The glitz and glamour of the fashion industry may keep us jaw-dropped in awe and desire, but rest assured, it does not come easy. We keep drooling over the gorgeous ladies and gentlemen in godly shapes and looks, which put the ramp on fire, and secretly wish to be like them. However, what we see is only the end. The means often remain buried beneath all the hype and hoopla.

Being a supermodel is no duck soup! The path to this pinnacle of limelight is a result of persistent dedication and hard work. Many young men and women see modeling as a lucrative career option and aspire to be famous supermodels, only to get disillusioned after they set foot on the rough roads to this end. Indeed, you need to have it in you to be one. Now, what is it that one needs to have?

First and foremost, one will need the never-say-die attitude, the stamina and confidence. There are ups and downs in this profession, there are people who will try to balk your steady success curve, and there will be moments when you would be working days and nights without sleep and you would wish you had never come. But all said and done, you need to hang on if you want to be the ‘chosen one’. That is the basic criterion.

Once you have the right attitude to pursue your dream, next comes the look factor. The ideal shape for a female model would be a 34”-24”-34” with a height of 5’9”. If you match this or anything very close, you can flaunt almost any fashion costume and woo the world’s admiration. A good model must have a shapely body, beautiful hair and skin. For men models, the standard height is 5’11” to 6’2” with a size of 40”-42”.

Time to reach out to a modeling agency and coordinator now! The kick-off to your modeling career rests with these agencies, which will train you with workshops, courses, local shows and print modeling. They will also help you find a photographer to create your portfolio and comp card. Remember, choosing the right photographer is also a vital decision. A skilled man at the lens would capture your best looks, which you can sell to the fashion world. So being a little choosy with the photographer helps at times. Go through the photographers’ portfolio before you appoint him/her to shoot you.

Now when you have everything in place—the attitude, confidence, professional skills, attractive portfolio and comp card—it is time to move ahead and get real assignments. The agencies provide models with work and take a commission against it. The rest depends on you. Take for instance the UK supermodels Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista or Naomi Campbell. They have dreamt big and stayed persistent. You can be one of them too! Just believe in yourself.

If you think models are just another pretty face, think again! The world of modeling is extremely competitive and often grueling. There is certainly not a lack of beautiful people in the modeling world, so in order to succeed, you will to rely on more than just your looks.

Before you decide to become a model, ask yourself: "why?" Many individuals start modeling in order to make a jump into acting or singing, but make no mistake - the professional world of modeling is a career aspiration in its own right. Far more than a springboard to other careers, professional models are hard working, highly trained individuals.

Break out of the misconception that only women can become famous professional models! Male models are often just as sought out as females, so do not expect the road to being a professional male model to be any easier than a female model. Furthermore, do not be under this misconception that models are all six-foot tall and weigh 100 pounds. The growing trend in the fashion industry is the advent of the plus-sized models. These beautiful models proudly wear a variety of fashions designed for real men and women by popular companies such as Lane Bryant.

Regardless of your beauty, shape, or size, if you do not have the ambition and drive to make it in this dog-eat-dog business, you will fail. Expect to do more than walk down a couple of runways and take cover shots for popular magazines. You will have to work diligently at honing your craft and getting your face and name known. Many aspiring models choose to work with modeling agencies that will do the grunt work of finding jobs and promoting their name. Take great caution when choosing an agency as there are many scam agencies posing to be legitimate. Remember, true agencies make their money by promoting the models and charging commissions on bookings. True agencies do not make their money by demanding large sums of money from an aspiring model up front.

Once you sign with an agency, you will begin working on your portfolio. This collection of pictures will show potential clients how you react to a camera. Also, you will need to take what is known as "model mug shots." These pictures are to show potential clients your looks and body type. In this mug shot, you are not posing and are usually wearing a simple bathing suit. It is important that all of your photographs are professional and fit the industry standards. A modeling agency will be able to provide you with a photographer who is accustomed to taking both portfolio images and mug shots.

In order to find a modeling agency and be one of their representatives, you may wish to utilize open calls. Open calls are similar to open houses where all individuals who are interested in becoming a model are invited for an interview. When you attend these interviews, keep in mind they are professional and you should dress the part. Keep your dress and appearance simple in order to best showcase your features and body type. The agency representatives must view you as a blank canvas so you can be adapted to fit a variety of fashions. Wearing simple but professional attire will allow them to do just that.

In order to excel as a professional model, you will have to work hard and diligently at your goal. Just like any career, modeling is a job and should be taken seriously if you expect to excel.

Copyright 2005 by Lynn Walls. All rights reserved.

How to get started: Before you get started doing anything, you should ask yourself these questions as they will help guide you for the rest of the process.

What do I want to get out of modeling?

What am I willing to put into

What kind of model do I want to be? Fashion, Runway, swimsuit, sport,etc.

How flexible am I for traveling and for time

Once you evaluate these questions, There is two ways you can go. One is to contact a modeling agency which I will explain below. The other method is to act like your own agency and create your own portfolio. This is easily done over the internet, now with several places in which you can post pictures, and information on yourself to attract talent scouts.

If you choose to go the traditional route and to work with a modeling agency, It can be hard at times to know first of all how to find a good one, and what to look for in a modeling agency. You can easily look up and find agencies in phone books or online,etc. Before you do any of that, I would recommend contacting anyone you know, that is a model, and finding out about some of the experiences that they have had with modeling and general, and also specifically with different agencies in your area. Once you have a general idea of what the scene looks like, contact some of the agencies and set up an appointment to meet with them. Meeting with the agency can be the hardest and most nerve wrecking part of the whole experience. Be firm, and don’t allow the agency to take advantage of you!

Things to ask and look for are:

What have they done for other models?

What can they do for you?

Can they meet your needs as an invividual and as a model?

Does the agency have similar goals for you as the ones you have for yourself?

The final question “How to get a first photo shoot” depends on which route you take. If you go with an agency you will have to arrange with them, to have a photo shoot taken, and to start building your portfolio. If you decide to go on your own, you will have to build your own portfolio. Either by using photos that you already have, or by contacting a photographer to have a photo shoot done. I would recommend that hiring a photographer is the route to go, as it looks more professional, and the quality is much greater than simple family and friends photo’s,etc.

Good luck with your search.

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Gone are the days when modeling was strictly for slim people, these days with so much demand for good plus size models, big people can enjoy modeling success. Plus size modeling is really gaining grounds these days. You don’t have to fit into tight clothes to be a model anymore; you can be a plus size model.

To become a plus size model you have to be very self-confident and determined. The world of modeling is highly competitive, so you must be determined to be a successful model. How you perceive yourself is very important because it’s how you see yourself that people will see you. You need to be very self confident, believe you can do it and not allow anybody to look down on you.

To be a plus size model you must look good. Your looks are very important. But modeling is more than looks; you must have the right kind of figure. Don’t think that because plus size models are not slim people, that your figure doesn’t matter, it does. To be a plus size model you need to find out if you have what it takes, the right face, height, beauty, figure etc. Knowing that you have what it takes helps boosts your confidence.

You are going to need a good agent to be a plus size model. Good agents help make your modeling career successful but getting them is not always easy. There are so many people out there who are also dreaming of becoming plus size models. It is action that separates the truly successful from the mere dreamers. To be a truly successful model you need to do all you can to sign up with a good modeling agency.

You will have to be persistent to get signed up with a good modeling agency. There are so many people out there who want to be models also, so it’s a really competitive world. Persistence counts. You must be ready for initial rejections. Nothing good comes easy, so don’t let initial rejection in your search for a good modeling agency stop you from becoming what you want to become.

You will also have to get good professional shots of yourself and send the best of them to different agencies. Even after that you can’t afford to just sit down and do nothing; you will have to be very persistent by following up on the agencies until you get into a good one.

Plus size modeling is becoming very popular these days and it’s becoming a really lucrative form of modeling. As a plus size model you can make good money by modeling for top designers of plus size clothes. You can become a plus size model if you have what it takes and you are determined and persistent enough.

There are thousands of agencies in the US alone not to mention foreign countries. So, where do you start?

This first depends upon your look and physical charateristics. If you meet the physical requirements discussed in Chapter One, then I would suggest that you start at the top of the modeling market and work your way down.

The Major Modeling Markets

Most of the major modeling agencies are based in large cities such as New York, Miami, Los Angeles. You can sometimes find branches of these model reps in other medium to large cities throughout the USA.

Below, you'll find links to more information on some of the top model agencies in the country and you may want to contact several of them. Just click on the link and read about each one ...

IMG
DNA
Women / Supreme
1 Management
Marilyn
Ford
Next
Elite
Trump
Vision
Major
NY Models
MC2
Wilhelmina

Any of these agencies will be able to let you know if you are modeling material but don't just accept the first "No" you hear.

A couple of examples:

Elvis Presley was turned down and told that he would never make it as a singer.

A music group was turned down by a record company because "groups using guitars were on their way out". This group was The Beatles!!

Tyra Banks was turned down by 4 out of 5 agencies and barely squeaked through the fifth door. Also turned down at one time or another were Cindy Crawford and most of the other superstars.

But, they all had one thing in common, dedication and persistence. They didn't take the first no as an insult. If you are turned down by an agency, go on to the next, and the next. Remember, it's always too soon to quit!

The biggest question I can think to ask is; "How committed are you to doing the really tough work involved to become a model?"

It's a very competitive world and only those willing to put in the hours of practice and the other time it takes to make contact after contact with model agencies will be able to work in the modeling industry.

Local Model Agencies

If you don't have the physical requirements as mentioned above or if you are more interested in pursuing modeling in your local area, don't give up. There's still hope to work as a model in a local agency.

Here are a few tips if you plan to promote yourself locally...

If you plan to promote yourself locally put together a professional portfolio and keep contacting model agencies & photographers who may need your services.

1. Set goals for what you want and keep at it.

2. Steer clear of agencies who ask for large sums of money for so-called "training" unless you feel that you just want that particular experience. There are plenty of legitimate agencies out there. You may want to try checking this page for local model agency listings in your state.

I don't have detailed information or endorse any of these agencies so you just have to pick and choose until you find the answers you are looking for.

3. Advice from consumer advocates, former (modeling) customers and ex-agency employees for avoiding modeling scams:

Avoid paying fees in advance. Legitimate agencies make their money from commissions. If you're asked to pay for extra composite cards, check out the company with the Better Business Bureau and state consumer officials.

If you are asked to sign a contract, take it home first. If they refuse, walk away.

Ask for reference lists of clients and ask what kinds of jobs the agency books.

4. Talk to other working models whenever possible. They can give you valuable insight and maybe steer you to a good agency or clients.

5. Always take someone with you when going to interviews or photo shoots. - SAFETY FIRST! I can't stress this enough!

The ideas listed above are just the beginning in your modeling career! Take your time to learn everything you can about modeling before "jumping in" and you'll have an easier time than those who don't.