Maybe you've dreamed of gliding down the catwalk in Milan, with flashbulbs popping all around and hundreds of people focusing on your grace and beauty. With the closets of your Paris apartment stuffed full of expensive designer clothing, you fly back to New York, just in time to catch a party attended by your famous celebrity friends.
Regardless of the prevailing stereotypes, you need smarts to break into modeling. Those same smarts will also help you realize that your chances of becoming the sort of supermodel who lands multimillion-dollar endorsements are only a little better than your chances of being killed by a charging rhinoceros--even if you're beautiful. The success stories are few; even models represented by the best agencies in the world often take other work to supplement their income. There are several different types and levels of modeling, and if your expectations are realistic, you needn't feel discouraged.
There are many different kinds of models, including child models, plus-size models and parts models--like those hands you see in all of those diamond-ring ads. Fashion models must usually conform to rather rigid physical criteria, but there are other models called "real-life models," who are often also actors. They are just what the name suggests: ordinary-looking people used in catalogs and commercials to represent someone the average consumer can identify with. The white-haired guy with the potbelly on the golf resort billboard is a real-life model. If it turns out that you aren't quite what they're looking for in a fashion model, this might be your path to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
If you've got your heart set on being a cat-walking high-fashion model, though, you need to know what it takes.
If you're female, you should be between 15 and 22 years old, though probably closer to 15. Models don't have careers that last overly long, so agencies tend to want to invest their time in someone young. You should also be tall, long-legged and lean. The minimum height is usually about 5-foot-8, and the average weight for a model is 108 to 125 lbs. These characteristics are partly aesthetic and partly practical: This type of frame looks good on the runway and in front of the camera, and a somewhat scrawny build drapes clothing nicely and ensures a good fit in the standard wardrobe. There are always exceptions to the rule, of course--Kate Moss is 5-foot-7 and Gabrielle Reece is 6-foot-3--but, in general, the closer you are to the industry norm, the better your chances.
If you're male, you can start out a little later--roughly between the ages of 18 and 25. They won't want you to look too childish. A man's modeling career usually lasts longer than a woman's, and since 10-year-old boys more often dream of blowing things up than strutting the Hugo Boss runway, this side of the business tends to be less competitive as well. Average dimensions for a male model are a height of 5-foot-11 to 6-foot-2 and a weight of 140 to 165 lbs. You should also be fit--not bulging with muscles, but definitely healthy.
Of course, if you have all of these qualifications, you're also going to need clear skin, perfect teeth and your own brand of je ne sais quoi.
Comments
starlet67 said
on 3/14/2009 This article really uncovers the truth about breaking into the modeling scene!5*