Besides needing the physical requirement to be a model you also need a personality for it. Professional modeling is a tough business. Only certain people can stand up to the hard work schedule and stress that modeling demands. So what are some good traits for a model?
1) Love the Show — When you hear, ‘It’s show time’ or ‘Time for magic’ do you come alive? If you love performing and being in front of an audience, whether it’s a room full of people or the eye of the camera, you will enjoy modeling. If it is something you enjoy you are more apt to work hard at it, take greater risk, and work through the hardships that come along. If you love the work, you will love your life. If you hate the work, you’ll be miserable.
2) Hard Working — Modeling takes a lot of hard work and stamina. A photo shoot can run as long as 16 hours and at all times of the day & night. Just getting a job can have you running all over town. And at the end of the day you still have to do all the stuff needed to keep you in shape and looking beautiful.
3) Projection — You need to be able to project your personality, your charisma, your charm, and your sex appeal. You need to be able to sell yourself to be able to sell the product.
4) Intelligent — There is a lot to learn about modeling, being an independent business person, about yourself and about surviving in a big world of sharks. If you can’t learn it fast you could get eaten alive.
5) Extrovert — You will be constantly meeting new people and walking into new situations. You will be performing before strangers every day. You need to like new experiences, challenges, and meeting new people. If you are shy and reserved you will forever be uncomfortable modeling.
6) Good Self Esteem — Ok, so it doesn’t hurt to be a little bit of an egomaniac. This industry is a real ego bruiser. Good self-esteem can help pick you up and get you through those tough times.
7) Ambition — For most, careers in modeling won’t come easy. You will have to go through trials and tribulations before you achieve success. The ambition and desire to succeed and achieve your goals in modeling will help you over the temporary set backs that come along.
8) Self-Starter — As a model you are an independent businessperson in charge of your own career. You must be able to take charge of you. This includes your training, your physical upkeep, your professional practices, your finances, and your life.
9) In Control — You need to be able to control your health (size and fitness), your body for posing, your emotions for acting them out, and your life so you show up on time.
10) Organized — You have to keep track of your schedule, your finances, your modeling materials, and your body’s up keep.
OK, so you have to be a bubbly Polly Anna that everyone loves, who is a rocket scientist, and has just finished SEAL team training. Is this a problem?
Stage Mom
Model at Sunset
One thing that can be a great help for one’s modeling career is a good stage mom. This can actually be a mom, dad or grandparent. I lump them all together as ‘stage mom’ and as far as I am concerned if you have a good one they are worth their weight in gold. One of the best things a young wannabe model can have is a parent who can help you develop your career. A good stage mom learns the business, helps keep things organized, watches out for scams, helps avoid dangerous situations, provides transportation, helps with training, encourages practice, provides emotional support, and at the start of a career provides the financing. And for all of this, stage moms get to melt into the background and let their son or daughter move into center stage and become a star.
Of course you always hear about the bad stage moms — the bossy, interfering, and overbearing stage moms — the ones trying to live the life they never had through their children. You never hear about the good stage moms — the ones the photographer turns to when the model has forgotten something and mom is right there with it: the stage mom who works tirelessly in the background so her daughter or son, the model, is on time and ready for the task at hand. Well, let me say I appreciate a good stage mom as the professional she is.
What Next
So you know what kind of modeling you want to do and you’re the right height and size, but you may not be sure if you have the «look» or are beautiful enough or are photogenic enough. What is the next step? That is what is covered in the next section
