Some people consider twin sisters Ava Marie and Leah Rose the most beautiful twins in the world. They were born in July 2010, to California couple Jaqi and Kevin Clements. Their parents are not too shabby in the looks department, either. Kevin is a 14-time NCAA All-American, and he currently works as an assistant swimming coach at USC. Jaqi is their “momager” and stunning as well.
So how did these girls enter the spotlight? Ava and Leah were used to their days being filled with swim and dance practice, so posing for the camera was just another extra-curricular activity — until it became serious. Jaqi created her daughters’ portfolio and made it her mission to get them seen. At 7 years old, the twins were signed to the Zuri Model and Talent modeling agency, where their young careers flourished.
Jaqi took to Instagram to post their photographic journey. She also wrote a blog, The Clements Twins, about the “good, the bad and the ugly” experiences of their journey in the business. Ava and Leah have caused quite a sensation with their exceptional beauty. These little darlings have an Instagram audience of more than 672,000. However, being in the public eye has brought out as many haters as fans.
Are they the most beautiful twins in the world? Check out our photos, and you be the judge. What do you think about Ava and Leah’s modeling career beginning at such a young age? Let us know on Facebook, and don’t forget to SHARE these pics with your friends!
The twins came into the world a little earlier than expected. It’s evident that they were ready for their close-up. “They came 4 1/2 weeks early but knowing their personalities now it makes total sense that they would show up early, unannounced, and ready to take on anything,” mother Jaqi Clements wrote on her blog, The Clements Twins. At six months old, Clements signed them to an agency, but she soon realized the timing wasn’t right as her newborns and 2-year-old son were zapping all of her energy.
The girls made beautiful bookends to their big brother Chase, who is two years older. Wherever Clements took her twins, strangers showered them with compliments for their natural beauty. They would encourage mom to sign them up for professional photos. “Wow, they are so beautiful, you should really think about getting them into modeling,” Clements quoted them as saying on her blog.
Many moms like to dress up their twin girls with matching dresses and bows in their hair. These twins posed in different colored T-shirts to help people tell them apart. At 2 years old, Ava and Leah were already showing signs of being photogenic.
The twins took ballet classes and loved to perform, so mom figured performing for the camera might be a natural progression. “They loved to perform their dance routines in front of an audience, any audience. Neighbors, friends, strangers… it didn’t matter to them, they loved to be the center of attention,” Clements wrote on her blog.
When the twins turned 7, their mom thought it was time to create their portfolio in the event they would both agree that modeling was their calling. Her neighbor’s children’s Pop-up Boutique seemed like a good place to start. “I dug out my 10-year-old Nikon camera from a bin in the garage, put a few waves in the girl’s hair, dabbed on a little blush, and out we went to take some pictures,” Clements wrote.
On their seventh birthday — July 7, 2017 — Clements took the lucky No. 7 as a sign and broached the idea of modeling with the girls. “I just had a feeling that this year was going to be a fun and exciting year for them. I presented my idea to the girls that if they were up for it, in addition to their dance classes and swim team practices they had every week, they could give modeling a try. I was not surprised at all when they started jumping up and down and couldn’t wait to begin,” she wrote.
Clements took it upon herself to shoot the girls for their first photo shoot. It didn’t go as well as she hoped. “Ava would look at the camera while Leah would stare off into space. Leah would accidentally bump into Ava who of course thought it was on purpose and would shove her back,” she wrote on the blog. She got a few good ones to use for her neighbor, including this one to solicit modeling agencies.
Clements waited six years to find an agent to represent her beautiful twins. A handful responded to her query immediately. Two agencies signed her daughters, and their modeling careers took off. Their first callback was for a Barbie audition, awkwardly booked by both agencies. “I think both our agents understood that I wasn’t purposely trying to screw either of them over. I was a week or 2 into this whole new world and trying to navigate the best that I could. In the end the girls never ended up booking the commercial anyway,” she wrote on her blog.
One of the first modeling jobs Ava and Leah did was for Chandamama Kids. Here they are looking naturally pretty in peasant tops. This photo received more than 25,000 likes on Instagram. Their looks even reminded some users of young celebrities. One user commented, “dude the one on the left looks like Alison from pretty little liars.”
The former ballerinas and swimmers are natural fitness models. Flexi Lexi, a Bangkok-based yoga and activewear company, used them for their children’s line, Mini Flexi Lexi. Here they are wearing the Llamaste Flexi Pants Kids and Minis collection.
Through their modeling, the twins are also giving back. For every back-to-school photo submitted to “Garnet Hill’s Backpack Give Back” Instagram campaign, they are donating $10 to Kids In Need, a foundation that has distributed more than $1 billion in free school supplies to students and teachers. A post on the Clements Twins Instagram account read, “Who Wants to Help a Good Cause!?!? From today through September 14th, for every back to school photo shared with #GHBackpackGiveBack @garnethillpics will donate $10 to @kidsinneed.”
When the twins were photographed wearing Lului Bikinis, there was a bit of a backlash from the community for what some considered its inappropriateness. One Instagram user said, “It’s sad that we put children in these kinds of suits and say it’s ok? Like ………. come on y’all.” On her blog, Clements defended the negativity, writing, “I have to say, never would I have thought that pictures of 7 year old little girls would receive almost as much backlash as the positive feedback they have been getting.”
In this photo shoot for Tutu du Monde, the twins’ natural beauty was enhanced with some makeup. Playing dress up is not out of the ordinary for 7 year olds, and it’s a given that hair and makeup are part of the industry. But that doesn’t mean the public isn’t quick to draw comparisons between the twins and JonBenet Ramsey. “A little blush here, a little lipgloss there a little highlighter to catch the light, and they are ready to go! And even if they did wear bold colored makeup for some type of fun edgy shoot – so what!! It’s fun for them,” Clements defended on her blog.
The twins look more like themselves modeling for Showaflops, the flip flops with drainage holes. And the best part is that they got to keep them. “They love that companies want to send them products and accessories just for being them,” Clements wrote on her blog.
Not every modeling shot requires the twins to smile. This photo had people wondering why they looked so sad. On the contrary, they are happy-go-lucky little girls, according to their mom. She wrote, “Some photoshoots require them to smile, laugh and playfully interact with each other. Other shoots that have that high fashion look require the girls to put on a more serious face. Does it mean just because they aren’t smiling they are sad, miserable or their childhood is being stripped away from them… uh NO!!!”
One realization Clements made when she created the Instagram account was that the girls were getting more likes together than apart. Other pictures that got the most attention were those that showed them posing side by side. If they were running low on professional shots to post, she would set up her own photoshoot with the twins. “I would take the girls out for an hour or so around the neighborhood to snap a few pictures that I would end up using to post to their account for the following week,” she wrote on her blog.
The biggest misconception is that Ava and Leah only have each other. Quite the opposite, according to their mom. Taylor Lia is just one of the BFFs they met on the job. “My girls are easy and love everyone! In fact they meet a new ‘friend’ for 10 minutes at an audition or a shoot and are already asking me if this new friend can be their cousin, because a simple friendship just doesn’t quite express the love they have for their new friend,” Clements wrote on the blog.
Modeling may be their job, but their mother insists Ava and Leah are still just kids play acting and having fun. So what do they like about modeling? “They like the new adventures we go on every week, never knowing where we will end up but looking forward to a new experience,” Clements wrote.
The twins recently celebrated their eighth birthday. How did mom commemorate the big day? With a photograph, of course, and this caption on Instagram, “She’s my mirror shining back at me. The one that sees me at my worst and best but loves me anyway. She’s my partner in crime, my best friend, she knows when I’m smiling… even in the dark. 8 years side by side.”
As parents, we all want the best for our kids, and Clements is no exception. She maintains she never forced her girls to model. “I didn’t decide that my girls were going to start modeling, they did. And if the day ever comes that they want to move on to something else, I will 100% support their decision to do that. But for now, kids or not, this is something that they enjoy doing! So don’t feel sorry for them… they aren’t sad, they aren’t missing out on their childhood and occasionally, yes, they wear a little makeup -),” she concluded on the blog.
In March 2018, Jaqi Clements wrote a post titled, “The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly,” on her blog. So what exactly is good, bad, and ugly about the life that she has made for herself and her twins? We’ve taken snippets from her post to give you an idea of what she and her daughters have gleaned from their experiences. So, for what’s good. … “You can’t really put a price on all of the great people you meet and all of the friendships you form from being in this business. …” Clements writes. “I never would have expected that I’d meet some of the coolest moms around from being a part of this new world! Having people you can relate to and talk with makes the hours pass way more quickly when waiting for your kids to wrap at a shoot. … It’s really such a blessing to have your own built-in support system wherever you go, and mostly everyone is more than willing to offer advice or help with any questions you might have about the industry!” Which aspects of this life are bad? Check out the next slide to find out.
“Aside from the constant criticism that my kids or I get on a daily basis, there are other disadvantages to this business as well,” Clements writes. “One of the biggest adjustments for me has been making the 5-6 hour roundtrip drive to LA in rush hour a few times a week! Luckily the kids don’t mind it as much because they are either doing their homework or watching a movie, but for me it’s been completely exhausting at times. … Another not-so-amazing thing about this new life are all of the expenses associated with it! A lot of people assume parents are making money just because they see their kids working a lot. FALSE!” And, last but not least — actually, it’s probably least — check out the next slide for what Clements considers to be ugly.
“When I first got into the business, like most parents coming into it for the first time, I knew absolutely nothing about it,” Clements writes. “I hadn’t done any research prior to signing my kids with an agent, so I put my trust into those who I felt had a lot more experience in the industry and who I thought could guide me and my girls in the right direction. … Unfortunately, I later had to find out the hard way that not everyone was so genuine and honest with us. The good thing is, it was a HUGE learning experience for me. One of the most important things I took from this whole experience is before trusting someone to guide you, make sure you know who you are getting involved with.”
Jaqi advises any aspiring models and their parents to always ask questions before getting involved with any agent, especially when it comes to a potential criminal history. She also says that you should find out whether the agent has friends, or if those “friends” have “mysteriously disappeared into thin air.” And last but not least, if your gut instinct tells you to distrust someone, then listen to it!
Despite the high financial costs of modelling, the Clements family thinks it’s all worth it in the end. They like to think of it as an investment into their future that may give the girls opportunities when they get older, such as education, or purchasing a house or a car. And on a more fundamental level, they feel it’s worth it because it’s something that the girls both enjoy!
The Clements family advocates for a healthy lifestyle, and they’re certainly not all talk – they love eating healthy and being active, whether it’s swimming, dancing, playing basketball, or working out at the gym.
Ava and Leah aren’t the only ones in the Clements family who like to model. After their brother Chase saw how much fun his sisters were having, he wanted in on it as well. Jaqi quickly made Chase an Instagram account under the handle cut2thischase, and he signed on with the same agencies as his sisters. To date, he’s done campaigns for brands including Ross and Reebok. Even Jaqi has done a bit of modelling herself, namely in a Mommy and Me campaign with Ava and Leah. Clearly the Clements were cut out for modelling!
In October 2019, Kevin received a scary diagnosis of leukemia and lymphoma, but instead of sitting around feeling anxious, the girls set out to use their social media platform for good. They encouraged their followers to get tested and registered in order to find a bone marrow match. “It’s an easy process to be a bone marrow donor, and I think a lot of people have this misconception that it is hard and painful, but it’s really not,” said Kevin.
The story went global, and ultimately Kevin found that his brother was a bone marrow match and he underwent a successful transplant! “The response was awesome – I love them being able to use their platform to help other people as well,” said Kevin. It just goes to show that social media can be used for good!
The Clements family knew that if they just stayed positive through all of their trials and tribulations, they would be able to take on anything that life threw at them. After all, they’re not an ordinary family, as they seem to happen upon luck often. For example, before any of the kids were even conceived, Jaqi wished for a boy and twin girls. After that, the family took a gamble in thinking that July seventh, 2017 on the girls’ seventh birthday, would be their lucky day – and now they’re considered the most beautiful twins in the world! What are the odds?
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