From Model To Megastar

With so many agencies and new faces popping up every day, it’s difficult to succeed in the modelling world.

Thanks to the advent of Instagram, casting directors are inundated with new talent every day, all hoping to get noticed. If lucky enough to be signed, you might be classified as a ‘one season girl’ – flavour of the month in Spring, gone by Fall. Or you might miss the wave completely if your look doesn’t ‘work’ for the time.

Fashion weeks and high-end campaigns are probably the most publicised and prestigious jobs for models, especially in terms of payment. Landing one or more of these in-demand gigs instantly elevates the model to stardom (think Burberry plucking the then-unknown 18 year old Neelam Gill from obscurity to become the face of their 2014 Spring campaign).

However, a wider range of jobs exists for models, and sometimes the girls have little choice but to take them in order to pay the bills. Imagine if Emily Ratajkowski had never decided to accept the job of music video girl for Blurred Lines? The sultry model had reportedly declined the offer before finally relenting and giving it her all to become a household name today.

Even Miranda has delved into the music video world, featuring in Kanye and Pharrell’s 2006 hit single Number One before breaking out as a singer with Bobby Fox with You’re The Boss in 2014.

Closer to home, models cite catalogue work as not exactly desirable, but essential ‘bread and butter’ jobs which pay well and regularly. A rite of passage for most Aussie models starting out is The Asia Chapter, where girls are sent to be worked often to the bone, in countries such as China and Japan. The completion of such jobs gives young models experience in the field, as well as gets their face out there.

The true test comes when you finally reach the top of the pecking order and everyone wants your time and attention.

Moneyed-up members of the public dish out big cash for your appearance at their parties, and it’s up to you if you choose to take the bait or hold onto your brand equity and retain your exclusivity. It’s always a gamble – either your star could shine even brighter (aka Kate Moss, who famously never does interviews) or you could crash and burn as the season ends.

The smart thing to do? Take it all with a grain of salt and have a backup plan! Enterprising models are now taking advantage of their star power to create their own brands, from skincare to swimwear.

Doing this ensures a steady stream of money in the bank for a job which is no longer directly dependent on looks – every model’s secret dream!

Love,

This Model Eats A Lot xx

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