"Average White Person Syndrome"

Wednesday night I had dinner with my Aunt, sister, Mom and niece. After dinner we saw Sweeny Todd at Gammage. Not the movie, the play. I will say it certainly was NOT Mama Mia, nor was it Color Purple, but I can appreciate the talents that went to put on that show, but I don't want to appreciate again, at least anytime soon.
During dinner we were laughing and enjoying dinner and wine, well except for sister and niece. I ask my niece how her college search is going, does she have anything planned yet and she says she has two picked out, but has to retest SATS. Why I ask and she says she got the most average score possible and continues to say "I have average white person syndrome" I laughed and said "What there are no scholarships for average white people?" and she says "No."
I thought about that expression later and thought, man how many of us have that syndrome?
I never, nor have ever, win anything for being exceptional. I played viola for 5 years yet never moved up beyond 4th chair, out of 5 (!) in all those 5 years. I played basketball and although I excelled in Junior Varsity, I never even played on the varsity team. I quit Senior year, but if I was that good, I would have played Varsity Sophomore year, if not that than definitely my Junior year.
Academics, not even close. I did beat out my classmates in the 4th and 5th grade and got to be in the spelling bee, but I cracked on the first word in both bees.
I think that is why when I was getting good jobs modeling I was always shocked. I never, ever, was chosen above others for anything, so then when I was chosen out of 100's for jobs I could never wrap my head around it. I always thought I got lucky.
Watching American Idol Tuesday night I was taken back to a casting I had in NYC that I had totally forgotten about until I heard David Cook sing "Always be my Baby".
In New York it is totally common to walk into a room with hundreds of other models (cattle calls). Castings like Nike, Clinique, Bongo, this was the 90's, were packed with tall, skinny girls holding their book under their arms. So I was not surprised to walk into a casting, that all I knew about it was it was a music video, packed full. What I was not expecting was all the people in leotards, stretching out. I broke out in a sweat. Holy sh!t! This is a dance audition? I started looking for the door when I saw a few other tall skinnys standing in the corner. I walk to them, is this a model casting? They say, "I think so" as we all look nervous. Because as we all know tall skinnys aren't the most coordinated folks around. So I get called back, they look at my book. Have me stand and pretend I am in a field in the sun and looking happy. It was odd. They told me they thought I was perfect, but never heard back from them.
I never thought of that casting again until a few months later I see a Mariah Carey video to the song "Always be my baby" and I see models hanging out with Mariah in a field in the sun, happy and smiling. I said, "dammit!" Thinking that would have been a kick ass job. But seriously I hadn't thought about any of that until Tuesday night.
I had no idea where I was going with this blog and not sure where it went. Sorry. I really should plan things out a little bit more.