I’m a huge fan of RTE’s The Model Agent and I’ve always wanted to model ever since I was a little girl. I have a very photogenic face but I’m a little short at 5’5. Do you think that I should pursue a career in modelling or am I just fooling myself?
Petulant, consistently late, and brainless but devastatingly beautiful. Those may be the qualities you'd assume a model would have to list on her CV to be a success. But if you're just one of those things, chances are you won't make it in one of the toughest professions on earth.
Thousands of girls dream of becoming models, but very few go on to have the careers of the likes of Kate Moss, who at 5' 6½ is considered astonishingly short for the industry. I’ve met her in the flesh and she is beautiful in a way the pictures can never quite capture- she is one in a million. Kate may not be tall but she has the face that has defined a generation.
If you honestly think you have that face – read on.
What makes a great model is a curious combination –you may not look twice at her in the street but the camera loves her. She may look awkward and ordinary in reality but she photographs well – sometimes ugly ducklings really are swans. Height is so important because clothes look so much better on tall girls.
I know it may seem like it’s unfair but it’s all about how the camera records imagery and, for some reason, it makes people look bigger, so tall and skinny works especially when it comes to high fashion. Honestly, as a size 12, this is something that I don’t particularly like, but after editing hundreds of fashion shoots, I’ve come to realise that tall slim girls just tend to look better in photographs.
Great models should be one-offs - that's what makes them special. Really great models come to a shoot prepared, it’s their job to inspire the team and bring magic, and charisma and personality to each and every job – whether that’s a boring gig to promote radiators or a high fashion shoot for Vogue.
A truly great model should will always be vital, alert and bring her own creativity to each and every job. The stylist, make up artist and hairdresser have all created their vision, it’s her work to bring that to life.
In Ireland the profession is particularly difficult as a plethora of stunners compete for the very few modelling jobs that are available. Now that the recession had hit, advertisers are only hiring well known models, so it’s becoming even more difficult to get hired unless you have the profile of someone like Rosanna Davison.
So what do you need to make it as a model in this cut-throat industry?
Being photogenic is a quality a model must possess. She should also turn up on a shoot with at least 20 poses and she needs to take the job seriously. I’ve worked with lazy girls who thought that modelling consisted of pouting and placing their hand on their hip – I’d never hire them again.
Many girls turn up to model agencies with starry-eyed dreams of becoming the fashion worlds ‘Next Big Thing’ and they’ll happily take your money on dodgy ‘Training courses’ and portfolio shots, but unless you are naturally tall and very slim, with a face to die for you might as well forget it,.
So please don’t spend your hard earned cash on a career that’s based entirely on how you look unless you fit the narrow stereotype. There are many agencies that are only too willing to take your money with the promise of a career that will never materialise, so be careful.
Yes, you are on the short side to work as a model, so please be realistic about your chances. There is the wannabe factor and sometimes that can work. You need enthusiasm and ambition. Remember that when it comes to modelling - It's a tough world.
