Model 101: 5 Things I Wish I Knew Before I Became a Model
Intricately colorful clothes, opulent long runways, and flights to foreign countries. These three things make being a model the rare job that seems fun. But just like the clothes models are draped in, the job comes with lavish investments. None that are discussed in depth on magazine covers.
My journey into the fashion industry started before I even understood my interest. Like many, my love blossomed from shows like America’s Next Top Model and seeing beauties grace fashion magazines like Vogue or Harper’s Bazaar (Rihanna being my personal icon).
A play cousin inspired me to take a leap into the career, as she was signed to an agency in New York City. One day, she gifted my mom with a comp card that found its new home in our living room China cabinet.
I learned that a comp card was the 5.5″ x 8.5″ business card of a model. One side displayed four photos in total, one residing in each corner of thick paper. The other side, featured a model’s measurements.
There were times I walked by and whispered her measurements to myself, noting the desired size needed to be a model.
32 bust, 24 waist, 35 hip.
I began my climb into modeling at 19, once I moved out on my own. Renting a room in Paterson, NJ, and working a full-time job, my hobby became collaborating with other creatives and developing my portfolio.
It was only until years later, I learned through my mother agent my portfolio was the wrong size. It also didn’t have the correct type of content to present to an agency.
Regardless, this fact didn’t deter my casting for a Gucci show in Milan, nor my later casting for a campaign in Paris.
There was so much that I learned, not only from my mother agent but from my experience as a freelance model. After receiving DM’s from aspiring models and being asked questions in person, I finally decided to set the record straight and create an accessible guide.
This article is for the thousands of people looking to move into the modeling industry, but have absolutely no clue where to start.
Freelance VS. Agency
During my freelancing experience collaborating with other creatives, the most expensive thing was our ideas.
Wardrobe, specific makeup, and getting to location.
Thrifting unique pieces of apparel that would elevate a look, I’d contribute pieces to photoshoots. The photographer would do the same, bringing earrings they thought would compliment the agreed-upon look. Or bring another outfit to capture different energy. The total barely touching $100, if done frugally.
I produced my own portfolio book with all the photoshoots I worked on, printing the photos at the one quality Walgreens in my hometown. Eventually, I purchased my own domain and website to reach a further audience, hosting a digital portfolio.
When the opportunity for paid work came — I submitted myself to castings online and in-person. This encouraged growth developing a network of working creatives.
On the flip side, an agency delivers street cred and higher quality gigs from the jump. It also delivers hosting your portfolio on the agency website and comp cards to take on castings.
Both come at a price.
Things you wouldn’t know until you’ve received the contract for an agency. If you’re a newer model with not much work under their belt, be prepared to work for what are called ‘test shoots’ to build your portfolio. These are photoshoots specifically designed to help you get more quality work in your portfolio and to showcase your strengths to potential clients. There are also other fees attached, depending on how new you are to modeling or if you sign with an agency overseas.
The immediate difference between being a freelance model vs. an agency-signed model is who is responsible for what. When you’re freelance, everything is on your back. You negotiate your own rates, source your own jobs, and secure the payment once a job is complete.
The team is you.
When I started out, I was freelance simply because all of the open calls I attended for modeling agencies were a failure. And there was no way I was letting someone else tell me no when I looked in the mirror and recognized my potential.
This is when I went to my greatest resource: the Internet.
I googled the things that made a model, and what was the best way to market yourself to get your foot on a set. My research concluded with having a portfolio, a physical resource of previous work that can be presented to interested agencies. I built myself on this, along with networking with creatives I hand-picked to work with.
Instagram still remains a great platform for finding photographers, makeup artists, stylists, etc. because people always posted their work. Essentially, Instagram is a virtual portfolio for creatives who are potentially open to creating with little to no budget.
Once I signed up with an agency, I realized all the behind-the-scenes work I became accustomed to no longer applied. My agency directly dealt with clients who were interested in working with me. My mother agent negotiated contracts and made sure there weren’t conflicting travel schedules. If a client was late with a payment, my agent worked on expediting its arrival. All of this seems incredible, especially if you’re picking up a lot of work and feel overwhelmed with how to handle it all.
But unlike working for yourself, an agent makes a contract to stipulate the particulars of what is expected between all parties involved. Your hands become wiped clean of your previous responsibilities, and morph into a new life. Regardless of the responsibility transferring, it’s still your image, your work, that is being marketed and handled by someone else.
This is the time to read the contracts your agency has approved, and make sure you approve of them too.
If you are receiving clients you have no interest in working with, you can communicate with your team and let them know what your interests are. Otherwise, they’ll never know and you’ll be doing work you aren’t happy with.
Regardless of being a freelance model or an agency-signed model, your future is in your hands.
It’s important to make that known with the teams you encounter during every phase of modeling you’re in.
Self-Advocacy
This leads to the next point: self-advocacy.
Depending on what room you’re in, speaking up for yourself can feel unfathomable. But that fear is exactly why you need to stand-up for yourself, especially in an uncomfortable circumstance.
If you’re a freelance model, then you quite literally have no choice but to speak. Otherwise, you may subject yourself to a behavior you don’t want replicated on set.
As a model, it’s ideal to protect your mental and physical from harm. There’s no one who will do it for you, however much you look towards the crew to speak up on your behalf.
This topic only becomes sticky if who you’re speaking towards holds a position of power.
It’s too easy to get blackballed in the modeling industry. Whether its a casting director who finds you ‘difficult’ or a designer who only wants to see you naked for their work, don’t let anyone dictate what is and isn’t appropriate for you.
Even if the fallout involves getting fired from a job, remember its infinitely better to get the respect you deserve while working.
Modeling involves trust on both sides, and when that is betrayed, you need to exit the situation as quickly and safely as possible. This is true, regardless of what your gender identity is.
As an agency-signed model, you have the resource of communicating with your agent in real-time about anything that brings you discomfort on set. If your agent genuinely cares about your safety, they will direct you to securely leave the set and deal with the client directly, on your behalf.
Never feel as if the client is too paramount or the pay too exceptional that you ignore yourself.
You are the biggest asset you can have while working as a model, so stay in tuned with your boundaries and ensuring you work with ethical teams.
Levels of Rejections
With new fashion brands coming to the forefront, there’s an acceptance of diverse body sizing and varied hues.
Even as this rings true, there are still casting directors who overbook the same pale, slender models for campaigns and runways.
When I first started, I couldn’t give two fucks about what anyone else in a casting looked like. My confidence stemmed simply from knowing that my physical vessel wasn’t something I chose at birth, but was handed down to me from my ancestors who walked this earth before me.
But the more casting rooms I was overlooked in, the more insecurities began to swell inside me. The constant no’s made me look hard in mirrors, pinching and prodding the parts that stuck out of my skinny jeans.
In a handful of years, I stopped recognizing my worth beyond just my physical. 5 pounds gained would cause me to feel 20 pounds heavier, 20 more reasons why I wasn’t good enough to be a model.
This was a time when a multitude of New York modeling agencies rejected signing me. I was experiencing a life that made me question if I was on the right path or wasting my time.
So when an aspiring model DM’s me and wants to know how to become a model , I really want to say don’t.
Don’t — unless you have a significantly strong support system. Don’t — unless you have the ability to have rejection blow past you like a momentary gust of wind. Don’t — unless you can handle the struggle of not knowing where you’re next check will come from.
Modeling is an absolutely enjoyable time. It gifts you opportunities for all-expense paid travel, meeting different cultures of people, and getting outside your comfort zone each time a camera is present.
But modeling is also a clusterfuck of a time.
You walk into rooms, sometimes damn near naked, and have multiple eyes judging you for parts you can’t minimize. Your worth is boiled down to your looks, sometimes along with your social media following. It’s a job that is drenched in biased beauty trends and racist ideologies.
Take away the glitz and glamour of modeling, you have no health insurance, no guaranteed income.
It’s a constant battle of working for a Ferris wheel of rejections.
Modeling forces a mental fortification of self that is seldom taught, and is often hard-learned. A job with an unstable income requires you to invest hundreds in portfolios and test shoots before you’ve made a penny.
The journey to my dream has been coated by blessings of happy coincidences.
You can thrive being a model, only if you’re ready for the criticism that comes with castings. Going to 10 castings, and only booking one gig. It’s a toll that one experiences within the industry, regardless of how established you are.
Some days are harder than others, while other days are an absolute breeze. There are times when even after booking a gig, you will be replaced or fired for something you can’t control.
Support System
Previously, I worked in a photo studio, surrounded by photographers who wanted to stretch and strengthen their creative muscles. If traveling from northern New Jersey to Brooklyn was too expensive for me, I took advantage of collaborating with local photographers.
With the little money I had, I invested in photoshoot-ready outfits and studied YouTube videos to learn how to do my own makeup. I made a lot with a little and made it a habit to work with creatives who were like-minded.
This is where I developed an understanding support system.
The more I modeled, the more I realized that being able to talk to friends and other creatives was deeply important to me.
To have people understand the trials and tribulations I was subjected to made my journey easier.
If you’re playing around with the idea of becoming a model or have already dipped your toe in, this is one non-negotiable thing. You need to surround yourself with people who will uplift you when you can’t for yourself. For me, this was even more important because I was 19 and estranged from the majority of my family.
My dad told me modeling was a waste of my time. But the truth was, anything I was willing to put my mind to — wasn’t.
Family of any kind, blood or chosen, will prove to be invaluable for the years you are a model. Having the ability to reach out through text or phone call will help uplift your spirits in ways unimaginable. Hold the people you care about near and they will return the same love back.
The fashion industry, even with all its drawbacks, gave me a confidence and strength that I never had before.
But even with that new-grown confidence, it was still hard to bounce back from days filled with rejections. A quick call or text to a friend or fellow creative changed the playing field to be more equal.
It helps to have others around that ground you to the reality that you are bigger than the rejections you face.
The levels of rejection you face while modeling does not define your worth as an individual. Surround yourself with people who make sure to always remind you of that beautiful fact.
I wrote this article to be honest about the unseen pitfalls of modeling, but also to describe the ways the industry is still growing. I hope that things will change for models of the next generation and they will be able to walk this journey with less heartache.
A path that will lead to growth and won’t be a waste of their precious youth and limited resources.
More Money, More Problems — Taxes, Savings, Medical Insurance
As fun as modeling is, the shit ain’t cheap. Regardless of your agency representation status, money will be needed in order to flourish.
What isn’t relayed to models new to the game: It’s on you to save for taxes.
Unless told to you by whoever is signing the check, taxes aren’t taken out as you’re an independent contractor.
This means you are self-employed.
This may be confusing, as you were hired by someone else to complete a service however, this is how modeling works. No one will be hiring you as an employee, even if the client hires you repeatedly for the same modeling service.
As a model, you will be subject to self-employment tax for every year you model.
There are resources online that make the process of saving from each check, figuring out how much to save, and how to properly file taxes easy and pain-free.
If you’ve modeled in the United States, my favorite resource is the IRS website. They have pages dedicated to independent contractors who need more education on how to handle their tax obligations.
Due to the unsteady nature that is modeling, it’s equally important to create a way for consistent savings. Whether this is through a part-time job, or booking big paying gigs, you’ll want to create a fund to fall on when hard time comes (because they unfortunately will).
The same thing goes for securing medical insurance. As an independent contractor, no one provides any type of insurance. This means, if you’re sick and don’t have coverage, you’re fucked. But if you’re under 26 and privileged enough to be under your parent’s insurance, take advantage.
That privilege provides a bridge of time that’ll save you stress and money.
For whatever reason, if medical insurance isn’t something attainable for you currently, search for resources that help independent contractors. Similar to taxes, there are wells of information that’ll help point you in the right direction.
Model Alliance is a non-profit initiative that highlights ways models can empower themselves within the industry. If you’ve located in NYC, their website may help you with resources for your modeling journey.
Instead of hoping for the best, create the best for yourself.
If you’re still reading this article and haven’t been dissuaded, then fuck yes!
The best advice I can bestow upon all aspiring models is to put on your armor before your step out to castings, before your even step outside your bedroom door. Whether you have family support or are the sole person who believes you can grace a runway, know that you can do it with persistence and resolute consistency.
Find your tribe of creatives that help keep your creative juices flowing and never be scared to step on the other side of your comfort zone. Be open to new experiences but also take the time to learn about things you don’t know about (modeling is still a business!). Lessen the times people can take advantage of you. Whether you’re under the age of 18 or over the age of 40, embrace who you are and don’t change it for any job or any agency.
And lastly, remember: Comparison is the thief of joy and no one on the earth is the same as you. Embrace that wholeheartedly and unashamedly.
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