Models are not numbers, the end of the old Fashion World
Remember, remember, the fifth of November.
“Too short.”
“Too thick.”
My name is Sara and I always wanted to be a model. But it was pretty clear whenever I talked to agents that I wasn’t what they were looking for.
Every one that I met treated me like a set of numbers: height, weight, age. They had a set of boxes that you needed to go into, and I really didn’t fit into them.
Still, I didn’t want to give up either — I loved the looks, the fashion, the feeling I got when looking at a photograph. And so I hunted for other ways to make my dreams come true.
I started my own Instagram and poured tons of time into it. I kept building my network until I had contacts with tons of models, photographers, and companies. Still, even after working my way into magazines and ads, no agencies were interested.
In a lot of ways, I think I understand them. I don’t agree, but I understand. Agencies were created for a world that’s been swept away — a world of Madison Avenue, a whitewashed world, a world where corporations never wanted to take a chance on anything different. Now, that old industry is trying to change, but it’s hard to break out of the patterns that you’ve built up over decades and decades.
That’s why I decided that instead of waiting for them to change, I’d do it myself — not just for me, but for all those out there who have the same feelings that I did. That’s why I founded Spicee, a modeling agency that values people, not numbers.
Because I’ve seen it: I’ll meet someone at a party or on the street, and sometimes I just can’t help but tell them, “You’re so beautiful! You really could model” The response is so often the same: “Oh, no, I’m so short,” or, “Oh, thanks… but no, I mean, just look at my [whatever body part they don’t like]. I’m not what they want.”
That’s the old world speaking through them. Each time, I want to grab them, look them in the eyes and tell them the truth: “Your beauty is enough.”
Modeling today isn’t about the look. It’s about the attitude, the energy.
Spicee wants real people, the ones that others can really identify with. We know that incredible models can come from anywhere, can blend together different experiences and backgrounds, and can stand all on their own.
The Spicee credo:
- Not just models. People.
- Colorful!
- It’s wonderful to be you: Complex, imperfect, real.
Does that resonate with you? Do you dream of modeling but always thought that you weren’t what “they” were looking for? Reach out — sara@spicee.co.
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[manif]
Needing to fit into those boxes wasn’t only bad b/c of the mental aspect; it also led to a system of predation, where models were expected to just shut up and take it, whatever *it* was — so where they can learn about taxes, fees, what is ok and not ok on a shoot, have someone who really cares about whether or not they’re treated right
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