...Beauty, cleaning, DIY tips and more - free to join!

   Login   Contact us   Site map   Puzzle Club   Ask a question    Newsletter

Model career - is it for you?

Modelling is something that many people, mainly teenage girls, want to get into, but hardly anyone goes about it the right way. That's because they either get told the wrong way to go about things by those around them, or just don't have the right attitude to make it in modelling.
The reality of being a model is that it is a lot less glamorous than it might seem from the end product. There is loads of waiting around, adopting awkward poses, waiting and waiting for the perfectionist photographer to get the right shot. And that's when you get the job. There are also countless castings where you are not picked for the job and therefore don't earn any money, and periods where your look may be less in and there is therefore less demand for someone with your look.

All this means that to make it in modelling there is one key thing you need - an enjoyment and love of actually modelling. If you want to do it just to make money or perhaps even become famous forget it - you have to enjoy posing for the camera and not be shy in front of the camera, and you need a good attitude to those that you work with, the friendlier the better even if you have to look surly and disinterested on camera!

If you are serious about modelling, you first need to ensure that you meet the standard requirements with regard to height, and whilst there may not be official weight related guidelines for models you can tell that you need to be quite slim and slight to get into mainstream modelling, though for larger people there is always the option of plus size modelling, which is a growing area.

If you meet the height requirements, then remember another home truth about modelling. It is not people who are pretty or good looking in the orthodox sense that they go for when it comes to female models - it is rather having a unique look. Prominent bone structure is what they look for, wide spaced apart eyes, a small nose usually and as mentioned a very profound bone structure.

Therefore many girls who become great models are not particularly attractive in the orthodox sense, so if you just have a pretty face then be prepared to forget it - you need something distinctive or unusual that makes you and your look stand out.

If you have decided that you can cut it as a model you need a sales tool. This is your portfolio. It is worth investing a little in your future and getting some professional shots done by an experienced photographer, they will know how to make you look good on camera and stand out, and it will be worth getting decent shots done as these are what you will be sending to agencies.

Whilst some people do get scouted or discovered by agencies on the streets, still a large number are found by putting themselves forward and coming along to castings and sending their material to agencies.

So marketing is the next phase - send your portfolio out to agencies that you select that you know are reputable and established, and hopefully you will get invited to come along and meet them, maybe with a test shoot and potentially with the result of being put on their books. If you get that far then you have a great chance.

You also need to be realistic. If you get continual knockbacks then consider that this is telling you something - that modelling is not actually for you! Also remember that in the early days particularly it can be hard to make ends meet from modelling alone when you are not so much in demand, so many models will actually have another part time job. For instance you could do bar work or waitressing to get enough to make ends meet. Also some people do modelling part time whilst they are a student to get more money for instance.

Not that many people actually make a living from modelling alone, and realising that fact makes you see how unglamorous it actually is for the majority of people. If that hasn't all put you off then good luck, get a great portfolio, be persistent and positive, and you might have a great career in modelling ahead of you!

Becoming A Fashion Model

Author: Stephanie About the Author: More About the Author >>> | My other pages >>> Page Views: 1510 | Page Ranking: 133 Popular Tags: modelling,model advice,become a model Last Updated: Oct 30th 2006 Ask Stephanie a Question >>>

Category: Modelling [More Categories]

Questions Stephanie has Answered:

Can anyone be a model?

Anyone can try to be a model, but very few people make it. Generally you will need the specific look that the modelling world requires at that time. Apart fom plus size modelling, this generally means being very tall and very skinny, apart from for men where it is tall and muscular. The fashion world is very fickle, hard-nosed and notoriously difficult to break into. Traditional beauty is not what they are after, and models often have a distinctive look and at times androgynous.

Article Comments / Questions

Comment on this Article