I have been requested to write an article about modeling for a column in the school magazine. how do I go about it? blah blah blah........brainstorming...... and B-A-MMMM , people's perception about the modelling world got me inspired :))
I’m 5 feet 9 inches tall and in the modeling world, that's a shrimp. People keep telling me I'm tall but wait till you see my female model friends. They’re standing at an impressively 6 feet 1 inches tall = 185.42 centimeters! I had always had modeling in the back of my mind. People have always come up to me and said 'are you a model or have you ever thought about pursuing modeling?’. Despite what people keep telling me, I'd never thought about pursuing modelling myself now. I have friends from both genders would come up to me and ask ‘how to become a model?’. Alright you have great looks that can turn heads while you’re walking on public place and great portfolio but that is not enough at all. The model should possess strong will power and confidence to hunt for right opportunity with a determination to work harder and harder. You must be stronger from inside your attitudes, mannerism, communications skills, and patience can put you on the desired place in the industry. Never think that modeling is full of glamour, but if you look in to rationally it is not just glamour as it seems from outside. When you see a beautiful model wearing great smile, there is a lot of hard work behind it from the model itself to full fill the clients, photographers and creative people set objectives. Throughout the fashion week, I was doing back-to-back shows. Sounds glamorous? Well, it looks glamorous, but behind the scenes is chaos! Make up, off, then on, then off and on again, hair extensions glued-in, hair ironed, teased, poked, prodded - the constant preening takes its toll and there’s no time to zone out.
A little guidance to your first steps toward becoming one. “Well, I think I could be a model, but I’m too short/tall/fat/thin/ethnic/....” First, the bad news. Some types of modeling do have pretty rigorous requirements. For instance, runway fashion models need to be tall and preferably slender. If you’re not at least 5'7" or more, the odds of your getting work doing runway fashion are not good. There are exceptions – Kate Moss, for instance, is only 5'6". But exceptions do not disprove rules. Modern haute couture show-fashion is designed to look good on tall, slender models (although this is changing.) If you aren’t tall and slender, the clothes won’t look good on you. If the clothes don’t look good on you, the designers won’t want you to wear them. That’s life. It’s nothing personal. Now the good news. Runway fashion is a tiny, tiny fraction of all the modeling work in the world. Think about it: which do you see more often, pictures of Tyra Banks in a New York fashion show, or pictures of attractive people in everyday settings doing fairly ordinary things to try to get you to buy something or otherwise catch your interest? Commercial, print, casual and editorial work, let alone glamour and art photography, constantly require a huge number of interesting, attractive people of all shapes and sizes for modeling duties. And in today’s market-driven, targeted advertising world, every advertiser with a customer base – tall, short, fat, thin, ethnic, you name it – tries to appeal to its target demographic by using models who look like them, only maybe just a little more attractive.
Well, there is also a very ugly side of modelling. Models are constantly being told to lose weight or gain weight. They are also rejected a lot for jobs. If you can't handle REJECTIONS without taking it personal then modeling is not for you! Also, if you're actually doing some modeling, be careful of "agents," "photographers," "model scouts," whatever. Make sure you bring your mom or your friend with you. Watch out for the sickos out there. Never pay to be in a photo shoot! They should be paying you. If you're serious about becoming a model, then you might want to invest in a modeling class session. You will learn a lot from these, and you will network with the professional models that teach the classes, and the amateur models just like you. Just make sure the organization is licensed so that you don't waste your money. Beware of agency scams, they will usually ask for money up front. If you don't have the money for classes, there are a lot of books, shows, and mentors out there that will help you. When you go to auditions, be extremely careful. Don't go to auditions posted in the "Jobs" section of the news paper. In reality just start contacting legitimate agencies and go to their open calls. If you are what the market is looking for, they will give you a call back. Models carry themselves with an air of confidence, not an air of cockiness! Don't think you're better than everyone, don't get too wrapped up in yourself. Open your eyes to the world and find opportunities. Good Luck !
