Simone "Simi" Kowalski (born 25 July 1997) is a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

fashion model A model is a person with a role either to display commercial products (notably fashion clothing in fashion shows) or to serve as an artist's model. Modelling ("modeling" in American English) entails using one's body to represent someone ...

who became known as the winner of the fourteenth cycle of ''

Germany's Next Topmodel ''Germany's Next Topmodel'' (often abbreviated as ''GNTM'') is a German reality television series based on the concept introduced by Tyra Banks with ''America's Next Top Model''. The competition is hosted by Heidi Klum, who also serves as the ...

'' in 2019. She is sometimes referred to as Simi.

Life and career

Kowalski lives in

Stade Stade (; ), officially the Hanseatic City of Stade (, ) is a city in Lower Saxony in northern Germany. First mentioned in records in 934, it is the seat of the Stade (district), district () which bears its name. It is located roughly to the wes ...

. In her youth she practiced

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competitio ...

at VfL Stade. She studies international primary school teaching. In 2019, she participated in the 14th season of Germany's Next Topmodel. In the final of the casting show, which took place on May 23, 2019 in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

ISS Dome PSD Bank Dome, originally branded ''ISS Dome'', is a multi-use indoor arena in Düsseldorf, Germany. The arena, which opened in 2006, has a maximum capacity of 15,151 and mainly hosts sports events and concerts. Usage The venue is used mostly ...

, she was chosen as the winner. She received a contract with the model agency ONEeins fab Management, prize money of 100,000 euros and a cover shoot for the fashion magazine ''

Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...

''. In 2020 Kowalski said about Germany's Next Topmodel that "it is not right that it is perceived as entertainment, how young people make each other down." She also stated, that she is not able to watch the show. In August 2022 in the wake of allegations by former participants against Germany's Next Topmodel, Simone Kowalski also spoke up as she said: "Top Model is very dangerous for today's and the previous generations! Many young women have mental trauma! Heidi says she's just being the hostess, but she has a responsibility to at least face the pain and trauma that has been inflicted on many girls!". Kowalski also teamed up with

America's Next Top Model ''America's Next Top Model'' (abbreviated ''ANTM'' and ''Top Model'') is an American reality television series and interactive competition in which a number of aspiring models compete for the title of "America's Next Top Model" and a chance to b ...

contestant

Lisa D'Amato Lisa Marie D'Amato (born October 22, 1980) is an American recording artist, fashion model and television personality from Los Angeles. She first came into the public eye as a participant on Cycle 5 of the television series ''America's Next Top M ...

to talk about her traumatic experiences with Germany's Next Topmodel. She said during the interview, that Germany’s Next Topmodel made her sick: "They took everything from me, I almost lost my family, my friends, all my money. It was inhuman - they broke me mentally. I came on the show healthy and got sick." She also said that after the show she was forced against her will to work for Heidi Klum's father. To former contestants defending the show, she says: "Good for you, but not for everyone". In her opinion, Germany's Next Topmodel should be discontinued.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kowalski, Simone 1997 births Living people German female models Germany's Next Topmodel winners People from Stade