It was late. The line for the taxi cab was already making zigzags and the supply of the yellow (sometimes white) passenger cars was about as few as the fingers in my hand. My mom could not wait any longer, so she devised a strategic plan. She pretended to walk towards that sign post where no one was standing. It was a priority lane for pregnant women and senior citizens. Everyone else was in protest but my mom simply continued to act like she was bearing the most important living being inside her stomach. In just a few minutes, we had our taxi. And that was my first lesson on impatience.
This was how I began to perceive lines. It was a hindrance, a race, an artistic battle that only expectant mothers and old folks could ever win. It wasn’t until a few years later that I realized that there was so much more in that long domino of people than just the process of waiting. In a busy street around the city, there were about 50, no hundreds of beautiful ladies, all waiting for their pictures taken. Wasn’t the smart phone invented already? As I pondered, I was proud of myself for knowing how to take a selfie. I continued to look around. Everyone was twice my height that they can pass for the role of a tree. They all looked the same but different in another way. I heard someone say “casting”, and I wondered if it was an audition for a movie. I observed the wave of gigantic females gradually get fewer as names were called to enter a room. Everyone was wearing black that I immediately guessed if they’re doing a Women In Black movie. But they weren’t. If spies were these tall, then they’d be easily spotted by aliens. It wasn’t until that lady picked up her lipstick, put on her heels and strut her way back and forth did I realize what the gathering was all about. MODELS
The Truth of the Modelling World
The first idea that comes to mind when I think of models is Tyra Bank’s popular reality show America’s Next Top Model. However, everyone working for major modeling agencies would agree as to how distorted the image of modeling is depicted in the film. We all get to see the glamour, the fame and even the occasional bitch fights. But behind it all is a tough world that’s waiting to greet the fallen contestants.
I can describe modeling as living in Barbie world. Remember the line “you can brush my hair, undress me everywhere?” Well, that’s part of the picture. Trying to embody the world’s standard of beauty can be intimidating a lot of times, especially when it all comes down to how good you could flirt with the camera. Every model started with that one Polaroid shot that changed their lives forever. Do these girls look familiar?
An industry dominated by women, but definitely ruled by men (or women trapped in a man’s body). The road to their dreams is a high price. It involves being numb enough to rejection after a few hours of waiting, so you can move on the next fashion show. This job has no guarantees and requires you to compete with the most beautiful girls in the planet. So if you’re the type who loves to look for a pregnancy lane, then this is definitely not the line made for you.
