From Retail to Runway with Rachel Peru

Model and content creator Rachel Peru on finding confidence and a creative spark later in life.

Despite facing a lack of belief from educators, Rachel’s early experiences in drama studies and theatre laid a foundation for her creative spirit, which would be reignited much later after significant life changes, including a divorce. 

From participating in local charity fashion shows to  signing with a London agency, Rachel’s modelling career took off in ways she never expected, allowing her to embrace creative opportunities she once thought were behind her. 

In our conversation, Rachel sheds light on the challenges and triumphs of being a model in today’s industry, particularly as a woman over 40. She shares anecdotes from her diverse experiences, including a memorable gig in the Bahamas with Lizzo and Ashley Graham, which not only marked a significant career milestone but also served as a source of inspiration for women striving for body positivity. Through her modelling work, Rachel has become an advocate for inclusivity and representation, challenging ageism and stereotypes in the fashion industry. 

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Researched, edited and produced by Claire Waite Brown
Music: Day Trips by Ketsa Undercover / Ketsa Creative Commons License Free Music Archive - Ketsa - Day Trips
Artworks: Emily Portnoi emilyportnoi.co.uk
Photo: Ella Pallet

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When it comes to education, I don't think, when I look back, I don't think I was really encouraged to do lots of creativity. Drama was almost seen as a kind of soft option. It wasn't really taken very seriously. So you spend a lot of time kind of working out who you actually are after something like that. What I like, you know, what do I like to eat, what do I like to read, what do I like to watch? Because you get so consumed in a partnership. So I was sent to the Bahamas for a week with Lizzo, Ashley Graham and a host of other models doing swimwear. And then I've been working as a professional model ever since. And I absolutely love doing what I'm doing and it has unlocked this whole stream of different creative outlets for me that I'm really enjoying getting back into. Hi, I'm Claire, founder of Creativity Found a community for creative learners and educators connecting adults who want to find a creative outlet with the artists and crafters who can help them do so with workshops, courses, online events and kits. For this podcast, I chat with people who have found or refound their creativity as adults. We'll explore their childhood experiences of the arts, discuss how they came to the artistic practices they now love, and consider the barriers they may have experienced between the two. We'll also explore what it is that people value and gain from their newfound artistic pursuits and how their creative lives enrich their practical, necessary, everyday lives. This time I'm chatting with Rachel Peru. Hi, Rachel, how are you? Good morning, Claire. I'm good, thank you. Looking forward to talking to you this morning. Thank you. Me too. Start by telling me how you get creative currently. So I am a model and a content creator. So I spend all my days now creating content and different things for social media, fashion shoots, planning my own styling. So yeah, my life is full of creativity now, which I absolutely love. That's brilliant. That's really exciting. When you were younger, as a child, were creative activities of any sort encouraged in you at home, in education? At home they were. So when I was younger I really loved drama. I mean, I did drama and theatre studies right up until I was 18, so I did drama a level. Thought I was going to go to drama school, but I kind of. My lack of self belief, I suppose, and lack of encouragement at school held me back when it comes to education, I don't think, when I look back, I don't think I was really encouraged to do lots of creativity. Drama was almost seen as a kind of soft option. It wasn't really taken Very seriously. I did our O level and wanted to do that as an A level. And they said that actually academically they would prefer me just to do two A levels because they thought three would have been too much and I would have loved to have done that. And I don't think, looking back now, I wish my parents had kind of stepped in and said, well, actually, she really likes doing it, so we're going to put her forward for it. But hindsight's a wonderful thing, isn't it? So I don't think really the importance of creativity was really taken seriously at school, which is a shame. And then I think, like lots of people, when you go through life and you start working, creativity can easily get dropped off the radar, which is nice to come back to later in life. Yeah, I completely understand the drama. Not seen as a proper thing as a dancer. Yeah, I struggled with that at school and had to do your proper A levels in inverted commas. Yes. Had you hoped to go to university and you were discouraged? Yeah, I mean, it was very much because, you know, back in the day, you could actually leave school at 16, couldn't you, and get a job? And so I even got to the point where I was seriously thinking about doing that and not doing my A levels because I wasn't really encouraged to do that. I'm glad I did. And I smashed my A level. So, you know, that was really something that I'm quite pleased that I stuck at. So, yeah, I didn't really have a plan, I just wanted to do something. But I wasn't encouraged at job for university. It was kind of school were very much like, oh, you know, this might be too much for you, why don't you take a year out? So. So I did end up taking a year out and then, of course, I started earning money and then once you start getting that sorted out, then it's very hard to give that up and go and be a student. So I didn't go to university until I was 39, which I just had to do it. I had that in me that. I really wanted to tick that off my box. Just for personal reasons. Yeah. So what were you working in when you finished your A levels then? There's a local, really famous shop in Yorkshire called Betty's. It's a cafe, tea rooms, it's really kind of. Everybody goes there, the queues are miles long. And I started working there, just in the shop, and ended up in management. So I stayed there for nearly 10 years. I'm glad I did that now because it was a great grounding for work. It was a brilliant environment to learn and to build my confidence. But it wasn't a job that I ever thought I would see myself doing for the rest of my life. And it certainly wasn't very creative, but it was, it stood me in. Good study with good foundations, I guess. Yeah. And why the 10 years? Was there a reason? Did you move on to something else? I did. I broke up with my partner at the time, after 10 years and I decided to go do something completely different. And I still had this yearning to leave the hometown where I'd lived all my life. So I actually went. At 23, I went to be an au pair in Denmark, in Copenhagen for six months. Probably I was an old au pair. But do you know what? I loved it and it was brilliant for me. It built my confidence, it took me out of my environment, it proved that I could do something different. It opened me up to a different kind of side of life and I'm so glad that I did that. But then when I did come back from there, I fell back into that, well, I've got to pay the bills. So I ended up doing retail management for the next 10, 15 years. And what was life around work looking like during. During those years? I had a great social life. I didn't not like my jobs, but they were just very 9 to 5 mundane. Same in, same, you know, same old jobs. But I didn't do any acting, I didn't do. I dropped all the drama and you know, probably I would have been better doing that if I. It would have been a real enhancement to my life if I'd have had something else like a hobby. But I didn't do anything. I stopped all that. I did actually go. When I had my kids in my 30s, I. I went to, to college and did floristry. So I got my floristry qualifications because I've always loved flowers. So I did do that and I thought I was going to do floristry as a career, but with three young children under the age of four, early mornings, getting up to be a florist was just not something that I at the time could manage. But I still love doing it and I'm so glad that I took that time out and just added a little bit of creativity at a time when there wasn't much time for anything else. Yeah, completely understand. Yeah, I didn't think about that. For the floristry. That's a really early start, isn't it? Yeah. I don't think I could have Juggled it. Lots of people do. But just for me at the time it was. I was enough with the. The three under four. Yeah. So tell me about going to university then. So I started working in early years education once the kids had gone, were all in school. And because it fitted in with school holidays, it was something that was in that environment and I actually really enjoyed it. So I got divorced at 39 and I thought, right, okay, now is the time. If I'm going to do something different with my life, then this is now the time to do it. So I went to Leeds Trinity as a mature student, did my degree in education studies, specializing in early years education. And you know what? I absolutely loved the whole process. I loved being a mature student, I loved learning, I loved being in a class of mixed ages. There was nothing I didn't enjoy about that whole experience. It was brilliant. Yeah. Was that a part time or full time? I was working as well, so it was part time. So it was three days a week and I was working two days. Yeah. Wow. What were the age ranges in the course? There was two of us that were similar age, so I would have been 40 at the time, 41. But the rest were all kind of between, I'd say 18 and 23, 24 tops. And then there was a huge gap between us, but we just all gelled together as a group. And, you know, obviously I was with them for four years and I'm still in touch with some of them and I really enjoyed the experience. It was really positive being a mature student. Sometimes when people try something a bit later in life, like I taught myself to play the clarinet and I think it was far easier to do it at that age than it was when I was younger. Certainly for me, I remember doing music as a child and not picking it up. But then when I did it again as a grownup a couple of years ago, it was much easier to pick it up and do the practice and stuff. So, yeah, and I was ready to. I wanted to learn, I wanted to be there, I think, you know, and I wasn't, I wasn't on campus, I wasn't a student living the student life. I wasn't not turning up late. So, you know, I think it's. It's a different experience as a mature student. For sure. Yeah. So when you qualified then, did you go on and continue working in that field? Did you use that? Yeah, I did for a couple of years. And then unfortunately, my eldest daughter, who was probably about 10 at the time, suffered with acute anxiety. And agoraphobia she ended up being homeschooled through camhs, which meant that I had to stop working. So that was really difficult because I found myself back at home after doing all this training and all these qualifications, not being able to work and really being kind of stuck in the house. And that was, that was a massive knock to my confidence. You know, she did get through that, but it was kind of, I would say, four years of a really difficult time. And it was once you're out of the system, in the education system, it's very hard to get back into. So then after that I didn't go back to it. I went down a very different route. So when then let's get on to how the modelling starts, because as you said, it's very different. When in your timeline, when, who, how, why did this even begin? So it actually all kind of the catalyst, I guess, was a divorce really, because I'd been with my first husband from the age of 16 to 39. So that's a massive chunk of your adult life. So you spend a lot of time kind of working out who you actually are after something like that. What I like, you know, what do I like to eat, what do I like to read, what do I like to watch, because you get so consumed in a partnership. So I spent the next kind of few years really building myself up and discovering that. And a friend of mine volunteered us to do an Ilkley Macmillan fashion show as a. As a model. It was just a one night event once a year, so I said yes. And it was a particular time when I was really quite low because I was back at home not working. And it just gave me such a boost of confidence. And whilst I was stood on the side of the stage waiting to go on, I had that same kind of excitement, adrenaline rush that I used to get when I did drama waiting to go on the stage. And it just lit something up in me. I really felt connected to it. I couldn't wait to do it again. So I volunteered every year for the next five or six years, just once a year, but I always look forward to it. And then after, I think it's about the sixth year, so I would have been 46. There were a couple of professional models involved and they were really encouraging and saying, you know, you seem really comfortable doing this. Have you thought about doing it more seriously? So I sent off loads of pictures to lots of agencies across the country. And to be honest, I thought that if I got a job, I lived near Leeds, so I thought if I could Get a local, work in a Leeds agency. It would be a nice hobby. It would be an extra thing in my life. And I got signed with a London agency. So then it was like, right, okay, I've got to take this a bit more seriously. And then I've been working as a professional model ever since, and I absolutely love doing what I'm doing. And it has unlocked this whole stream of different creative outlets for me that I'm really enjoying getting back into. That is so exciting. How does it start? Like, what are the kind of jobs you were doing when you're first signed to this agency? And then how has that changed as you have become more successful and more known for the work that you do? I think one of the first jobs was a beauty job. And then I did some QVC lifestyle work, which is always good fun. But I thought, and I thought that's what I would kind of, that would be my thing. That's what I do a lot of. And then actually one of the first big campaigns I got was a Better Life health campaign. And they actually chose me because I had grey hair and it was a tick box exercise for aging people. So I was actually modelling and advertising bath aids, blood pressure monitors, reclining chairs, all that kind of stuff. And I kind of, I was really surprised at that because, you know, at the time I was 46. Yes, I got grey hair, but I was a long way off. I'm still a long way off all these things. So that kind of threw me a bit. And if I'm honest, if that came up again, I wouldn't do it because I would say, well, there are plenty of 70 and 80 year old models choose them. And then shortly after that, completely the opposite. I got a job working with Ashley Graham in the Bahamas for an American swimwear brand, Swimsuits for All. So I was sent to the Bahamas for a week with Lizzo, Ashley Graham and a host of other models doing swimwear. So that was where the real shift for me came along because I was 47 and the response from other women my age was amazing at seeing some bodies that they could relate to. I never would have had the confidence to do this in my 20s and 30s. So that kind of sparked something in me that thought, actually, do you know what? I want to be able to represent women in this arena. So now that, you know, a lot of my work is swimwear, lingerie, body, confidence, work, and that's, that's where it started from. That's what kickstarted that side of things. That must have been such fun. Yeah, it really was. And when you're around people that are so positive and embracing their bodies, whatever size they are, it rubs off on you and it makes you really think about the time that you've wasted worrying about all those insecurities about your body getting on with life. Yeah. So does that mean now then that you choose your work, do you think? Have you like, kind of niched yourself or how, how does it work with what you want to do in the future and what you want to say? Yeah, I still do. I still do a wide variety of work. Last month I was in Greece modelling fashion. Greece modelling swimwear. I've done stuff for Sofa company. I've done beauty. You know, I'd still do a mixture and I like that. That's one of the great assets of the job is that you can do all these different things. But I guess in terms of brands that I'm most known for doing the swimwear and the lingerie and that's kind of my niche, which is great. So I'll always want to do that and champion those, those brands that are inclusive because I think it's really important that we're represented. Also then from we've talked about from your perspective, but what about from the perspective of the brands? In your years of doing this, have you seen an improvement, a take up from brands on this whole body confidence that you're talking about? I'd say yes and no. I think that there was a couple of years ago there was a real shift towards it and everyone was talking about it and diversity was all the inclusivity was all the kind of buzzword. Um, certainly when it came to the plus size arena, I'm a size 16 and in modelling terms that's plus size. Which still infuriates me when you think the UK woman's an average size 14, 16. So, you know, figure that out. I don't get it. But I think when it comes to ageism, we've still got a long way to go. I think, you know, that's the last ism to be ticked when it comes to that. There's still a lot of campaigns that don't include older women that should do. We're still not represented. No. I did a body confidence survey with 200 women over the age of 40, 71% of them said they didn't feel represented on the high street. So I think in terms of marketing and advertising they could do so much better. But we are making small steps. But I think it's going to take quite A long time. I see adverts for when you were talking about the bath aids and things. I see adverts for oh, saving some money for when you die. But the people in those adverts are like, they look that my age and they have like a seven year old granddaughter. I've got a 22 year old daughter. I'm not expecting to have a. And I'm just like yes. Oh, it's over 60s plans. That's that kind of thing. That's what it is now. But that woman. This is so insulting to people of that age. Yeah. Yes, I completely see that. And you're right as well. There are a lot of older, older models and actors that could be doing that work. I'm not sure if, if the young people in the ad agencies are the ones that saying that person looks like a 16 year old. Yeah, I think they're still stuck on that. You know what, our parents lived a very different life to what we're living in our 50s and 60s and I think the, the marketing and advertising tend to be stuck in, in what our gen, our parents generation were like and our grandparents generation and they haven't really caught up with the modern midlife 60s, you know, even 70 year olds just, you know one of my close friends is 74 and she is amazing and looks, always looks fantastic and she's a model and you just kind of think that the marketing's out of touch. Yeah. With how we're living our life now. Yeah, definitely. What about then you have touched on your own confidence but generally your own confidence and other benefits to your life that have surrounded this shift in, in your lifestyle and your working world. I think the biggest thing for me is it's given me the permission almost to say yes to more things. When I didn't have a lot of confidence I really held myself back so I wouldn't try new things because I would be scared to fail or I was worried about what the people might think. Whereas now it's given me so much more freedom to say yes and try lots of different things and experiment more in life and just have a lot more fun. My lack of confidence really held me back in my 20s and 30s. So now I, I, I love trying new things and I love having, you know, having a go at something even if it's something I'm never going to do again. I'll try it once. But yeah, I think it's just opened up more, more opportunities and given me a bit more freedom. Yeah. And what about the travelling as well? It's not as glamorous as everyone might think. You know, I mean, I've just been, I've just did a job in Greece for three days, but it was a one day shoot. So you travel there during the day, you get there, do a fitting, work all day, the next day is a long day and then you're literally back on the 6:00 in the morning flight. But just travelling on my own, for instance, you know, I hadn't really done that in my 20s and 30s, so just getting used to travelling on my own has really built my confidence. And every time I come away from a job like that, I think, well, you know, Rachel, you've just done that. Brilliant, well done, you know, and I still get anxious about it. I still have wobbles, but I do it and then I know that I've, you know, I know it's going to be all right and I get on with it. But I think it's just embracing those fears and trying to turn them into excitement rather than just letting it terrify me. Yeah, perfect. You mentioned at the beginning about content creation. Yes. What are you doing there for social media? I've got a lot of followers so I do a lot of social media content. So I make reels and videos. It's down to me to make it interesting, to make it fun, to be able to reflect my own personality, put my own stamp on it. And so it's basically like learning how to make mini films. I love that. And I'm improving all the time and I've got so much, so much to learn because it's, you know, it's an ever changing arena, but it's good fun and that's what I spend a lot of my time doing now is the content creation side. And people might look at a reels that last 30 seconds and not realize that actually that's taken somebody quite a long time to do that job properly. It takes a lot more time than you think, especially when you don't know what you're doing because you have to learn it all. But it's, yeah, I am enjoying that whole process. And what about plans for the future? Do you have any thoughts on that? Yeah, I've, I've just started writing a book about body confidence, but I, I'm kind of in the middle of the menopause, so I'm not gonna lie, my, my multitasking skills and my motivations really not as, as regular as it should be. So, so it's going to take me longer than I, than I first thought it would do but I'm halfway through it and I'm enjoying the process and yeah, more modelling work. I have some exciting plans with that that I can't talk about. How can people connect with you? Rachel the best places to find me on Instagram @rachelperu1. That's where I'm mostly on. I'm also on TikTok, @rachelperu1 and @Libertefreetobe on Facebook. Thank you so much much. It's been such a fun chat. No it's been pleasure. Thank you Claire. I hope you enjoyed this episode. If you did, perhaps you'd like to financially contribute to Future episodes at buymeacoffee.com/CreativityFound There's a link in the show Notes. If you are listening on a Value for Value enabled app such as Fountain TrueFans or Podcast Guru, feel free to send a few sats my way. And if you have no idea of what I'm talking about, you can find out more by listening to my sister podcast called Podcasting 2.0 In Practice.