Pahrump, NV – A former professional fashion model is speaking out about the negative impact the fashion industry had on her physical and mental health, as well as sharing why she changed careers to become a successful sex worker at Sheri’s Ranch, a licensed Nevada brothel near Las Vegas.

Phoenix Divina, now in her mid-twenties, had a seven-year career in the fashion industry. According to Divina, she was initially thrilled when she entered the fashion business in her teens — but that all eventually changed.

“When I was 16-years-old, a man came up to me in a coffee shop and asked if he could touch my back to feel how thin I was,” Divina said.

“He pinched my skin in between his fingers and said something about my body fat percentage. He told me I could be a runway model and asked me to come to his agency to talk about it more. Before I knew it, I was flying all over the world and making a good living as a model,” she added.

Her joy rapidly changed into stress and a self-destructive obsession with her appearance as the competitive reality of her new profession started to become evident. A thin young woman, she nonetheless occasionally lost opportunities because of weight gain.

“Modeling provided me with unique experiences that I wasn’t able to enjoy because I was feeling too insecure about my body as a model. I was under constant pressure to remain thin so that I can continue to book as many clients as possible,” Divina said.

Divina said that she decided to leave the profession after seven years because of the psychological and physical toll it took on her.

“The more inches I gained the more clients I would lose. It was terrible for my self-esteem and when I finally quit after seven years, it felt like an invisible weight had been lifted off of me.”

Shortly after leaving the industry, Divina decided to use her stunning good looks to make money in another way — by entering Nevada’s legal sex work scene, where she rediscovered a positive self-image at the legal brothel.

“I still struggle with my body image and self-esteem on a daily basis, but it’s been steadily improving since I became a sex worker,” Divina said.

“It’s such a relief to me now that I have clients who appreciate and celebrate my body just the way it is. As a sex worker, my clients value me for more than just my measurements, and even for more than the sexual services I offer. They value me for who I am as a person, internally, more than my clients in the fashion industry ever would have,” she added.

Divina said that she has no intention of ever returning to the fashion industry and hopes to practice sex work as her career for many years to come.

“It’s surprising to many people that I would quit modeling to become a sex worker, but it was the best decision I ever made and I don’t think I’ll ever look back.”

Find Phoenix Divina Twitter at @PhoenixDivina.