Corrie Adamson on Reality TV, Clothes & Dating

Born and raised in Orlando, Fla., The Bachelor’s Corrie Adamson discovered her love of fashion at an early age. “I’ve always been able to tell between good and bad fabric; what’s made well and what’s not,” she says. The twenty-four year old, petite beauty followed her dream of working in fashion by enrolling in Auburn University’s fashion merchandising program. She then moved to Atlanta and landed a job at designer Nicole Miller’s Lenox Square Mall boutique. “When I was in Auburn, I knew I wanted to live in Atlanta,” she says. “My friends and I took regular shopping trips to the city, so one day when I was back home in Orlando, I decided to just pack up and move.”

Newly single and new to the city, Corrie joined a small group at Buckhead Church in order to ground herself and meet friends. “It was really hard for me at first because I moved by myself and didn’t know many people, but I met a great group of ladies through Buckhead Church and at Nicole Miller.”

THE BACHELOR
In 2009, Corrie’s best friend signed her up for The Bachelor as a joke. Corrie says she was shocked to receive a phone call from ABC requesting she submit a video for consideration. “Even at that time, I wasn’t taking it seriously.” Nevertheless, at the insistence of another friend, Corrie made the video and sent it in. Much to her surprise, the network called and invited her on the show.

“When I got there, I was secluded for a few days. I wasn’t expecting that and it was hard, but when it all started and I met the girls, I instantly connected with them. I wasn’t expecting that either,” she laughs. “I was afraid they’d be catty and untrustworthy, but instead I had 24 new friends.”

Corrie admits she and Jake did not share a love connection. “The toughest part of being on The Bachelor was my on camera time with Jake. I was never comfortable with him. There was awkwardness between us that I couldn’t get past.”

Despite her lack of chemistry with Jake, Corrie says she enjoyed her time in the house because of the connection she shared with the other women. “I was never ready to leave the girls, but when you get to the top four, you’re separated from each other. I was in the top five. So, I left at the perfect time because girl time was up.”

When asked what she gained from The Bachelor experience, Corrie says, “I met incredible people and learned a lot about myself; mainly that it’s okay that I’m not the most beautiful girl in the world. Beauty is so much more than what someone looks like. We [the girls on the show] had to deal with lots of negativity and criticism from viewers who ripped us apart; but, strangely, experiencing the hatefulness, made me even more comfortable with who I am. People love to hate, but there were also lots of sweet people who offered encouragement.”

WARDROBE CONSULTING
Currently, Corrie resides in Birmingham, Ala., where she offers wardrobe consulting and personal shopping services through her web site www.ohsodandy.com. With clients across the U.S., Corrie loves traveling to assist women with their fashion needs: “My typical client is someone who is interested in looking good, but doesn’t have the time to deal with coordinating everything and shopping, or she might be someone who has been out of the fashion loop for a while and wants to dress more modern.”

Corrie provides her services exclusively for women, but looks forward to potentially expanding her business to cater to men due to the number of inquiries she’s received since The Bachelor aired.

When asked for general fashion pointers, Corrie suggests keeping only one season’s worth of clothes in your closet. “If you have a small place like I do, you can save space by storing clothes in suitcases.”

Her most important tip, however, is to make your clothes visible. “If you don’t see it, you won’t wear it,” she says. “That goes for t-shirts, jewelry, shoes, everything. If you don’t see it, you’ll forget it’s there and you miss out on many outfit options.

DATING
If nothing else, Corrie says her stint on The Bachelor certainly helped her dating life. “Everyone knows someone they want to set me up with,” she laughs. But, this Southern virgin is choosey about who she spends her time with. “I won’t go out with just anyone. I’ve been lucky enough to date great men who respect my choice to abstain from sex until marriage.”

Though she was apprehensive about revealing her virginity on national television, Corrie says she’s glad she did. “I didn’t want it to come out because it’s personal and it doesn’t define me. I didn’t want to be known as the virgin and I didn’t want every guy who I might date in the future to know. It’s mine and I wanted to tell it. But, at the end of the day, I’m okay with it. I think God really used it to encourage other girls and women.”

Click Here to read more about Corrie’s decision and about other men and women who abstained until marriage.

Photo: Ben Vigil Photography www.benvigil.com