UPSIDES AND DOWNSIDES OF MODELING

The competition for the really high paying jobs in modeling has brought the profession to a new level, both for the astounding money to be earned and the ages of the models. You often find females as young as thirteen who are completely on their own in cities like New York, Paris, and Los Angeles. These models are often from tiny communities where trust and family values were honored. They now find themselves in the sink-or-swim world of professional modeling. Some of the more reputable agencies have addressed this issue by offering housing dormitory-style to some of their novice models. But too often a young girl on her own finds trouble in the form of unscrupulous agents, photographers, and others near the industry who see the weakness of the wannabe model and will try to take advantage of the situation. Burned-out teenage girls are endless victims of the missed brass ring on the carousel of modeling. Some of the young male models are destroyed as well, but their numbers are many times fewer.

The successful females who have risen to the top are not without their own problems. Not unlike many professions, the big money is the opiate of the model; hooked and trying to find meaning in a totally illusionary world, she is addicted. If you can discipline yourself to use the earnings from modeling to further yourself in a more in-depth career, it is often more rewarding. If celebrity and big money are the ends in themselves, you may find that happiness is often elusive. With this in mind, and presuming that you are fairly realistic about modeling, the following are some of the day-to-day pros and cons of the trade.

No matter how glamorous the life of the professional model looks to the observer, it is still a much disciplined job. Modeling has been promoted as a luxurious style of stardom and has an aura of ease, fun, excitement, and instant prestige. It has truly been the path to super riches and status for a few super models annually. It is often that promise of success and popularity that entices the young to seek modeling careers. Hearing from the models themselves gives a bit of insight into the realities of the daily down-to-earth work.


 
THE ADVANTAGES

• "The money is terrific. Nobody would think of paying me the kind of money that I make as a model, so I plan to stick with it as long as I can."
  
  
• "The best part is getting to go 'on location' because it's usually somewhere pretty exotic, and it was out of the question that I'd ever get to see any of these places before I got to be a model. I've been to Italy and Japan, and Greece is a possibility."
  
  
• "Just having been a model for as long as I have been was an experience that no one could take away from me. It was kind of an education in itself."
  
  
• "It does have a lot of prestige in certain circles, and the contacts are great."
  
  
• "Some people think that it's a pretty glamorous job, and I agree with them! My lifestyle is so different now."
  
  
• "I love wearing all the beautiful, and some pretty weird things, too. It's theater on its own level."
  
  
• "I just happened to be lucky. My girlfriend and I started out together, and even though she is really a beauty naturally, I'm the bigger success because I wanted it so much more."
  
  
• "You get a lot of self-confidence from working as a model. Between the rejection and the praise it can be a little much, but it keeps you going if your head is where it should be. I know that I'm a good model and that it's hard work. It gives me self-satisfaction."
  

THE DISADVANTAGES

• "You always have to promote yourself. Your agency sends you out on a go-see, and the rest is up to you."
  
  
• "You always have to be 'up,' and even after days of being told that you're not the person for that particular job, you can't let yourself feel dejected. It's all part of the game."
  
  
• "You never know how long a client will want you to represent the product. It's a real day-to-day risk."
  
  
• "I never can eat whatever I'd like. I have to think of the deprivation tomorrow if I have pizza tonight."
  
  
• "The hardest thing is that I can't go out to parties. I really have to be in bed early, and it really shows up on the camera if you haven't had at least eight to nine hours of sleep."
  
  
• "I'm really torn between continuing my modeling and getting a degree that I know I'll need very soon. The money is great right now, but I'll have to be behind all my friends if I put off my college until later."
  
  
• "It's hard to be in a profession where you know that you'll be a has-been by the time you're twenty-two."
  
  
• "It really is extremely hard work, and everyone who's never modeled somehow thinks that the end result was gotten by my standing around looking pretty."
  
  
• "I think that I really miss my sense of privacy most. That is the price you pay for notoriety."
  
  
• "You just have to be there at the right time. It's been really frustrating!"
  
  
• "The stress is incredible! I feel guilty if I'm tired."
  
  
• "Go-sees are really nerve-racking. It would be great to get all of your work through recommendation."
  
  
• "New York is a hard market to crack. You have to be a strong person. It's a vicious business, and you have to sift through it. You have to see it for what it is."
  
  
• "You have to provide your clothing. They do not give you the clothes that you model. That's just not true."
  
  
• "The fact that you never know that you will definitely have work worries me. I want to know that I'll be able to meet my bills. So many of us are out there now."
  
  
• "It's the kind of work where you just don't meet anyone to date. My hours and the fact that I work with mostly women can make life a little lonely."
  
  
• "The worst part for me is seeing how great the more seasoned models' books are. It'll take me a long time to get my photographs up there."
  
  
• "The discipline is really rigid. I wish that I could take a break from my diet, exercise program, and daily schedule, but if I'm not visible, there are just so many other girls who are dying for the work that I can't relax!"
  
  
• "My boyfriend accuses me of being self-centered. I know that modeling is a twenty-four-hour job, and if I don't watch out for my future jobs, nobody else will. We fight a lot about how much time my work takes me away from our relationship, but I really want to model, and I hope that we can stay together, too."
  
  
• "Sometimes the jobs are really boring. I try to pretend that they aren't by thinking of other things, but you have to keep your mind on what's going on so that you're responsive. It's only good when you're getting a variety of work, and that doesn't always happen."
  
  
• "I find that New York is so unhealthy compared to my native state, and I would give anything to be able to have my career in modeling back in the Midwest. I know that's just impossible, but I'll stick it out here for a while longer because the money is so unbelievable."
  
  
• "It's hard to put up with some of the temperaments of the designers, stylists, and even some of the other models, but personality conflicts can be a problem in any line of work."