By Yeritza Mejia
Now more than ever, the modeling world is in the media spotlight. It is portrayed as a glamorous, fancy career which is all about expensive clothing and shoes, meeting important, famous people, chasing fame and recognition, earning a lot of money and traveling the world. But ask yourself: what is the personal cost of all this? What challenges might a young model have to face and deal with in order to be successful?
To be a model, one must be discovered by a person whose eye for talent is respected by the industry. Although modeling schools can give you poise and makeup tips, being discovered and placed with an agency that likes your particular “look”, doesn’t really require school, prior experience, or a photo portfolio of any kind. Sara Ziff was discovered by a famous photographer at the age of 17 when she was walking down the street after school. Kate Moss was lucky enough to be noticed at John F. Kennedy airport by Sarah Doukas, the founder of Storm Model Management, when Kate was only fourteen. Nadya Vallon showed up to an open casting call one day and was asked to be a model at the clueless age of 13!
When one is young, tall, and skinny, being a model seems to be a fantasy and becoming one may first appear like a dream come true. One starts by working photo-shoots and runways, but it’s when the travelling starts that one’s modeling career really begins. One might become sad due to separation from his/ her family for a great amount of time. The excitement of becoming a model remains the stronger emotion. One might anticipate a glamorous life full of fame, money, free clothes, and more, but the reality is different. Instead, one lives in a crowded “model apartment” with other models and/or with one’s booker. For young female models, living with the person who “books” your jobs, often a man who is much older and who initially was sweet and polite can turn into a nightmare. If he is a person of bad character he has the opportunity to sneak into a model’s room at night and rape her. Even if other models also live there he may try to take advantage of the situation because models come and go on different schedules and few new models dare to challenge the person who helps her get work.
Photographers can be another dangerous part of this story. During a photo-shoot, they may become excited and ask for sexual favors. This request is something that models will not deny right-away, for he or she will give it a thought if the photographer is famous. Having sex with a famous photographer might take one to the moon, ruin one’s career, or end one’s life. Horror stories and rumors circulate within this industry. Some aspiring models have been abused, raped, sold as prostitutes, or assassinated. Many of these models come from poor families in the smaller towns of Eastern Europe or America.
How will the challenges of a modeling career affect them physically, emotionally, and mentally? Although one is already working as a model, one is still compared to other models. A model might become bulimic or anorexic. During the day a model travels from one fashion show or photo-shoot to another, and he or she can work as many as ten runways in two days. The result of such schedules is a lack of food or rest which is harmful.
While preparing to walk runways, a model is like a robot or a Barbie doll, trying to do her job with complete absence of feeling. Behind the stage, it’s always crowded with people: models, photographers, designers, makeup artists, and hairstylists. Models don’t always realize how hot it can get backstage or how dizzy they feel until they faint.
To bring this story to a close, I want to bring your attention to a quote from model Sara Fizz, whom I mentioned earlier: “Fashion is a world of illusion. Is it so great being in a magazine? This is a world of designers and skinniness… It’s like being under a spell.”
Fashion is not always what we think it is. There is a lot of suffering behind the pretty faces, the fame, the recognition, and the money which is made. If you really want to be a model, you must be ready for all the high-pressure changes, challenges and tests that will come your way. Modeling is an intense life, but if you’re sure that you can do it, then I wish you good luck.