthday, she’s had a lot of what she calls “yuck” things happen in her life, but also some amazing things.
“I’m learning to just roll with the ebb and flow, with what comes and goes,” she said. “If I can encourage another person … that’s like a gift to me. I don’t know if it’s because I’m a Virgo or what.”
