23

As all good Freja fans know, today is Freja's 23rd birthday! Happy Birthday Freja! I'm going to make this short because there isn't much to say that hasn't already been said in one way or another.

It's been an absolute pleasure to share in the great moments with you all, as we've come together in our small community created out of a shared respect and admiration for Freja and her work. Some of you may or may not know, but today also marks the second year anniversary of this blog. A lot has happened in these two years: I've changed, this blog has changed, Freja has changed and her career has most definitely changed. But through it all it's been an honor and pleasure to have this creative outlet and the freedom of expression that you all grant to me.

So thank you for reading, commenting, e-mailing, sharing your thoughts, and sending me news bits and tips. I appreciate hearing from other fans out there, more than you will ever know. And thank you to Freja for her continued dedication to her work, and for being who she is. I know she inspires many of you out there, so here's to another two wonderful years, and hopefully more! May they be full of success, good friends, love, health and happiness!

Happy Birthday Freja!

Today is Freja's 22nd birthday and the one year anniversary of this blog. Yes, I started this all as a 21st birthday present to Freja one year ago.

Cut to one year later and I never thought I'd still be doing this. I never thought people would actually care enough to read my words and hear my rambling analysis. I never thought Freja would make a resurgence and log one of her best years in terms of campaigns, editorials and runway appearances. I never thought she'd start an official site complete with a blog. It's pretty clear I never thought about a lot of things, but I'm glad they have all happened.

So thank you so much for your time, attention and all your enthusiastic comments. I started this for Freja but now I continue on for you, the Freja fans. And thank you so much, of course, to Freja for being this blog's inspiration and muse. Her uncompromisingly cool attitude, laid-back personality and rebel approach towards fashion keeps us all on the edge of our seats wanting more.

I'm sure Freja doesn't read this blog, much less know of it's existence; but I'm fine with that because it was never my intention. So I hope I can keep this running for as long as she has a career; and let us hope that that's a long time coming. But more than this, I hope that all of you continue to find solace, escape, happiness and whatever it is you are searching for, in our favorite model. Because isn't that what brings all of us back to her work? Isn't that why we just can't get enough?

I hope this upcoming year brings you as much satisfaction, enjoyment and creative release as the past year writing this blog has brought to me. And lastly, I hope that Freja has another year full of professional success, but more importantly, personal health, growth and happiness because she deserves it.

Happy Birthday Freja! Let's commemorate this occasion by taking a look at her very first runway appearance as a FW0506 Prada semi-exclusive at the ripe old age of 17.

@ 0:15

Amazing what four years experience and confidence can do. She really has matured into a beautiful, self assured young woman.

London Debut?

Was I on to something when I wrote this post back in June? Freja posted a new blog entry on her official site:

... here we go again! Fashion week in new york, where ill do my little turn on the catwalk, on the catwalk. Been here, at my home away from home, for a few days to catch up with friends and check out sweet jewelry at maria tash (broadway/bleeker i believe for those who might be interested in some nice piercing jewelry), after having been in europe, mainly Denmark all summer. Pretty sweet to get started again and lulled into it here in new york, before london, milan and paris gets it turn. Ill try to sneak a few pictures for you guys with some blackberry action and post them here during all of this!
Hope everyone had a great summer, i sure did! Back to "work"/play
- Freja

Perhaps we'll be seeing her in London for the first time! I won't actually believe it until I see it, but things are looking good. She's had a steady stream of work, which I hope will translate into a lot of bookings. And since Burberry Prorsum, Pringle of Scotland and Jonathan Saunders have all moved their shows to London this season, there is no better time for Freja's to make her catwalk debut over there.

The only down side is that us fans won't get those few days in between New York and Milan as a breather. :)

Official Blog

Yes it's official. There is a blog up at frejabeha.com and two entries have been posted so far. If you haven't seen it already, you should definitely go check it out. Freja is writing a bit (quite well I might add) and posting pictures as well. I never thought this would actually happen, but I think it's wonderful that she's reaching out to fans. Perhaps a turning point and the beginnings of a changed role for Freja as a model? Will we see her hamming it up in more backstage pictures? Will we get more interview clips and sound bytes?

Maybe this has been a gross misconception on my part, but Freja always seemed to shy away from any media attention. At least when we compared her to other models who attained the same stature and level of success. We rarely saw her at fashion week parties and events. She always stayed true to her casual, laid-back personal style. She's never once attended the Met Gala. And her backstage candids are decidedly boring in their normalcy, for we rarely saw dramatic posing from her. Don't get me wrong, I don't see any of these things as a bad things; rather, I see them as the things that made me so intrigued by Freja in the first place.

I know two posts on this official blog does not necessarily mean that all these aspects of Freja have changed or will change, but I can't help but get the feeling that they're the first step. Freja seems to be embracing her role as a model much more openly. Nowadays, that role comes with a certain level of expected fan interaction and she is indulging that as well. Especially in this age of instant communication that the internet has afforded us, niche cultivations proliferate when you can instantly see the latest editorials, ads and runway shots with the click of a mouse. You can easily find forums populated by lots of other fans and together you can build and increase your love over a favorite model, musician or actor. Pretty soon, you expect your "celebrities" to love you back by providing inside glimpses into their lives. You want to feel special and you want to feel like your admiration is not all for naught. You want your celebrity to appreciate you as much as you appreciate them. It's a pretty ridiculous and self-entitled conceit when you step back and really think about it.

Once again, you've caught me on a day where I'm just a jumble of thoughts and this blog has become my outlet, so thank you for indulging me if you've read this far. To sum up, I love that Freja is making the effort to connect with her fans and I love that her blog posts show off her humor and sarcastic wit. I'm confused as to what this all means for her role within fashion, because as I saw it, she played her part as the rebel girl quite well. Being a rebel means going against the norms set by others, so now that this seems to be changing I don't know what to think.

We'll have to just wait and see what happens with the SS shows and if there are any noticeable changes. And for your time, the newest picture from the official site:

Any comments or thoughts appreciated. Even if you just want to tell me to shut the hell up.