She’s cover girl for Seventeen

JEFFREYS BAY grandparents, Dirk and Selina van Deventer, are bursting with pride after their granddaughter Ariel van Heerden won the coveted Seventeen magazine cover girl competition.
Beautiful and leggy sixteen- year-old Van Heerden beat 100s of hopefuls by reaching the final 17 and then going on to win the top prize.
She will be the cover girl in April.
In an interview with Our Times last week she said she was elated at winning and sees this as her big break into the world of professional super models.
The total value of the prize is R100 000 and includes an exclusive cover shoot for Seventeen, a fashion spread, a two year modelling contract with the sought-after LC Models and an amazing goody bag.
Van Heerden and her mother Chantel were flown to Cape Town last week where they met with all the top management from Seventeen, and the owner of the internationally renowned LC Models.
Hectic photo shoots with international photographers, make-up artists, fashion editors and all that makes up the glamour industry only served to increase Van Heerden‘s determination to make it big as a model.
However, Van Heerden who is currently in Grade 11 at DF Malherbe High School, has no intentions of giving up school; she is in fact a keen student and is determined not to miss out on varsity life, although she is contemplating taking a gap year to do modelling.
Her modelling career only took off two years ago when Chantel sent her tomboy daughter to a finishing school to learn to be more ladylike.
Since then she has done a ramp model gig for Mohair SA and various beach promotions. It was while doing a beach promotion on Hobie Beach last December that she was spotted by talent scouts from Seventeen who asked her to enter. She did this at the end of her shift that day and promptly forgot about it until January this year when she was informed she was in the top 17.
Her delighted mother Chantel says: “Ariel is an extremely hard worker. Any thing she tackles she does with enthusiasm. We are very proud of her.”
“Although it was very tiring I loved every minute. I know this is what I want to do while I can,” quipped a relaxed Van Heerden before she went off to eat pizza with her grandparents.
Seventeen magazine has launched the career of many world famous models such as Heidi Klum.
Pop stars like Kylie Minogue have also graced its cover.
Earlier this year it won PICA‘S Best International Consumer Magazine award. This is the publishing world‘s equivalent of the Oscars.