I. Modelling as an Engineer
Last weekend I asked on Instagram what you wanted to hear in my reflective piece. There were so many good questions I figured I’d let them guide this piece — so thank you for writing this with me.
Why I Started
What got you into it? What made you start modelling?
Part 1.
While the rest of the world was enthralled with America’s Next Top Model, 16-year-old-me discovered Asia’s Next Top Model (AsNTM). In the midst of insecure puberty, I couldn’t help but be captivated by the creative beauty and poise these models exuded on screen and desire the same for myself. It didn’t help that I was your stereotypical ‘tall, skinny girl’; overzealous aunties have always cooed model when I sauntered past the dining table.
Despite auntie approval, my first attempt at modelling was a sad flop. I applied to the next cycle of AsNTM and got a response — then got ghosted. I applied to Sutherlands’ modelling agency in Toronto — and was ignored. At the end of it I was oddly relieved: I had zero confidence, no idea how to do makeup, dressed awfully, and was in general underwhelming in front of the camera.
I also eventually clued in on the blatant lack of Asian representation. Every agency I looked at had a lovely suite of Vogue faces: defined cheekbones, perfect hair, and white complexion. In my AsNTM application, I was asked who my favourite model was — and had to do a quick Google before landing on Liu Wen, one of the two Asian models you might know by name. Up until then I didn’t feel ‘race’ was a barrier, having grown up in a sheltered suburb.
My peak performance was a single photo-shoot I did with my sister, mum, and family friends that racked me my very first 100+ like photo on Facebook. After that I knew of no other avenue I could explore, and the ones I already sauntered down became dead-ends. So, I graduated high school a regular kid. My first year university roommate introduced me to the world of Victoria Secret fashion shows, and I was infatuated again enough to apply to the Fashion for Change show at UWaterloo. This was my first ‘real’ photo-shoot and fashion show. I did not enjoy it.
Part 2.
My love with modelling faded until my final year of engineering, when I had a glorious, freedom-filled schedule. The world was also screaming diversity as loud as social media could. This opportunity crossed paths with a renewed sense of,
Holy sh*t, I’m not getting any younger.
Followed by a stress-cookie and a dose of,
Holy sh*t, I’m not getting any skinnier.
I decided there was no better time to be a model if I ever wanted to be one: so I applied my Engineering Problem-Solving Skillsᵀᴹ to this conundrum.
How did you start?
- Google.
- Set a budget.
- Set a deadline.
- Learn makeup.
- Buy makeup. Unpopular opinion: f#$% you, Sephora.
- Buy clothing basics.
- Apply to 10 agencies.
Starting
I applied to 26 agencies.
Here is my (filtered) spreadsheet.
And here is the censored ‘Updates’ column, scrambled:
Highlights include ‘too many Asians’ (the agency had 2), ‘needs Asians’, and “you aren’t right for us”. Not pictured is “you’re too old for runway”.
Details, details, details
Most unexpected challenge?
Scams.
What Elle covers don’t expose is the clusterf@#$ of lies in this industry. Half of the rows from my table are scams, or the agency is so sketchy I would only use them in art class. There are countless people who prey on the dreams of hopefuls, many of whom don’t realize you don’t need to throw $1400 at an ‘agency’ for a comp-card and miscellaneous ‘fees’.
The strangest part is the lack of infrastructure to fend against this garbage; most of my reconnaissance was from mothers complaining on poorly-formatted online forums.¹ I had an astronomically difficult time differentiating between falsehood and the real deal, and I’m not one to fall for phishing emails. Unfortunately, some agencies might classify only as ‘sh*tty’ because they can’t get you jobs, or the paycheque on time — if at all.
Predatory photographers are also rampant in the space.² Despite all my precautions even I interacted with one.³ Here, I depended on an unofficial Facebook group of fellow models.
The cherry on top is your standard social media creep who takes advantage of your public profile on Instagram. I won’t post them here, but there are some really upsetting screenshots I’ve seen from other models’ interactions.
At the end of the day, I was guided largely by gut intuition.
In case it isn’t obvious, I am really upset by this. I dodged so many bullets and applied so many survival lessons, I can’t imagine how anyone else wouldn’t get hit by something along the way. There are really young girls in this space. If I came into this when I was an eager 16 year-old I know I would’ve tripped. These experiences have made me incredibly thankful for the levels of professionalism I’ve seen in engineering.
[1] Movement to mention: https://modelalliance.org/
[2] If you click on the article, you might recognize Cameron Russell from her TED talk.
[3] One that I am aware of. Thankfully not as a direct victim.
What requirements are needed for modelling?
To answer the question, there aren’t exact requirements because as a whole, modelling encompasses a large range of jobs and therefore individuals. One of the exciting things I learned about the industry is that there are so many varieties of modelling. To name a few:
- Fashion; which many of us are familiar with
- Lifestyle; the kind you see in retirement-home ads
- Parts; like hands wearing rings in jewelry ads
And then each manifests into what I like to call mediums, to name a few:
- Runway shows; like New York Fashion Week
- Commercial print; like in brochures or websites
- Creative; mostly artistic concepts
Logistically, you need to have a free and flexible schedule, along with transportation. Contrary to popular belief, professional shoots are quite a 9–5 operation. They can occur anywhere (I’ve driven 4-hrs to shoots before), and you need to be available for castings, fittings, and the shoot itself — meaning at least three days for a professional job.
What is the reality of body type standards? Are there pressures to be skinnier?
I will say that being a tall, skinny, Asian girl has been incredibly useful, and in some cases, a necessary qualification.
In fashion, being 5'-8½" ¹ and having a 25" waist wiggled me into some dresses; being 5'-9" with a 23" inch waist would’ve gotten me into more. I personally haven’t been told to lose weight, but I’ve heard stories. However, I can’t say I’ve personally seen anyone in the space who might objectively classify past a ‘healthy weight’.
I’ve have noticed face-type standards. I don’t think I can name a top model that doesn’t have Greek statue cheekbones and noses, in any ethnicity. Like, I need to be able to see your skull. I, on the contrary, have rotund cheeks and a flat nose bridge — not prime fashion model material.
[1] At first I didn’t know my actual height because I really was never measured. When I said “about five-nine?” to an agency, they took me to a wall and measured me, then responded: “well, you’re actually 5’-8.5”. And honestly, that’s too short for us.” I got measured on a different day at a doctors’ office afterwards, and I was 5’ 9”. So, jokes on them!
Is the industry racist?
Ha, yes. But there are two sides to this.
While in engineering your resume is filled with what coding languages you have, or the tech suite you work with, your qualifications in modelling are your physical features. To illustrate, below are two legitimate job postings from engineering vs. modelling:
Notice that the last paragraph in the engineering role is pretty much wholly countered by the modelling job’s description. And this is fine. Qualifications like this probably even landed me my first paid job: I was an “international college student”.
The Flip Side
It does frustrate me when ‘diversity’ means hiring the same handful of ethnic models available.¹ Again, and again. This is not to discredit the strong, resilient women who have blazed through this industry to get where they are, because I would sing hallelujah to them.
This is because I know there are so many more out there that are not in the space because there is no room for them – and for the ones in it, how difficult it is to get off the ground. Of course my personal observations were that the ethnic ratios are pretty off, but apparently NYFW is improving — contrary to its European counterparts.
It also frustrates me when there is no accommodation for ethnicity. I’ve had several occasions where the hairstylist didn’t have black bobby pins. Or the makeup artist had no clue how to get eye shadow to show properly on my eyelids.
[1] It’s also comically frustrating when I get confused with the one other Asian on set.
What is the most difficult part about a modelling job?
1. Getting Money
I think the latest COVID19-induced societal shutdowns paint a tragically clear image of the lack of job security. Modelling, as with many of its counterparts, is gig-based. If you can’t find jobs, you don’t have them. If your jobs don’t pay, you can’t buy toilet paper. Money is more the exception than the norm .There’s this lovely phrase that frequents the creative space: “exposure doesn’t pay bills”.
This is ever true for models, with shoots and contracts being delayed or cancelled because of the virus outbreak.
When I signed with my agency, I was flat out told that I wouldn’t be able to live off what I made from modelling. (Thankfully I can live off engineering). I think that unless you’re a top-tier model — which I definitely was not — you really can’t make a living.
And then there’s always the trouble of actually getting paid what you deserve… as a model you don’t get exposure to the negotiation process. Before you, the money goes through designers, agencies, agencies of agencies… Even I’ve had a questionable run-in with getting paid the full amount I earned.
2. Getting Anything Else
Most of my shoots or shows were “TFP” (Time for Photos). Still, I was lucky if I got usable photos. Luckier still if I got any level of real exposure. The bottom tier of the pyramid is riddled with lack of accountability or deadlines. Of course, I think this also comes around to who you work with.
To circle back to the commentary on “race” I think there was also very little opportunity for “Asian” in conventional western fashion… even Asian designers desire or choose Caucasian models more often than not.¹
[1] This has been my observation over the last year as a model looking for work. If you don’t feel this is true, please PLEASE show me otherwise.
What is something that seems simple, but is actually difficult?
1. Posing.
There are countless videos and tutorials on this sh*t for a reason. AsNTM judges critique this all the time. Superstar model Coco Rocha has an entire book and modelling camp dedicated to the practice.
There are certain tricks one can exhibit to create illusions of aesthetic, or stubby-legs. As an exercise, hand your phone to a friend and have them take photos of you for 10 seconds. Maybe try doing exactly what Coco does:
How many of those turned out like a cover from Elle? GQ? Target??
If you’re too lazy, allow me to illustrate on one of my earlier shoots. Observing only my ~static~ pose in this unedited photo:
Now you try!
Funnily enough, my face is alright here. I won’t even get into the agonizing nuances of a headshot… just know that the face is capable of 7000+ expressions, and you haven’t considered where the light source is yet.
2. Walking.
The ‘catwalk’ is so much more than walking on a straight line!! Naomi Campbell’s hips are a lie. My walk in my first real fashion show was so bad, they cut me out of the video.
My mom saw the two seconds I scraped together from Instagram Live and immediately started cracking up — then down on my walk. (Back in the day she trained girls on how to walk during Olympic ceremonies.)
There are even different flavours of walking, for example each fashion house has their own (CC for English):
When I attended Fashion Community Week there was also posing at the end, and there are special steps you gotta take around stopping/turning to not look like a klutz. Don’t walk too slow, or too fast; don’t sway your arms, but keep it natural. My roommates know how much I stomped around our house to figure this sh*t out.
…And then you put on the 4-inch heels!
Do they give you your outfits?
Depends! I’ve been to shoots where they have a room filled to the brim with options that professional stylists pick and choose from; I’ve also brought and used pieces entirely from my closet.
When I walk for a designer, I wear their clothes. When I have a creative shoot, I bring my options, and we mix and match with what the designer has. When I pose for a company, I am fully styled head to toe.
At what point do you actually start making money? If that’s a goal
My first modelling job was actually paid surprisingly well (ignoring my pre-adulthood attempts at the start of this loquacious article). I won’t disclose numbers here but if you’re interested, feel free to ask in a DM. Though as I mentioned previously, well-paid jobs are rare at my tier; I consider myself incredibly lucky for landing that job successfully.
OK! That is the end of Part 1.
If you’re not sick of my bumbling and ready for some people-watching and engineering faces off with modelling, click for Part 2. Or just click because you’re at home anyways; laundry can wait. :)
—
All of this is opinion. I don’t intend for any of this to be ground truth or harming, and I definitely do not claim omniscience. I offer only my limited perspective from first-hand experiences.
