Ava Marie and Leah Rose are better known to the world as the Clements twins. Their outstanding modeling success got them world fame and an opportunity to work with the most recognizable brands at the very young age of 7. The girls have an Instagram account, managed by their mom, which has amassed 1.5 million followers. It is safe to say that these are modern time influencers, whose captivating beauty strikes us with awe. When you see how they look and what they're up to today, you’ll be even more stunned!
Jaqi and Kevin
In 2003, Jaqi and Kevin, who make quite an attractive couple, decided to tie the knot. These two were first blessed with a baby boy, Chase, who came into this world on July 3, 2008. Chase was still a baby when the couple found out that the family was about to have another two little bundles of joy. Little did they know how big of a change these two babies would bring to their lives.
Premature Arrival
The twins came into the world a little unexpectedly. To be more precise, they were 4 and a half weeks early, on July 7, 2010, but luckily everything went fine. The beautiful baby sisters were named Ava Marie and Leah Rose. When Jaqi recalled the premature arrival of the twins, she would jokingly say that it was so typical of girls to show up early, unannounced and ready to take action.
Showered with Compliments
Ever since they were born, Ava Marie and Leah Rose were getting compliments for their distinguished beauty. It is common and usual for every mom to think their baby is adorable, but this case was different. People were impressed. Everybody would say how gorgeous they were and the girls would be showered with compliments every time someone saw them.
They Should Be Models
Everybody said, “You should think about getting them into modeling!” Jaqi heard this so many times ever since the girls were born that she actually thought of giving it a try when the girls were 6 months old. She signed them up with an agency in Los Angeles and decided to take a shot at it.
First Modeling Try
Jaqi felt a little pressured to start the girls’ modeling career. Finally, she decided to go through with it. She knew it wouldn’t be easy, but she tried anyway. She and Kevin raised Chase, who was two at the time, and the girls, who were six months old back then. Most of the time it was difficult to even leave the house, not to mention do any other more complex endeavors.
Quitting Modeling
The first modeling trial lasted for three months before Jaqi realized it was way too early for the girls to get into it more seriously. Also, she was already feeling overwhelmed with the whole parenting regime she had, so the extra pressure coming with the girls’ modeling made Jaqi realize that it was time to go back to their regular lives.
Living a Normal Life
Kevin and Jaqi were determined not to influence their kids’ lives in such a way, unless the kids themselves were to express a clear interest in it. Considering the fact that their kids were still babies, this meant that for the following several years modeling would not be an option.
Enjoying the Spotlight
Jaqi and Kevin noticed that the girls enjoyed the attention coming from the others. They had always liked to perform and dance in front of everybody, even strangers. Jaqi and Kevin did not know who they got this trait from, but one thing was sure - they definitely loved being in the spotlight. Still, the parents made an agreement not to push them into anything forcibly, but rather to listen and fulfill their wishes.
Positive Signs
Their 7th birthday was approaching and the girls had already started going to school and even taking on some extracurricular activities, such as swimming and dancing lessons. The girls were born on the 7th day of the 7th month of the year and their 7th birthday was just around the corner. The year was 2017. All of this Jaqi saw as good signs, and she was a strong believer in signs and after all, the number 7 is a lucky number for many people. She decided to gently bring up the idea of modeling to the girls.
Giving the Idea
It was no surprise to Jaqi that the girls fell in love with the idea instantly since she knew they craved the spotlight. They were jumping up and down and simply couldn’t wait to start. But, Jaqi knew that the world of modeling can be tough on such young girls, so she decided to take it slowly for the girls. But, she hoped that now that the girls were older it would at least be easier to juggle it all.
Getting Ready for the Shoot
One of their neighbors had a kids’ clothing store, so this was a great opportunity to try out the potential new hobby. Jaqi went to the basement to find her 10-year-old Nikon camera, she made some curls in the girls’ hair, put on some blush on their beautiful cheeks, and they were all set up for the mini photo session.
The First Photoshoot
The girls indeed enjoyed the spotlight, but the photo shoot looked a bit different than they imagined. While one of them looked directly at the camera, the other stared at distance. While doing this, one of them would bump into another, then the other would get annoyed and shove her back, thinking it was done on purpose. Just kids being kids.
Lack of Experience
The first photo shoot had finished, and considering the fact that they obviously lacked experience it went just fine. The photos came out really nice and Jaqi decided to take some of them and send them out to modeling agencies. Jaqi was a bit apprehensive about whether the agencies would still be interested in signing the girls up.
Jaqi also though that it would be a good idea to start an Instagram account for the girls. She thought that the account would help the girls reach higher popularity. Also, it would make it easier for the modeling agencies to check the girls out and contact Jaqi in case they were interested.
Managing the Feed
Jaqi knew that having a public account might help the girls with their modeling careers, but she was also well aware of the fact that public accounts might have some negative influence, especially on the girls at such a young age. This is why she was determined to be in absolute charge of the account, filtering what would be posted but also which comments the girls should know about.
Instagram models
The success they had with the Instagram account was instant and incredible. In September, the account rose to 1,000 followers, but only one month later the number increased to 3,000. The agencies started approaching Jaqi about the girls, and soon Jaqi realized that she had been worried without a solid reason about whether the agencies would be interested. But then, the overnight success with Instagram meant that there were other issues to address.
Choosing the Agency
Before she even tried reaching out to the agencies Jaqi feared that there would be no interest in the girls. But, soon, very soon, did she realize that she would have a completely different worry - how to choose between all the agencies that were interested in Ava and Leah. After careful consideration, Jaqi opted for two agencies that were based in different counties.
Problem with Two Agencies
Ava and Leah soon started having gigs. But, it wasn’t long before the family realized that juggling with two agencies might not be so easy. It was all fine until the twins got a call from one of the agencies to attend a Barbie audition. The only problem was that they had already done the shoot through the other agency. This made Jaqi feel really nervous.
Coming Clean
Jaqi felt she had to come clean and so she did. She put her cards on the table, thinking that even if the agencies want to stop the cooperation they had with the girls it would be fine since she didn’t want to have her daughters work for an agency that had no understanding of their situation. But both of the agencies understood the situation, which resulted in having even more gigs for the girls.
Second Round of Instagram Success
The twin sisters had had their Instagram account for about 3 or 4 months when the internationally renowned headshot and professional photographer, Isa Battaglin, took headshots of the girls. Jaqi then had a new series of headshots to post on Instagram and when she did so, she was absolutely amazed at the sudden increase of the followers. Remembering it in retrospect she said she thought she was dreaming. After posting several headshots taken by Isa the number of followers doubled to 15,000 in just a week, and another couple of photos got them to 25,000.
What the Followers Like
Jaqi was really happy to see the whirlwind success she had with the Instagram account of the twins. But, being an absolute beginner at handling an official account she had to learn a lot on the fly. Not everything was plain clear. She had to keep track and analyze the pattern of what the followers liked the most. It seemed that the most popular pictures were the headshots with the girls’ eyes in focus. Also, people seemed to like the symmetry, so the photos of both sisters gained more likes than a photo of only one of them.
It Isn’t All About the Pictures
Being new to the business, especially on social networks, Jaqi took about 7 to 8 months to get a full grasp of what it takes to have a steady Instagram success. Since her friends were way more Instagram savvy than Jaqi she picked up some good advice. Obviously, it wasn’t all about posting the pictures. One had to be active, meaning you have to put the right hashtags, like the posts of others, follow everyone, comment on other people’s posts, post regularly, but be careful not to overpost.
Modeling and Friends/Cousins
When talking about the girls’ modeling career, Jaqi admits that not all the bits of it are great, but there are so many beautiful things they had experienced. The girls, being very sociable, found it very easy to make new friends. The girls got along so well with their new friends that they started calling them their cousins
The Helpful Community
As for Jaqi, she said that there is no price for the amazing people she met in the industry, from moms to stylists and photographers. For Jaqi it was tremendously important to finally have someone who she could relate to–someone who had experienced the same pressure, change and who could give her a good piece of advice. She felt like they were all in the same boat and their waves brought all the craziness of the modeling industry.
Dealing with the Criticism
Part of having putting your family out in the public eye meant also dealing with negative criticism. Having kids do what they enjoy and be really successful at it is something that most parents crave, but sometimes people did not understand that the Clements twins wanted to be models, so Jaqi had to deal with mean comments every once in a while.
“They Look So Sad”
Jaqi explained in her blog that this comment is one of the three front runners (when it comes to negative comments) saying that they look sad in the pictures. Jaqi explained that the pictures are taken within a theme, so some shootings require them to laugh, jump, playfully interact with each other. And when the mood, theme and concept of the shoot require them to attain a high fashion look, they put on a serious face. But, when they don’t do the shootings, Jaqi assured the worried followers that the girls have a very happy childhood.
“Are They Wearing Makeup?”
This comment makes Jaqi really upset because it is not easy to explain this to someone who doesn’t understand how the industry works. She tried to compare modeling to dance recitals, where girls need to wear costumes and put on strong make up for the sake of looking like a dancer. Models, as well, need to take on a certain role. Also, once you set up a gig you have a hairstylist and a make-up artist on the spot, so the industry simply expects the girls to look their best.
“Let Them Be Kids”
When thinking about this comment, Jaqi sees it as a person who thinks they know her family so well that they could allow themselves to write such a comment. The presumption that people know the Clements so well and believe the kids should have a better childhood makes things even worse. Nowadays kids ether enjoy sports, dancing, or playing an instrument, or they stare at their iPads, play games and not socialize with anyone. Her kids enjoy sports, dance and modeling. And most importantly, it was the kids’ choice, not their parents’.
Roundtrips to LA
The criticism is one negative side of the business, but unfortunately it isn’t the only one. For Jaqi it was not so easy to adjust to a 5-6 hour drive to LA during rush hour, several times a week. It was exhausting for Jaqi, but luckily the girls were not bothered by it since they found this time useful for doing homework, or watching a movie. Luckily, Jaqi was also able to use the opportunity to teach the girls valuable life lessons, so now it works to her advantage.
Extra Expenses
Another thing that the Clements don’t like so much are the costs associated with modeling. People think that the parents just look at their kids earning money, but it seems like it’s not quite like that. Parents support their kids emotionally and financially. Filling out a gas tank, combined with eating out every time there is a shoot scheduled, mounts up to quite a lot of money. And if we add the costs of professional headshots taken for the sake of getting booked for future jobs, the total cost is even higher.
An Investment that Pays Off
Modeling costs a lot definitely, but Jaqi and Kevin put it in another perspective. If you think about it as a hobby that your kids enjoy, it’s worth it. And also it is money that they invest in them now, but in the future it might give them an opportunity to earn on their own, and use that money for their education, or a car, or a house. So, it’s definitely worth it.
HUGE Learning Experience
Even though she couldn’t thank the people who she trusted and who helped her a lot at the very beginning of the twins’ modeling career enough, in her blog, Jaqi described the worst part of the industry was trusting the wrong people. She wrote, “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.”
To Trust or Not to Trust
In order to help parents and future models, or anyone else interested in modeling, Jaqi advised to always ask people questions regarding their criminal history. Sometimes it would be useful to know whether the people have friends, or if their friends disappeared into thin air. Also, if your gut tells you not to trust them, just don’t.
Chase and Modeling
Even though there were a lot of things to worry about as a parent of an increasingly popular couple of Instagram models, modeling was mostly perceived as fun, especially for Ava and Leah. They actually enjoyed it so much that even their older brother, Chase, started showing interest in it.
Cut2thischase
Chase had already experienced commercial acting success. But, seeing how insanely popular his sisters were he decided to give modeling a try. His parents were, as always, very supportive about modeling, so Jaqi took it upon herself to create an Instagram account for Chase, under the name cut2thischase, which she would also be in charge of, just as the case with the twins.
Steady Success
Chase was also signed up with the agencies his sisters were, and so far he has done campaigns for Ross, Reebok, and many other brands. His Instagram account has a steadily growing pace of popularity with more than 60,000 followers. Seeing Chase’s and Ava’s and Leah’s photos makes one wonder about their insanely good genes.
The Good Genes
Once you see a picture of the Clements family you can’t help but think that this is one good looking family. It is no wonder that the kids turned out to be so beautiful with parents who look like this. It is no wonder that Jaqi is becoming more and more active in the modeling industry, being part of some photoshoots with the girls.
Life Lessons
Since Jaqi was determined from the start of her kids’ modeling careers to be their manager, this meant that they would spend a lot of time together, so she tried to make the best out of it. Whenever she could, she would give them valuable life lessons, since she knows that success at such a young age is rare and that it would be impossible to protect them from all the negative influence or comments, but she can at least try to prepare them for hostile environments.
Fun with Mom
Even though Jaqi tries to teach the kids how to deal with all kinds of situations, she loves having fun with the girls too. All the girls in the family love shopping and having their nails done, so when it comes to shopping it is always a girls’ adventure, as well as painting their nails. The men of the house don’t enjoy these activities, so they try to find some other way of having fun.
Fun With Dad
While the girls do their nails and enjoy shopping, Kevin and Chase love playing and watching. Kevin had a very successful swimming career, ending up 3rd in the world in the 200IM, in 2003. That’s why he has always tried to instill healthy lifestyle habits into the kids’ lives, and playing sports with Chase over weekends not only helps with setting good examples, but also strengthens their father-son bond.
Advocates of Healthy Lifestyle
Both Jaqi and Kevin have always been advocating healthy lifestyles and it’s not just talk. They really enjoy doing any form of sports activities as a family whenever they get a chance. In addition, both Kevin and Jaqi enjoy exercising, as well as their kids, who are regularly swimming, dancing and or playing basketball. As expected, they always try to promote a healthy diet with their kids.
Jaqi Modeling with the Twins
The kids had quite a knack for modeling, but their mom wasn’t doing bad either. Jaqi also started modeling with the girls for a Mommy & Me campaign. But Jaqi knows how much the girls love the spotlight, so she has always been mindful to take a back seat. She simply wants to be there for them all the time, and sometimes this means taking a few shots along the way.
A Good Year
After a year spent in the industry the girls had over 1 million followers on Instagram. They also had a blog, which was managed by Jaqi too. They had numerous collaborations with famous fashion brands and publications, and the odds were that they would have even more and bigger gigs in the future, seeing how frequently they were being contacted. So, Jaqi’s feeling about year 2017 being a good year for the girls, who celebrated their 7th birthday on July 7th, was right.
Vlog
2018 was also a year full of new adventures. The girls were still getting new exciting gigs and enjoying the center of attention, but they also started their new vlog on YouTube under the name Clements Crew. Here, their fans could follow their everyday adventures, as well as the newest campaigns they were engaged with.
Young Influencers
It was clear that Leah and Ava had a tremendous following, but no one knows what it actually meant and how it would affect their lives in the future. The topic of influencers among millennials was so interesting it intrigued the creators of the CBSN Originals documentary series. In one of the episodes, they visit 3 famous ‘kidfluenser’ families, one of them being the Clements family.
Dangers of Being an Influencer
This episode tracked the life of the kidfluencers and gave some interesting insights on the modeling industry, but also on the ever-evolving world of social media, that has a tremendous influence on people. This one episode reveals the possible perils of such a job, especially because kids are not fully aware of the whole concept.
Kids as Shows
Everybody has always admired young kids actors for the amazing skills they had to transform into another character and to adapt to performance. Nowadays, with kidfluencers it’s different because the show is the kid itself, and there is no script. No one knows where the show will take them. Luckily for the twins, Kevin and Jaqi seem to be fully aware of the dangers the business keeps in the dark and try to have them under their wing for as long as possible
SMA Partners with the Clements Twins
Jaqi and Kevin understand that exposing their kids’ lives to the public might be scrutinizing, but instead of focusing on the negative side of it they decided to use their popularity for good causes. The Clements became well aware of a condition called spinal muscular atrophy after their baby cousin was diagnosed with it when he was only 10 months old. The used their large social media presence to raise awareness about SMA, and fund the research for SMA’s groundbreaking treatments.
New Challenges for the Clements Family
The year 2017 was really good for the twins and the whole family. The year 2018 was also very consistent for them. And for the most part, 2019 was a good year for the family, including a lot of successful collaborations, SMA Cure campaign, and spending a lot of time chasing after new adventures. In October 2019, however, Kevin felt strange and since his heart rate was 85bpm he decided to go to the ER.
Pleurisy, Flu...
Since his EKG was normal, chest X-ray was clear and the blood test was also fine, Kevin was sent back home. His physician mentioned that he might have pleurisy that should heal on its own. But the next symptom Kevin had was the fever. After a couple of days, the fever did not subside so he went back to the doctor, who then told him he might have come down with the flu, even though the symptoms did not resemble those of the flu.
Kevin’s Diagnosis
It was two weeks after Kevin’s first symptoms that he tried to take a nap, but he felt his heart beat throughout his body, so they went to the ER again. This time X-ray showed signs of fluid at the bottom of his lungs. They were then waiting for the CT scan, which showed a mass in the center of his chest cavity. Long story short, it turned out to be cancer.
Thinking Positive
Kevin was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Cortical T cell acute lymphoblastic lymphoma and leukemia. The diagnosis did not sound good, but the Clements were determined that the only possible outcome for them would be for the dad of the family to fight the cancer and win. Jaqi wrote, “He loves his kids and his family too much to let it get the best of him and for anyone that knows Kevin he’s way too competitive to let something else beat him!”
Not an Ordinary Family
The Clements are definitely not an ordinary family. For example, the girls are dubbed as the most beautiful girls in the world, Jaqi wished for a boy and twin girls and got them, and as the family predicted 07/07/17 was a lucky date for the twins. Among many other obscure things that happened along the way of Jaqi and Kevin’s marriage, she knew one thing for sure - no matter what life throws at them, they would get through it.
Doing What They Usually Do
The Clements sisters are still active on their Instagram account. These days their happiest moments are when they get to see their dad who is trying to beat the cancer through therapies that last for at least 6 months. But, the whole family is trying to stay positive. As for the twins, doing what they usually do, such as unboxing videos, vlogs, taking photos, might help them focus on something else.
Hopefully a Happy Ending
With Kevin undergoing chemo, the twins’ model career, but also Chase’s interests, it has been an increasingly overwhelming period for Jaqi. But Kevin and Jaqi had already been through a lot of crazy obstacles which they were able to overcome and become stronger. She had always thought she was put to the Earth to help people. Even though this was not what she envisioned, she strongly believes their hope might turn this new challenge into an inspirational story for others with a happy ending.
