Modeling Agencies

A size 4 is the new 6, and a size 2 is the new 4. I just heard this line last night while watching the film "The Devil Wears Prada." It's absurd in the real world, I know. But, in the modeling industry the women are a bit on the thin side. Is this because modeling agencies force them to steer clear of anything containing calories? Probably not. On the contrary, it's the designers who want the models to be so thin. They are the ones, after all, who decide which models work and which ones don't. It's a common misconception concerning the agencies. Now, on the other hand, an agency isn't going to sign on a girl who's too big, because they know what the designers are looking for. If the models don't get paid, then neither do the agencies. It's as simple as that.

I had my dose of the modeling industry at the age of 19. After high school, one of my mother's friends encouraged me to try my hand at modeling. So naturally I looked up the local modeling agencies and gave it a shot. There was no harm in trying. Also, it sounded better than the college classes I was currently taking. After speaking with one of the local modeling agencies, the lady in charge informed me that I would get work if I pursued it. She signed me with her agency and told me to let my hair grow out.

I was then given small modeling gigs here and there to get started. Since I wasn't living in one of the large cities, there was only so much that could be done locally. This is when I took it upon myself to venture off to Atlanta in order to consult their modeling agencies. Most of them had something known as open-call, which was one day of the week they would see walk-ins. I hit up five different modeling agencies in one day's time. All of them seemed to like my look and my height, but then told me to gain muscle mass. Around 15 pounds. I took it into consideration, and then moved on. Next stop was New York City. I got the same feedback here. I was the ideal height, good bone structure, but lacking in the muscle department. Within a year, I gave up on modeling.

My story is just an example. Clearly I didn't pursue this industry very hard. If I really wanted to be accepted into one of these modeling agencies, I would have hit the gym five days a week and gained lean muscle mass. This is advice for any potentials out there. You have to be driven to get those modeling agencies to select you out of thousands of others.